should I bring a portfolio to a high profile job interview?

treehouse

'High profile' is a relative term here, but I have a panel interview on Wednesday for a job that is an incremental step up from my current responsibilities (help desk/jr. system administration/generalist), but right around twice the pay. It is the final interview, and I will have an answer of some sort on Thursday. The company's profile is energy infrastructure, if that matters.

My question is - is it appropriate to bring a portfolio to this? By portfolio I mean a nice binder full of documents showcasing my work and work history. Things I might include would be some completed work tickets that emphasize qualities I want to emphasize, past performance reviews (my supervisor has repeatedly praised traits that I possess that the hiring manager is looking for), sample documents and presentations that I've created, and so on. It isn't something I'd use in the interview; I'd leave it with the hiring manager to review (or not).

It's not an approach I've tried before, and it honestly seems a little bit over the top to me. A peer recommended it - he took one to the interview that landed him his current job, but of course I don't know how much the portfolio helped or hindered.

I really want this job and I'm willing to jump through any number of hoops to make it so, but I don't know if this is a good use of the time I have between now and the interview. Thoughts? Have you tried this before, or interviewed candidates who brought in something similar?

stryder144

I have talked to several people over the last six months who've used this approach and all of them felt it gave them a competitive edge. Assuming everyone who is making it to the final interview is about equal with everyone else, this approach could put you over the top. I would strongly recommend, if it is doable, go to the local Kinko's and make professional looking presentations. Just make sure you have enough for everyone on the panel. It is your choice as to timing...some gave them out at the beginning of the interview and others handed them out when the chief interviewer asked if there was anything that the interviewee wanted to add. The key, when everything else is equal, is to stand out. When the panel convenes to discuss the interviews, you will be known as the one who had the portfolio. Better to be known for being "unique" than to be known as the "hair piece dude" (no kidding, a manager I know referred to someone by that name since no one on the panel could remember the gentleman by name). Good luck!

googol

It is all about timing and how you present it. They might ask you for some examples of how you did so and so, handled a tough situation, what kind of project you worked on, etc. That is when you say, this is how I would handle it, handled this tough situation..proof of such thing. Project presentation? Show presentation and details of it if they ask for previous project stuff. They do not need see it until it is time IMO. It can be hidden in your folder.

NetworkVeteran

I like the idea. The only thing that gives me pause in what you said, is you mentioned performance reviews and completed work tickets. These are likely internal documents that actually belongs to your previous company. I would be cautious about sharing your previous employer's confidential documents unless you have their express approval.

paul78

I have to admit that I crinched a little when I read what you were proposing. Work tickets and presentations - at least at my employer are considered confidential and a candidate that would share them would not likely make it very far. Perhaps if you had letters of recommendations or awards, that would be better material for your portfolio.

treehouse

I probably should have clarified because I cringed while I was writing it. I work for an organization that is subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act, and everything I mentioned is either in public domain or will be. I also have approval from my supervisor to show partially redacted PDRs at any point, for any reason (she's pretty cool).

However, your reaction is probably going to be mirrored by at least one person on the panel, and I'm not sure I want to spend interview time explaining the ORA to strangers. At any rate, 'no it's totally okay for me to be showing you this' is not the vibe I want to present. So what should I include in the portfolio that wouldn't cause issues? I'm not even sure I want to do this; it's outside my comfort zone and I don't want to look like I'm running a gimmick or distraction.

treehouse

One thought I've heard is to prepare an expanded resume or a resume addenda. There are lots of things I do and can do that I didn't elaborate on in the one that they'll have on file, and I doubt most of it will come up in the interview if for no other reason than time constraints. I could also rewrite the content of some presentations I've given with mock data and make that obvious via naming conventions.

paul78

That makes sense - if you had something to leave behind, it gives you another foothold to remind the interviewer about your capabilities. I personally have always liked it when someone came prepared to "sell" their value. A leave-behind is sort of a brochure for why you should be hired. I don't usually read it but it will stick in my mind that the candidate came prepared.

treehouse

@paul78 - thank you for giving this thing the correct name. I've been researching portfolios because that's what my aforementioned peer talked about, but a 'leave-behind' is what I am thinking of.

Zartanasaurus

I would absolutely do some type of binder that displays your actual skills, but in the most sanitized manner possible. No names, no IPs, no computer names. Any type of documentation that you've written could be re-written to be more generic. If it can all be done from a lab, even better. Anonymous comments from completed work orders where you were praised for your work ethic, compassion, whatever would be good. Don't walk into a govt interview with a picture of Edward Snowden on your t-shirt though.

instant000

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

Don't walk into a govt interview with a picture of Edward Snowden on your t-shirt though.

Hrm, so maybe I should de-friend him on Facebook?

treehouse

Thanks for the responses, guys. Yeah it's an energy sector job so I'm going to avoid mentioning my affiliation with Green Peace

Follow-up question - should I bring enough copies for everyone at the panel? The panel is, essentially, the entire IT group I would be working with, so boss + future coworkers if all goes well.

Qord

When I was interviewing for the position I have now I did this. Both my resume and cover letter were tailored for every job I applied for, and I kept my "long" resume in the portfolio along with a full chronological work history, letters of reference/accolades, and any other documents I thought I might need. All of them on the nice, thick, expensive resume paper. A few gov't jobs I tried for also wanted a list of residences for the last 10 years, so I kept a copy of that in there too. I also had with me some type of "**** sheet" with info about the organization I was interviewing with. I always do research with a company prior to an interview so I know something about them and their industry, and I liked to have some sort of notes I could quickly look over while waiting to be called into the interview room. I get pretty nervous, and having this helped not only to refresh my mind, but also relax a bit before interviewing.

Zartanasaurus

treehouse wrote: »

Thanks for the responses, guys. Yeah it's an energy sector job so I'm going to avoid mentioning my affiliation with Green Peace

Follow-up question - should I bring enough copies for everyone at the panel? The panel is, essentially, the entire IT group I would be working with, so boss + future coworkers if all goes well.

I would. I put my resume on the top page, so it becomes a sort of "I don't know if everyone has a copy of my resume so here it is along with some of my work we can discuss as time allows" type thing.

treehouse

So I ended up not doing this (not by choice - had sick kids in the house early on in the week and just didn't have time to prepare anything worth leaving behind).

Interview went well, though. I think I'll know either way by Friday. Thanks again for all the advice! It's worth keeping in mind if this doesn't work out, because I'll probably use this tactic in the future.

Nemowolf

URL="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/the-briefcase-technique-to-earn-thousands-of-dollars/"]Briefcase Method[/URL

The above link is the next level of "portfolio" you mentioned. Cheers.

olaHalo

Nemowolf wrote: »

URL="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/the-briefcase-technique-to-earn-thousands-of-dollars/"]Briefcase Method[/URL

The above link is the next level of "portfolio" you mentioned. Cheers.

How would you apply this in IT without knowing the company's specific problems beforehand?

Nemowolf

olaHalo wrote: »

How would you apply this in IT without knowing the company's specific problems beforehand?

Research my friend. If you really want to impress them, find out about their business and do your leg work ahead of time. Ramit has success stories of individuals putting in 20+ hours of leg work to get to know the business before they even step into the interview.

olaHalo

Nemowolf wrote: »

Research my friend. If you really want to impress them, find out about their business and do your leg work ahead of time. Ramit has success stories of individuals putting in 20+ hours of leg work to get to know the business before they even step into the interview.

I agree and I always loved watching his videos.
But this method in particular would seem to only apply for certain positions where you could actually do some research.
For example, if you're going for a Systems Admin position, how could you know what AD structure issues they have or what you could do to improve their network?
Now if you were a web designer you could actually find a lot of information about their web structure and may be able to find solutions to present out of your briefcase.

It is still very good advice that I hope I can emulate someday.

Nemowolf

olaHalo wrote: »

I agree and I always loved watching his videos.
But this method in particular would seem to only apply for certain positions where you could actually do some research.
For example, if you're going for a Systems Admin position, how could you know what AD structure issues they have or what you could do to improve their network?
Now if you were a web designer you could actually find a lot of information about their web structure and may be able to find solutions to present out of your briefcase.

It is still very good advice that I hope I can emulate someday.

Im not sure if it was this video or another one i watched that he referenced this one ... There was a law student looking to do his internship. He put his social network to work and went through older classmates and his school resources to get in contact with alumni that worked at the three firms he was looking at interviewing. Before his interview, he had a contact from the inside to meet with and ask questions. This is the digital age with six degrees of kevin bacon being a joke because you can jump to him with as many people as we connect with. You may get someone who is not in IT at the company to meet with but then that might work out in your favor as they may be willing or convinced to dish on their common problems. Ultimately, its about how much time and effort your willing to put into the research ahead of time. For those of us already in jobs looking to jump to greener pastures this may be a bit tough. If you have nothing but time, then you have all of it to put towards your research and trying to get your inside connection.