Reflective Post #11: Choices for my Final Portfolio

When I started planning my final portfolio, I considered how I would make use of my poster materials and incorporate the writing I already completed for my poster into my electronic portfolio. I decided to use the same three main topics that I used for my poster in my portfolio. I listed these main headings, Research, Layout Design, and Editing and Revision, in the menu bar at the top of the homepage. In addition to these three headings, I decided to also include my reflective essay and my résumé as subject headings. I felt that this type of layout would be easy to navigate through. If a potential employer were to view my electronic profile, he or she could easily see the skills that I have chosen to highlight and could also access my easily access my résumé.

I was initially unsure as to where in my portfolio I wanted to include my reflective essay. I viewed portfolios of previous students and found that some of them used their reflective essay as their introduction on their homepage. While this approach functioned well in some portfolios, I instead decided to include my reflective essay as the second to last item in my menu bar on my homepage, prior to my résumé. Since I used my reflective essay to summarize what I have learned about successful professional writing, I felt that it was best placed after I explained the specific skill areas I have worked in. My reflective essay builds off of my explanations and reflections in the Research, Layout Design, and Editing and Revision sections. Therefore, readers will better understand my reflective essay if they first read the previous sections.

Although I was not required to include my résumé in my final portfolio, I decided that this addition would help readers to learn more about me as an individual and my interests and experiences outside of professional writing and editing. Writers and editors work in an assortment of fields, and my various work and volunteer experiences could serve as a valuable background in many professional writing positions. Thus, if I were to distribute my portfolio to potential employers in the future, they could easily view this information on my résumé and even print out the PDF version.