Can an Executive Portfolio Differentiate You From the Rest?
By Marji McClure
In today’s ultra-competitive job market, executives are constantly wondering
what they can do to separate themselves from the competition
and become a hiring organization’s top choice.
For years, individuals seeking jobs in creative fields toted a portfolio
of their work, from artwork to newspaper clippings, to showcase their
skills for potential employers. These days, the idea of creating and
presenting a portfolio of prior accomplishments and current capabilities
is gaining traction in non-creative fields.
“Bringing in a portfolio makes it immediate and real for the person
making the hiring decision,” says Paula Weiner, president of New York-based
executive search firm Weiner & Associates Inc.
What’s In a Portfolio?
Essentially, a portfolio is an extension
of the traditional résumé, which experts
agree is still a necessary component of
job search materials. The components
typically included in a portfolio range
from the résumé, press releases and letters
of recommendation to PowerPoint
presentations, copies of speeches and
video presentations.
Through the portfolio, executives
communicate the results they generated for
previous employers (in terms of revenue,
profit and size of the business) and how
their performance compares to other competitors
in the industry, says Weiner.
“I’ve seen people who have a one-page
résumé that provides the names of companies,
titles, dates of employment and then
they’ll have additional pages that include
vignettes of achievements,” Weiner explains.
“Regardless of what the portfolio
contains, everything should clearly show
in dollars and cents or in some other production
measurement (key management
indices) what the results were,” says
Brendan Cunningham, president of
New York-based Excelleron Business
Consulting LLC.
Brian Walker, president and managing
director of executive search firm
The Wise Group, notes that a PowerPoint
presentation isn’t a valuable addition to
a portfolio unless it conveys something
of interest to a potential employer.
“Show me a presentation on how you
plan to carry out the job in the next
30, 60 and 90 days, and to me, it is
worthwhile,” says Walker.
Video is likely going to become an
increasingly valuable addition to executive
portfolios going forward, notes Weiner,
as streaming capabilities online continue
to improve and companies post videos of
executive presentations on their websites.
If an executive is a strong public speaker,
that could provide yet another compelling
reason for an employer to consider hiring
him or her. “I wouldn’t say it is necessary,
but it does give the employer a sense of
your image,” says Walker.
Creating their own personal websites
on which they display the contents of their
portfolios is also becoming a strong option
for executives. These sites, which can
include resumes, articles and related materials
are also referred to as “webfolios.”
Only 15 percent of ExecuNet surveyed
executives said they maintain such a site.
Just as résumés must be tailored to
fit a particular industry, company and
position, the portfolio must be created in
the same way. “You can show that you’ve
done research and know what a company
is going through,” says Weiner. “You can
put together a one- or two-page document
of how your skills can help. The more
specific you can be about demonstrating
your skills and how they apply to [an
organization’s] opportunities and challenges,
the more powerful the meeting.”
“If you are pursuing several potential,
but divergent employers — different
products or industries — tailor your presentation,”
says Walker. “One size does not fit all. Put their company name and
logo on it, and address it to the person
you want to connect with. You’re selling
here, and any personality you can filter
into the presentation will not be lost.”
Cunningham cautions against being
redundant when highlighting your
accomplishments across the slate of materials
contained in an executive portfolio.
The impact of your achievements may
be diminished if they are mentioned too
often throughout the portfolio, he notes.
“The purpose is to create a believable
impact,” says Cunningham. “You need
to develop a point of differentiation so
blatantly obvious between yourself and
the competition that the decision-maker
is forced to say, ‘Wow, this candidate is a
moneymaker, and I can’t afford not to
hire this person.’”
Weiner adds that when preparing the
contents of the portfolio, do not include
proprietary information owned by their
current or previous employer. “Never
betray a confidence as you’re putting
these documents together. If the industry
custom is not to discuss details, don’t do
it,” says Weiner. “The long-term damage
isn’t worth it.”
When to Open Your Portfolio
The last thing an executive should do is
inundate a potential employer with too
much information from his or her portfolio.
Jan Melnik, president of Absolute
Advantage, a career management and
résumé writing firm, suggests sharing the
majority of the contents with a recruiter
at the beginning of the relationship. She
also recommends a more conservative
approach when communicating with
hiring managers. “The executive should
carefully select those components that
will bring the most value at the most
opportune time, but be cautious of
‘overkill,’” she says.
Experts agree that, during an interview,
executives should wait for cues to
offer documents from their portfolios.
Andy Borkin, president of Bridgewater,
N.J.-based Strategic Advancement Inc,
says it’s important to be respectful of an
interviewer’s time. “Be invited to show it,”
says Borkin of the materials included in a
portfolio. Don’t present the content unless
it fits seamlessly into the conversation.
Some of the documents can be presented
to the interviewer for his or her
review after the interview. “Many of the
add-on components (addendum, career
briefs) are excellent leave-behind tools,
useful to present at the close of an initial
interview,” says Melnik.
Protecting Your Good Ideas
When meeting with hiring managers,
executives need to communicate they are
ready to implement a plan if hired. Oftentimes,
interviewers want to learn exactly
how a candidate plans to help the company
succeed and will ask for a sample
business plan and/or an outline of what
the candidate expects to accomplish during
his or her first 90 days on the job.
Yet, with that plan, comes candidates’
apprehension of revealing too
much of their intellectual property.
Experts say it’s possible to use some the
portfolio’s contents to provide a glimpse
of a business plan without offering all
of the related details.
“Be specific in identifying opportunities/
challenges and more general/discrete
in laying out plans for addressing,” suggests
Melnik. “In other words, share
methodology, style and approach without
completely divulging the ‘secret’ to
exactly how a product launch, turnaround
or acquisition might be handled.”
Walker agrees executives must exercise
caution in how they reveal information
related to business plans and notes the
importance of presenting just enough
detail to attract appropriate interest.
“You want to offer broad strokes of what
needs to be done so that they need to get
you back in to do what you know needs
to be done,” he says. “Take a look at
almost any ad on a sales-related book or
program and you will see how masterfully
the outline of what you need to do is laid
out. But the tactical steps to get there are
never revealed until you buy the program.
Simply use these as a guide to prepare
your presentation.”
Still, some experts feel that a simpler
approach is the best way in which to share
your knowledge and present yourself as a
unique candidate.
“I understand people may think,
‘How can I make myself different from
others?’ But I still feel that a well-written
two-page accomplishment-oriented résumé
is your most important piece of literature,”
says Borkin. He suggests creating a focused
résumé that includes as many numbers as
possible and being prepared for interviews.
“Have that focus on what [the potential
employers’] needs are,” adds Borkin. “If
they’re looking for a strategic thinker, this
is what you need to focus on.”
Bottom Line: Selling Yourself
Mike Cooper, an in-transition sales
director in the consumer products
industry, has an executive portfolio for
his current job search.
“I’m a sales guy; and for all of my
sales calls, the bosses required us to have
a pitchbook and a camera. So I developed
the pitchbook over the years,” says
Cooper. “Right now, I’m a product.
I’m selling myself.”
Cooper’s portfolio contains his
résumé, strengths and weaknesses, a job
description, individuals he can immediately
reach out to as sales prospects and
work samples, such as presentations that
have resulted in successful sales opportunities.
Cooper believes his portfolio
has helped him keep his goals in sight.
“It keeps me focused,” he says.
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