• Get ready for your career in science
• You and the job you want
• What is self assessment?
• Finding career direction
• Definition of skills and attributes
• Identify your own skills and attributes
• Produce a work related summary of your skills and attributes
• Keeping records
• Building your career portfolio further
• Setting goals
• Employers and the labour market
• Practical Skills to Find Work
• Useful Resources

You and the job you want

Keeping a record - The start of my career portfolio

In producing your list, you may have found there were many instances where you were able to rely on a specific skill to deal with a situation.  Your stronger skills will be those that you use often and in diverse ways.

Looking over your experiences to date and reflecting on the range of settings where you have applied your skills, or the diversity of people you have encountered may also help you to recognise the many skills you have extending beyond your early definitions eg completing field trips includes planning and organising, observation skills, methodical and accurate recording, analysis of data, organising of information, communicating results in a written report or delivering a technical presentation.

Organising Your Information

The following headings may be a way that you can organise your information so that it is a ready record of qualifications, skills and experiences that will help in preparation of written applications and performance at interview.

Academic

• Results/performance improvement
• Awards, scholarships
• Group based projects
• Knowledge gained in discipline

Working Life (all experience is valued)

• Nature of tasks completed/complexity of work
• Standards of work performance/outcomes
• Types of customers/clients
• Roles/responsibilities/promotion

Extra-curricular Activities

• Involvement in campus activities eg sporting team
• Commitment to voluntary work
• Contribution to community groups eg youth leadership roles

Other Information that adds Value to my Employability

• Community language skills
• Other training completed (accredited eg TAFE certificates)
• Professional development (eg attended a seminar on relevant topic, memberships of a professional network)
• First aid qualifications
• Other licences (eg driving, diving)
• Other abilities (eg photography skills)

My most significant learning experiences were:
Keeping a record of some of the challenges you have faced as evidence of your ability to deal with diverse situations and people

• Travel (eg independence and self management)
• International student experience (eg establishing new friendships, learning about another culture)
• Supervisor in work setting
• Project leader for group assignment
• Role of responsibility with a club

The value of your document will be maintained if you keep it up to date by continuing to add to it any relevant information – eg further employment experience, training and education completed, personal goals achieved, new memberships of professional associations or community groups.

When you undertake a new activity try recording it quickly.  This will keep your details precise and allow you to record how it has impacted on your skills and attributes.

As you progress in your working life, and seek opportunities for promotion and career change, this record will still be useful to keep track of the skills and attributes that you are adding to your portfolio.