REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Reflective essay on the usage of Employment Portfolio
It is not a secret that an employment portfolio is a way to give a deeper insight into the personal and professional qualities of an individual within a limited scenario. There are numerous ways to build this portfolio and the choice is always driven by the situation and scenario in which this tool should be used. I am a strong believer that the secret of success in my career search is based on the ability to bring the best, by satisfying expectations of both, employer and employee. And the reality is that every job I apply for is not just something that I would like to have, but I am also confident that I can do it better than others. With that in mind, employment portfolio serves two purposes: present my professional and personal qualities and set expectations from the job on a personal level. This, in turns, sets a number of requirements for the Employment Portfolio that I would like to focus on. Why to prepare an Employment Portfolio?
First of all, job application is the chance to set clear expectations about the job and the company I am applying for. At this stage it is critical to understand if my practical and theoretical experience fit the job under consideration. Employment portfolio building at this stage is the analysis of specific requirements and its fit to the previous roles and experiences of my own. Face-to-face interview is always stressful and never goes exactly how it was planned. For this reason, time and privacy during the job application can play tremendous role in the preparation for face-to-face interview in terms of thinking over how to present and differentiate myself, by providing evidence of expertise in the areas highlighted in the job description and requirements.
Job is always customized not only by the employer´s expectations and instructions, but also by the person that actually takes on the responsibilities. Given that, each of my employment portfolios should be tailored to the level that will make it personalized and up-to-the-point for each particular interview. This is important from both perspectives, focus on the right competences and ability to analyze the job requirements. I strongly believe that this tailored approach to the interview can contribute towards the goal to show why I best fits the job and how I can make a difference. Should this personalized focus on specific qualities or competences prove the opposite, there is always a chance that I am not a right person for this position.
Finally, criminal justice is the area that does not tolerate lack of links between theory and practice. With that in mind, coherence of expectation analysis and ability to demonstrate past achievements are two critical factors that determine the probability of success in the future cases. Employment Portfolio is an essential tool to bring this together and build on the confidence and professionalism that is expected from the applicant during the interview.
