Benefits of Developing a Professional Portfolio

A well organized professional portfolio can help you ace interviews and can document your ongoing professional growth.

Are you nervous about job interviews? A quality portfolio can help you feel prepared and help you clearly state your ideas and beliefs. An organized portfolio contains information that reflects your philosophy, goals, professional development, and experience. A portfolio can also help you find financing for new and expanding child care facilities.

What is a portfolio? It is a visual tool to help you document your beliefs, professional development, experience, involvement in the field, and classroom use of best practices. It can help you demonstrate a key point and help you stand out from other candidates.

A portfolio is not simply a photo album. While there should be photos in your portfolio, they should relate directly to a lesson plan or document in the portfolio. A portfolio also is not a scrapbook. Your portfolio should highlight your skills in a professional way. Keep in mind that interviewers may flip through your portfolio, rather than read it thoroughly from front to back.

What should you include in a portfolio?

You can include:
Table of contents
Resume
Statement of philosophy on early childhood care and education
Letters of reference
Records of workshops, seminars, and other professional development (Keep your certificates or get copies from your employer if they keep them)
List of professional memberships
Certificates of achievement for relevant volunteer work
Sample lesson plans
Photographs or samples of children’s work related directly to the featured lesson plans
Sample of letter to families or other forms of family communication
Examples of steps taken to guide a child’s behavior
Additional items to have available are:
Transcripts
Medical documents
Criminal history check
Other employment items as required by licensing

How do I organize the portfolio?
The first glimpse that someone gets of your portfolio is the cover. It should always be in good condition. Try using a three ring binder with insert panels for a self designed cover. Make sure the cover looks professional and that your name stands out clearly.

Some tips to aid in the development of a well-organized, creative, and highly effective portfolio are:
Insert all items into plastic sleeves (sheet protectors).
Divide the portfolio into sections — resume, philosophy, professional development, volunteer experience, classroom experience, and so on.
Use the section titles on the contents page.
Use a good quality resume paper for the cover insert, cover page, contents page, and section title pages.
Store extra copies of your resume, philosophy, and letters of reference in plastic sleeves behind the originals.
Support your sample lessons with photos of children engaging in the activity, samples of a child’s work, or words resulting from the experience.

Think of your portfolio as documentation of your professional growth and development. Keep it updated with new trainings you attend, new lessons you develop, and up to date information.

A carefully created portfolio will reflect who you are as a professional. It will help to clarify and reaffirm your beliefs, document your experience, and inspire you to try new things.

Written by Jacki Turner, Data and Referral Specialist

Adapted from:
Priest, C. (2010). The benefits of developing a professional portfolio. Young Children, 65, 92-96.