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MarchApril2015

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58 BizEd MARCH | APRIL 2015 ideas in action ILLUSTRATION BY SHAW NIELSON First Impressions ONLINE PORTFOLIOS PACK PROFESSIONAL PUNCH  BY JEANNE SPREIER WHEN STUDENTS at the Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM) at the University of Texas at Dallas enroll in the re- quired course Advanced Business Communication, most don't realize that they'll finish the semester with game-changing résumés. During the class, each must complete a Professional Online Portfolio (POP), which could be the most persuasive piece of their job-hunting arsenal. As part of the course since it was first offered in fall 2013, the POP requires all soon-to-be graduating JSOM students to tackle oral presentations, team- work, and technology, as well as learn to become more profes- sionally savvy. Each semester, the course enrolls approximate- ly 500 students in 14 sections. In today's job market, online portfolios have become crucial for business students, says McClain Watson, who directs the school's business communication programs. He also teaches the course and developed the POP project. "How do employers get from 60 résumés to six?" he asks. "They Google your name." Students use free web platforms such as Wix, Weebly, or Moonfruit to create and host their POPs. Each POP must include a PDF of the student's résumé, a video introduction to give employers a sense of the stu- dent's verbal skills and poise, links to at least three class or work projects, a professional photo, contact information, and links to the student's Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Each POP also must include links to sources representing two professional or personal interests—perhaps a video from a study abroad trip or volunteer project, or a summary of an internship with photos of the student on the job. Although the type of POP content is prescribed, students have wide latitude in design and presentation.

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