LA LA LA I'M NOT LISTENING!
Nancy Wozniak, Learning Architect,

Stony Brook University

In every class I visit and talk about the benefits of keeping a digital portfolio to showcase your professional strengths, abilities and skills, there is always on student that frowns (similar to the image on the left) and snarls, "employers don't look at eportfolios".  I ask these students to back their statements up with sound evidence.  So far, no one has backed it up.  Even if it were true, your eportfolio demonstrates your stengths, abilities and skills to the most important person ... YOU!  Your eportfolio documents a lifetime of learning and accomplishments.  It's your legacy.  However, more and more we're seeing articles and broadcast news reports about the paper resume being  obsolete.  An employer will google you.  You want your professional eportfolio to pop-up in the search.  This is your professional web identity and demonstrates that you have multimedia and communication skills.  If you don't show up in a Google search, many times you are overlooked for an initial interview.  The potential employer views you as not being relevant.  You want to place a link to your eportfolio in your contact information area of your resume and your LinkedIn profile.  So, for my la la la non-believers with the sour faces, here is a collection of resources on the value of digital portfolios.  Please contibute your resources in the blog area below (click on Show Comments and Tags on the bottom right).  If you still don't believe employers or graduate schools look at eportfolios, that's just fine.  That's less competition for the students that do believe.  They know where they are going and how to get there.

Enhancing employability through ePortfolios

https://sites.google.com/site/epcareerworkshop/learning-strategies/identify-the-value-of-reflection-on-university-learning-experiences

Suggestions from Employers

One in Two New College Graduates Is Jobless or Underemployed

NY Times, May 7, 2012
About 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed, the highest share in at least 11 years. In 2000, the share was at a low of 41 percent, before the dot-com bust erased job gains for college graduates in the telecommunications and IT fields.

AN EYE OPENER!

Capture Your Flag
Why a Modern Resume Should Be More Portfolio and Pitch Than Paper

- Jullien Gordon

http://youtu.be/uNIDvOSitF4

Graduate Students' Academic ePortfolio at the University of Delaware    http://youtu.be/pgm9Qh_W0Ls

RESOURCES FOR PROFESSION ePORTFOLIO

(1) No More Résumés, Say Some Firms - The Wall Street Journal -  Careers

Union Square Ventures recently posted an opening for an investment analyst.Instead of asking for résumés, the New York venture-capital firm—which has invested in Twitter, Foursquare, Zynga and other technology companies—asked applicants to send links representing their "Web presence," such as a Twitter account or Tumblr blog. Applicants also had to submit short videos demonstrating their interest in the position.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203750404577173031991814896.html

How to Say ‘Look at Me!’ to an Online Recruiter

By PHYLLIS KORKKI

IF you are thinking of looking for a job this year, or are already searching for one, be warned: for some job seekers, the rules have changed. Technology and social media have altered the way some employers consider candidates. Simply sifting through job postings and sending out applications en masse was never a good route to success, and is even less so now.

One of the most important questions that many job seekers can ask these days is this: How searchable am I? Some employers aren’t even bothering to post jobs, but are instead searching online for the right candidate, said Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers, a career management firm in New York.

Not having an Internet presence can be damaging, Ms. Safani said. She is among those who recommend that job seekers spend serious time detailing their skills and experience on commercial sites like LinkedIn and Twitter, with an eye toward making their names a magnet for search engines.

“Having a blog can be a good way to show that you are a thought leader” while improving your professional visibility, she said. And consider YouTube as a way to enhance your searchability, she advised. If an employer comes across a video of you giving a speech or a training presentation, she said, you may gain an advantage.

More companies are turning to Twitter as a way to broadcast job openings, so you should use it to follow recruiters, industry leaders and individual companies, said Alison Doyle, a job search specialist for About.com. She said that by linking to articles and sharing your expertise on Twitter, you can enhance your professional reputation — though you should beware of the site’s potential as a time drain.

On Facebook, “liking” a company can mean receiving early notice of job openings and other news. But privacy concerns make Facebook tricky, Ms. Doyle said: Make sure you understand who is receiving which of your posts, or resolve to be thoroughly professional on Facebook at all times, she said. Be aware that hiring managers may see what you post on any of the major social media outlets, she added.

OLD-FASHIONED, personal networking can still be an effective way to land a job, but online networking now supplements it in many fields. Both Ms. Safani and Ms. Doyle say LinkedIn is a very important Web tool for making those connections.

The site offers premium services for a fee, but almost all of the main features for job seekers are free, Ms. Doyle said. Spend a few minutes on the site each day making new connections, she advised, and keep your profile up to date.

To improve the chances that a connection request will be accepted, especially from someone you don’t know, send a personal message along with it, noting, say, your similar backgrounds, said Nicole Williams, a consultant who works as a career expert for LinkedIn.

Baldly asking someone at a company for help in landing a job is never a good idea, on LinkedIn or anywhere else. Share links and advice with people in your LinkedIn network before asking for a favor like an introduction to a hiring manager or a written recommendation that would appear on the site. If you are seeking a particular position, Ms. Doyle said, you might say something like: “I’m interested in this job. Do you have any information that you can share with me?”

Joining industry groups on LinkedIn can build your visibility. You can also join college alumni organizations or other focused groups, like one for working mothers.

Make full use of the skills section of LinkedIn, Ms. Williams advised, and the more specific you are, the better. Instead of saying that you have marketing skills, note the exact areas — direct mail campaigns, for example. LinkedIn can direct you to companies that are seeking these skills so you can follow them. Listing your skills could also bring you to the notice of a recruiter.

Be aware, too, that an employer may be viewing your application via a mobile phone. Mobile traffic involving job search more than doubled in 2012 over 2011 at the employment site Indeed.com, said Rony Kahan, a co-founder and C.E.O. So make sure you know how your résumé and cover letter look on a small screen. Résumés should be in a PDF format so they can be viewed on a variety of phones.

In the age of online applications, one school of thought holds that cover letters are a waste of time, but Ms. Doyle disagrees. Cover letters are still a great way to differentiate yourself from the competition, she said — and the rise of applications via cellphone just means they should be more concise, and specific to the job at hand.