Online Career Portfolios - The Career Center

Online Career Portfolios:Using Technology to PromoteCareer DevelopmentJill Lumsden, M.S./Ed.S.Robert Reardon, Ph.D.Janet Lenz, Ph.D.June 28, 2001National Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Goals of theFSU Career Portfolio• Educate students about workforce skills• Connect students with opportunities todevelop skills• Provide a mechanism for students todocument their skills and marketthemselves to employers or graduateschoolsNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Student Feedback• Focused on user interface design issues– Is it user-friendly?– Does it make sense?– Would you use it?• Many changes were made to the designas a result of the testing• Results were overwhelmingly positiveNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Employer Validationof Portfolio• Did we identify skills important toemployers?• Would employers use an on-lineportfolio?National Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Employer Feedback“Skills”FSU Questionnaire• Fall 1999 CareerExpo• 246 Returns• Importance/Frequency of UseNACE Survey• Summer 2000• 482 Responses• ImportanceNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Importance of Skill to beSuccessful in Your Organization(On a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being least useful and 5 being most useful)Communication 4.94Teamwork 4.72Leadership 4.60Critical Thinking 4.57Personal Management 4.52Creativity 4.08Technical/Scientific 4.02Social Responsibility 4.01National Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Frequency of Skill Use in YourOrganization(On a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being least useful and 5 being most useful)Communication 4.91Teamwork 4.73Personal Management 4.51Critical Thinking 4.47Leadership 4.46Creativity 3.95Technical/Scientific 3.91Social Responsibility 3.89National Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Employers Rate the Importance of Candidate QualitiesCommunication skills (verbal and written) 4.69Honesty/integrity 4.66Teamwork skills (works well w/others) 4.55Interpersonal skills (relates well to others) 4.52Strong work ethic 4.50Analytical skills 4.37Flexibility/adaptability 4.33Computer skills 4.25Self-confidence 4.08Leadership skills 4.04Organized 4.00Detail oriented 4.00Friendly/outgoing personality 3.91Tactfulness 3.79Well-mannered/polite 3.79Creative 3.71Entrepreneurial skills/risk taker 3.45Sense of humor 3.39SPOTLIGHT on Career Services, Recruitment, and HR/Staffing, A Biweekly Publication of NACE, 11/15/00, p.6National Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Employer Questionnaire“Usefulness”• Fall 2000 Career Expo• 87 Responses• 5 Questions• Interest• Use• Type• Significance• Importance of Skill IdentificationNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Results of EmployerQuestionnaire“Would you be interested inan online portfoliosystem?”YES 88%NO 6%UNSURE 6%YESNOUNSURENational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

“Would you use an on-lineportfolio to screencandidates?”YES 87%NO 8%UNSURE 5%“Would you use an on-lineportfolio to supplement acandidate’s interview?”YES 71%NO 16%UNSURE 13%YESNOUNSUREYESNOUNSURENational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

“Would you prefer a paperportfolio rather than anon-line portfolio?”YES 17%NO 64%UNSURE 16%“Would access to candidates’self-reported employabilityskills be useful in screeningpotential applicants?”YES 87%NO 4%UNSURE 9%YESNOUNSUREYESNOUNSURENational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Implications• Employers validated importance andusefulness of skills• Employers endorsed an “On-linePortfolio System”National Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Demonstrationhttp://www.career.fsu.edu/portfolioNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

FSU Career Portfolio History• President’s initiative, Fall 1997• Concept paper, Fall 1997• Commission on the Future, Spring 1998• Class project, Spring 1998• Internal & external proposals, 1998-1999National Career Development Association Conference June 2001

History (cont.)• Dedicated staff position, 1999• Expanded university support, 2000• Prototype developed, 1999-2000• Prototype testing, 2000• Live system testing & implementation,2001-2002National Career Development Association Conference June 2001

University Wide Effort• Career Center• Administrative Information Systems• Collaborators & enablersNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Career Center• Project director• Professional staff task force• Technology coordinator• Web designersNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Administrative Information• Project managersSystems• Web designers• Programmers• Database administratorsNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Collaborators & Enablers• Academic administrators• Student affairs administrators• Academic advisors• Employers• State of Florida (FACTS.org)• Vendor-partnersNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Gaps Addressed withCareer Portfolio• Students develop strategic career plans• University prepares workforceparticipants• Increased employer hiring confidence• Public sees benefit of higher educationNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Some Key Aspects• Compatible with liberal arts mission• Generic workforce skills have consensus• Comprehensive Career Center• Integrating student and academic affairs• Boundary-spanning career servicesNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Some Key Aspects (cont.)• Career preparation supported &integrated• Multiple intervention points in time &place• System intervention – self-help mode• Career Portfolio focal point ofinterventionNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Integration & Implementation• Students• University Staff• Employers• ParentsNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Students• FYE• Career Planning class• Career Centermaterials/publicity• Outreachpresentations• One-on-one careeradvisingNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Students• FYE--55 sections– all sections required to have a session on theCareer Center;– FYE instructors will have option of includingcareer portfolio development as part of thecredit-based assignmentsNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Students• Career Planning class– currently a 3 credit course– tentative plan is to offer a 1hour “lab” credit forstudents to develop theirportfolio– skills/portfolio conceptintroduced during lecture inUnit 1; group activity toidentify ways to developskillsNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Students• Career Center (CC)materials/publicity– CC brochure– Web site– Career Guide– Multimedia PowerPoint presentationNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Students• OutreachPresentations– New Student Preview– Summer Orientation– Student Groups/Organizations– Classes– Career PortfolioDevelopment workshopNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Students• One-on-one advising– description/promotionof the portfolio– assistance in thecomputer lab withcareer portfoliodevelopment– critiquingNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

University Staff• Council of InformedAdvisors• Academic/peer advisortraining workshops• Liaison presentations todepartmental faculty &staff• Council of Deans• Student affairsdepartments• Workshop for new TAsNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Employers• Employer handbook• Employer section of the CC Web site• Seminole Futures, flyer in employerpackets• Demonstrations/sessions at professionalmeetings attended by employers (NACE,regional meetings, state conference)National Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Parents• New Student Preview• Parents Orientation• Parents WeekendincludesCCtour/presentation• Parents AssociationNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001

Questions & DiscussionFor more information, please visit:http://www.career.fsu.edu/portfolio/info.htmlNational Career Development Association Conference June 2001