Students who are investing time in preparing a presentation-style career ePortfolio are wondering, “Are employers really going to look at my ePortfolio?” From what I have read and seen, this seems to vary from discipline to discipline. There is a real need for more data in this area. I thought I would share the findings of two recent reports.

In a recent Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) study, “It Takes More Than A Major:  Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success”  shares what may be a future trend regarding interest in ePortfolios by employers:

In addition to a resume or college transcript, more than four in five employers say an electronic portfolio would be useful to them in ensuring that job applicants have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in their company or organization.  (page 3).

To confirm the AAC&U finding mentioned above and explore how students could best share their ePortfolios with future employers, Notre Dame’s Employer Advisory Board was interviewed and surveyed as a focus group (see the Focus group report).

The report stated, “the majority of recruiters prefaced their answers with the fact that students, first and foremost, need to be impressive and interesting.” I keep wondering if the process of creating the ePortfolio (reflecting and selecting what should be showcased) prepares students to answer an interviewer’s questions better, thus making them both more impressive and more interesting. Something to think about!