My Professional Portfolio

A look inside my professional portfolio that I use when I go for job interviews. This Early Childhood Educators portfolio highlights the work that I do, and I give you a look inside at what I include, ideas, and tips to make your own.

This past Tuesday, I had an interview at my school board. I was really excited about the opportunity to showcase some of the work I have done in the classroom. It was also a great way to broaden my professional horizons.

I created a professional portfolio to have visuals to showcase what I had done in the classroom. The portfolio was shared in my Instagram stories, and I had some requests to write a blog post about what I included.

How I made my portfolio

Learn more about how I create and update my portfolio in my video walk-through. In the step-by-step tutorial, I show you how to create your unique portfolio that showcases all your achievements and skills.

I also go through it page by page in a podcast episode and reflect on how I’ve used it in the past.

Cover

I kept the cover very simple- my name and my title. I wanted it to stand out but not be overwhelming with information.

The cover image is from Pexels; it is a free stock photo site. I made my portfolio in Microsoft Word, but you could use any program that you are comfortable with. Also, if you would like a free template that you can edit and add your own details to – keep reading to the end of this blog post!

Inside my Professional Portfolio

I printed out and included items that I wanted to have on hand. I do not have pictures of some of these things, for obvious reasons:

a copy of my resume;
a copy of my references that I could give my interviewers;
a list of questions I had about the job posting;
certificates of PD I had completed.

I also made sure I brought a pen with me and wrote down any information that I thought I would need in the future.

What I included in my Professional Portfolio

I included these pages to showcase the work that I have done in my classroom throughout the year. In addition, I included any ‘buzzwords’ that I know our school board is looking for and anything I saw in the job posting that I wanted to speak to.

The items I included in these pages:

The STEM page showcased the fun we had with a Sphero;
Skype in the Classroom was included because of how engaged my students were when we did it;
Inquiry is an important part of the kindergarten classroom, and this Seeds and Plants topic was so meaningful for my students;
I included pictures of the Assessment Loop in my classroom to show the different ways I include students and make it interactive (like this writing checklist);
The pictures of centers was a way to show how l integrated math and literacy skills into the students’ play (check out the sight word building center);
Showcasing student voice in the classroom is important to me; it creates a sense of belonging for my students;

Other items included

Another item that I included (but did not take a picture of) is a copy of the information package I made for a PD session I hosted with a co-worker. One of the things the interviewers seemed to take the most interest in and having a copy of what I had presented really helped.

Make your own professional portfolio

I’ve made a Google Slides template that you can use to create your own portfolio. Change up the headings, pictures and words to make it uniquely yours. Then, use it to show off your skills and achievements. Find the template as a free download in my Resource Library:

I’ve also created a Canva template that you can use if you like to use that platform!

My portfolio helped me when I spoke about some of the things I had done in the classroom. Instead of just talking about what I did, I could show that I did it.

I don’t know if the portfolio helped, but I did receive an e-mail the next day asking me to come for an interview for another position! I am really excited about the opportunity, and I think I want to try and make my portfolio digital to leave them a link to look at.

What do you include in your portfolio? Let me know in the comments!

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