Wednesday 19 October 2011

E-portfolio, a Valuable Job Search Tool for College Students

an article by Ti Yu, (Jinwen University of Science and Technology) published in Campus-Wide Information Systems Volume 29 Issue 1 (2011)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to find an answer to the following questions:
  • How do employers think about e-portfolios? 
  • Do employers really see e-portfolios as a suitable hiring tool? 
  • Which factors in students’ e-portfolios attract potential employers? 
  • Can e-portfolios be successfully used by students in their search for a job?
Design/methodology/approach
A semi-structured interview survey was used in this study. All ten interviewees were HR managers from ten different companies. They were interviewed face-to-face between December 2010 and May 2011. In order to collect a broad range of multiple ideas, the interviewees came from a wide range of industries including tourism, product design, real estate, information and technology, insurance, recruitment service, and others.
Findings
The results of this survey showed that the e-portfolio is perhaps still in its early stage of development. Nevertheless, the employer interviews indicate a high and consistent level of interest by the employers, indicating a promising future of the e-portfolio as a job search tool. In addition, employers can use specific information to conduct to pre-screen candidates. On the other hand, they may include the e-portfolio as a factor in the final phase of the selection process to obtain a deeper and more complete level of information (e.g. learning reflections) that can clearly demonstrate a job applicant’s characteristics and potentials for career development.
Originality/value
Faculty members and career service staff in universities and colleges should consider promoting e-portfolios to employers as a promising tool for selecting their next employee.


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