Portfolio a valuable tool to boost personal brand

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This is the advice from Dr Felicity Coughlan, director of the Independent Institute of Education (IIE).

Coughlan says that a CV and cover letter, while providing all the essential information about a person's education and past work, are often no longer sufficient in today's competitive job market. "One needs to go the extra mile to market yourself, and a portfolio is a valuable tool for boosting your personal brand."

Public and private higher education institutions should assist students in putting together such portfolios of work, by providing opportunities to do assignments that don't stay in the lecture room, but can translate to the working place.

Work-integrated learning

"Too often there remains a gap between what is taught in higher education, and the demands of the workplace. That is why we place such a strong emphasis on work-integrated learning, and the importance of producing stellar portfolios before leaving for the world of work," she says.

At the recent Portfolio Night, an annual event hosted by McCann where students from across SA present their work to a panel of the country's leading creative directors, Katlego Phatlane from The IIE's Vega School of Brand Leadership, took top honours. This achievement will see him jet off to New York in August, where he will be able to show his mettle in front of a global audience.

"Higher education institutions have a duty to build work-specific skills in a way that students can later demonstrate to their benefit. They need to be able to show what they have done, and what they have learned from what they have done," says Coughlan.

She says students must be able to apply and test their knowledge in practical situations, and be given opportunities to build the skills and experience that make them work-ready. "Unlike in the past, students can no longer wait for the workplace to start building their personal brand. They have to be able to demonstrate their distinctive offering as soon as they graduate," she says.