For someone who carried a scrapbook-type portfolio to his first few interviews, I became an early supporter of e-portfolios as an efficient way for job seekers to creatively present their resumes and work samples to prospective employers.
Finding the time to develop a job-winning portfolio isn’t easy for college students, but many colleges now give students final exam course options that include creating e-portfolios. At DePaul University, we replaced dreaded comprehensive exams this year with e-portfolios. Students wanting to focus on academic job pursuits still have the option of doing a thesis.
Last Wednesday evening, 19 graduates students in the DePaul Public Relations & Advertising program showed off what they’ve done over the past two years during the college’s first-ever E-Portfolio Showcase. More than 60 Chicago-area public relations executives and recruiters attended the event, which also featured entertaining remarks from Jon Harris, chief communications officer of Hillshire Brands. Jon was making his final speech as CCO before heading to New York where he will become the announcer and sidekick for the new “Meredith Vieira Show” that debuts this fall on NBC. Jon and the other PR pros were impressed with the caliber of talent and work examples, often commenting that “we never could have done this when we just starting our careers.”
PR pros at the event awarded gold stars to their favorite e-portfolios, picking Aaron Westbrook’s as the “best of show.” Here are links to some of the other e-portfolios from students in my spring quarter class: Jesalynn Lindsay, Jocelyn Finley, Andrea Lemieux, Stacia Doss, Alesia Howard, Lindsay Barber and Mark Kennedy.