Job Search Portfolio
By Gideon T. Rasmussen, CISSP, CRISC, CISA, CISM, CIPP

This page focuses on how to prepare a job search portfolio. It includes tips for completing a resume, a career profile slide and how to pull it all together in a portfolio.

• Start with the resume
  
  * Your resume should contain details to help the Hiring Manager gauge what you are capable of (e.g. number of people led and annual budget).
  
  * Look for opportunities to include Proof Points in your resume. Hiring Managers and executives evaluate accomplishments by the 'so what' question. They are results oriented and think in terms of impact to the bottom line.
  
  Proof Point themes include: generation of revenue, cost savings, increase in capacity, more with less, establishing new products and services, polishing brand/reputation and identifying and mitigating risk.
  
  For example, establishing an ethical hacking team is a good accomplishment. Identifying X number of Critical and High Risk security issues is a Proof Point. It shows the value add arising from the accomplishment.
  
  * Consider the following sections for your resume: Objective, Skills Summary, Professional Experience, Certifications, Training, Education, Professional Affiliations, Honors and Awards
  
  * Include the URL of your LinkedIn profile. Use LinkedIn as your portfolio website. Fill in the sections completely. Refer to my LinkedIn profile as an example.
  
  
• Create a Career Profile Slide (Template)
  
  * Hiring Managers and Executives only have a few moments to evaluate a candidate.
  
  * This approach highlights accomplishments in a digestible format and distinguishes you from the competition.
  
  * At the top of the slide, include your name and a headline statement (e.g. SVP, Information Security Risk Manager | Program Architect).
  
  Consider the following sections:
  
  * Specialties
  * Next Role
  * Capabilities
  * Honors and Awards
  * Accomplishments
  * Attributes
  * Certifications
  
  
• Establish a Portfolio for each in-person interview.
  
  The cover page should include:
  
  * Job title, followed by the word 'Candidate'
  * Your full name
  * Certifications (if applicable)
  * Company name
  
  Insert the following documents:
  
  * Career profile slide
  * Resume
  * References
  - Letters of Reference or
  - Endorsements from LinkedIn
  * Work Product
  - Interviewing internally: Slide deck
  - Interviewing externally: Articles, capstone project, etc.
  
  Have your portfolio professionally bound with coil/spiral binding, a clear plastic cover sheet and black for the back cover.
  
  

Internal interviews provide the opportunity to showcase your work such as a program overview slide deck with Proof Points included. If you are interviewing externally, consider creating a deck that details how you would approach the job.

Send only the resume when initially searching for a job. Include the career profile if you are being presented for a phone interview. Print and bind the portfolio if you will be interviewing in-person.

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