A portfolio is:

• A collection in progress
• A place where you store things related to your training, work, and service experience, contributions, and special accomplishments
• A tool to help you understand and remember your talents and accomplishments
• A tool to help communicate your talents and accomplishments to others
• Used at some point during a job interview
• Contains only relevant material to the job for which you are interviewing
• Will change and evolve over time

 

A portfolio is useful because it:

• Is cumulative documentation of your career development
• Gives you a sense of accomplishment
• Encourages you to hold yourself accountable for your life
• Emphasize what you can do, rather than what you cannot do
• Requires self-reflection
• Is a tangible product

 

An artifact is that which you put in your portfolio, such as:

• Pictures of people you helped, land you worked, things you built
• Certificates you earned during training
• Charts or statistics of program changes you brought about
• Flyers or promotional material from an event you organized
• Agendas from meetings you coordinated or attended
• Reports you wrote that were disseminated
• Newsletters you wrote, edited, or formatted
• Copies of commendations for work well done

Portfolio Timeline

Now is the time to start putting together your career or service portfolio. With the planning timeline below, just one activity per month will put you on the road to portfolio completion.

 

Month	Activity
One	Find a box or accordion file. Label it "Portfolio stuff."
Two	Save your AmeriCorps orientation and training agenda. Put them in the "portfolio stuff" box.
Three	Did you have to write an application essay, conduct a self-assessment, do a visioning activity as part of your introduction to the program? Save that and toss it in the "portfolio stuff" box too.
Four	Bring a Camera to your AmeriCorps project. Take at least 10 pictures. They can be of students, nature, finished projects - as long as they represent your work.
Five	Collect at least three artifacts that represent three different service projects you've completed with AmeriCorps. If you are at one site for the whole year, think of different things you do at your site.
Six	Collect at least one letter of commendation from a site supervisor, community member, team leader, or other professional contact.
Seven	Collect two more letters of commendation from other people and at least three more artifacts.
Eight	Begin assembling your portfolio. Use a three-ring binder or other format. Make sure you have at least ten potential artifacts.
Nine	Review the artifacts and materials you have assembled so far. Determine what you want to be sure to add in the final few months of your AmeriCorps experience.
Ten	Write an introduction to your portfolio. This can help you focus what you want to include and if you want to look for additional materials.
Eleven	Ask two or three people to review your portfolio and make suggestions for improvement. Revise as you like.