Creating this web folio was a daunting task – it was the last assignment we had to tackle, and was a true culmination of all of the things we had learned over the term. We were asked to include certain assignments from the course in the web folio, but this was also by far the loosest structure that we were given for a major assignment. The web folio could be anything we really wanted it to be – that’s what made it so challenging!
I started out using the “bones” of the student blog I’d made at the beginning of the course. I really liked the outline and structure of the website, but I also added a few new pages to fill the requirements for this assignment (i.e. the resume and writing sample pages). I also modified the website to be more personal as a whole. I wanted it to reflect who I am as a person, not just as a student and employee. My academic and professional successes are immensely important to me, but employers are looking for individuals, not robots (at least the ones I want to work for!). I sprinkled some images from my personal trips around the site, and tried to give my work an identifiable voice that would run through every post and every page.
The biggest change that I made to the blog was making it more “searchable.” This meant inserting links into the posts that I’d written to make it easier for the reader to learn more about my skills, interests, education, and experience. This medium wasn’t something I had worked with in a professional context before, though I do write my own style blog as a hobby in my free time. I tried to keep in mind the elements of blogs that I like to read – I realized that pictures and links make reading an article or post a more interactive and enjoyable experience. I had to maintain a “You” attitude toward the reader, even though I was writing all about myself! It was a strange exercise in that way, but it was a helpful to remember that employers are looking at the blog to see what I could bring to them. I wanted to highlight myself, but in a way that kept in mind the ultimate purpose of a web folio – making oneself an appealing candidate!
When I went back to edit my work, I was pleased overall with what I’d already put together! I made a few edits based on the feedback I’d been given in my peer reviews, but I found that I needed to make relatively few fixes. I focused more on polishing my assignments and proofing what I’d written for any mistakes. I would be happy for any employer to see the work I’ve put together in this web folio – I really do feel that I’ve done myself justice with the content.