Social Media E-Portfolio

Job searching can be a daunting task. Figuring out where to begin and then how to proceed can be overwhelming. What if you are really not sure what direction you want to take? How do you determine what roles, within a given field are best suited for you? How do you show a potential employee that you have much to offer? How do you ensure that you are not selling yourself too much? The traditional method of sending out a resume and a cover letter, although potentially productive, may not provide an employer with a broad enough picture of who you are, where you are, and where you want to go. All of these areas can become the focus of your pitch, to obtaining the desired position, by creating an e-portfolio, which encompasses the whole you. It allows not only the potential employer to see you, but for you to see yourself.

Social Media Marketing is an emerging career path. The e-portfolio, for this career path, should be inviting, visually. After all, you want to send a message that you understand and can relate to others in cyberspace and are able to be consistent and professional. The welcome page should include a brief introduction of who you are, what your educational and professional background consists of, as well as goals for the future. This should not be overly detailed. You will want to show potential employers how well you can make a point, with few words, and lure a reader to want to learn more. You also would not want to bore people, before they had a chance to truly see who you are. You want them to want to learn more, which they can by further exploring your portfolio.  

Pages should be set up for each element of your portfolio.  The key elements that should be included in an e-portfolio, for those venturing into social media, as a career choice, would be samples of written communication. The samples shared should be related to reaching a large audience. The samples should represent a wide range of social media outlets, not just Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps a blog or wiki along with video presentations designed to reach the masses. If you have a blog that allows comments, this will show the employer how well you interact with others, a skill they will be most interested in. When providing links, be sure that the link is named in a short easy to comprehend title do not use generic text. You want to make navigation simple. This will show the employer that you think about your audience and are providing them with user-friendly links. A skill required in social media.

You would also want to include technology skills. Social media is more than a desire to communicate on Facebook and Twitter. Although these venues are a part of social media, there are many other areas that individual needs to have the ability to excel at. Having the ability to understand how to create and analyze online measurement and monitoring systems. You want to be able to show that you have the ability to drive traffic towards the hiring company. Perhaps, it would add value if a personal website were developed and statistics were included in the portfolio. This would represent the ability to create a website, setup analytics and show the traffic the site receives to the employer.

If a past work history is available, this should also be included. This page can show progression, over time. It ultimately can link to a copy of your resume.  Perhaps the page itself can be setup as bullet points. This allows the potential employer to see things at the top level quickly, yet still have the ability to read further, if they choose. If creating a major e-portfolio, samples of course work should be included. This allows the employer to see where you started and where you ended in your academic career.

E-portfolios can be an effective tool not only for the student/job seeker, but the employer. It provides the employer with a window in which to see the prospective employee. It allows them to see the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate and can assist them in planning for future development of the employee. For the student/candidate it allows them to remember where they were in the beginning and where they intend to go. It can be a roadmap that will lead to a successful future as well as a reminder of how an individual made the journey.