COMM Theory - Final Reflection
Looking back at this semester, my favorite thing about taking this class was that it helped me grow not only as a student, but as a soon-to-be working professional and college graduate. My professional presence has been amplified from completing the ePortfolio assignments due to the variety of different tasks highlighting my various strengths--basic understanding of communication theory, public speaking, and writing. The most rewarding part of the ePortfolio experience is that it creates a platform that showcases many different forums of yourself that can be used after graduation to help you land a job. For example, just creating the ePortfolio and my own website has now given me a professional web presence online, which I'm able to distribute to potential employers. Recruiters, potential employers, and other professionals can now not only view my resume online, but samples of my writing, a video of myself speaking, and much more.
Overall, the most challenging aspect of the ePortfolio was during the beginning of the class, when I was just starting to learn all that the ePortfolio is capable of and how to use all the different tools that Wix provides. Once I posted my first ePorfolio assignment, I became more familiar with the site and became comfortable using it, which made the rest of the process throughout this class much more streamlined.
Despite some challenges at the beginning when creating the portfolio, I am now very satisfied with what my ePortfolio has to offer; however, I still wonder that with such large file sizes and a lot of information presented, that future employers might become overwhelmed when viewing it for the first time. Also, during a job interview, I would most likely not have access to a computer in order to present my ePortfolio during the actual interview. Therefore, I know that it's important to still present myself well on paper on a printed copy of my resume, and be able to use the ePortfolio has a preliminary introduction before an actual interview.
My ePortfolio is now a very valuable tool for me to use as I apply for internships and jobs moving forward. For future students of this class, I would urge them to take their time on their ePortfolios and really put some thought into what they are presenting. You want to make sure that you are giving off a professional presence while still giving a true reflection of yourself. Make sure to be honest and truthful about the skills and experiences you are listing, and be sure that your ePortfolio gives an accurate and compelling picture of who you are and what your goals are. Don't be afraid to stand out from the crowd!