Completed Your Online Certificate - Now What?
When you finish the courses in an online certificate program such as the Institutional Services Certificate Program (ISCP) or the Administrative Skills Certificate Program (ASCP), you have gained valuable knowledge and skills that you can begin using right away in your job and your personal life. You've also earned a certificate from the NYS & CSEA Partnership for Education and Training that you can note on your resume to highlight your achievement.
While you may understand the value of the courses you've completed and the certificate you've received, a prospective employer may not. An interview portfolio gives you a way to clearly display all of your achievements -- including your Partnership online certificate.
Start Your Interview Portfolio
The NYS & CSEA Partnership's online certificate programs have been carefully designed to cover job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities for CSEA-represented employees.
To help you start your interview portfolio, we have developed a document for each certificate program that gives a brief overview of the program and describes the core courses that you were required to complete. Please feel free to print the document for the certificate program you participated in by clicking on the appropriate link:
- Administrative Skills Certificate Program (ASCP)
- Institutional Services Certificate Program (ISCP)
- Operational Services Certificate Program (OSCP)
- Safety & Health: Construction (CSHP)
- Safety & Health: General Industry (GISHP)
- Microsoft Office 2007 Generalist (MOG)
- Microsoft Office 2007 Outlook Specialist (MOOS)
- Microsoft Office 2007 Access Specialist (MOAS)
- Microsoft Office 2007 Excel Specialist (MOES)
- Microsoft Office 2007 Word Specialist (MOWS)
- Information Technology Assistant (ITA)
How to Use a Portfolio to Market Your Skills
An interview portfolio is another tool to use in your job search. It is a collection of documents showing your experiences, activities, training, skills, and accomplishments. A portfolio is used during a job interview to provide evidence of your skills and abilities. It demonstrates that you have taken the time to get organized and prepare for interviews.
Gather together examples and documentation of trainings you have completed. Collect and file evidence of your accomplishments and skills, assignments, internships, special training, workshops, and other activities in your life.
While a resume is a document that says what you can do, a portfolio enables you to demonstrate examples of your qualifications.
An effective portfolio is well organized and thought out. It can contain the following:
- Resume
- Evidence of professional affiliations (for example: NYS Nurses Association)
- Licenses or certificates
- Letters of reference
- Documentation of training
This portfolio can be presented during an interview to add evidence of important
knowledge or skills you possess that are relevant to the position or promotion at hand.
Developing a portfolio also helps you prepare for interviews by allowing you to think critically about your life experiences and accomplishments. When preparing for an interview, this process will enable you to highlight specific experiences or trainings that led to the development of valuable workplace skills. In addition, preparing a portfolio allows you to see how well your qualifications match those of the position for which you are applying. It can also be used during the interview if you get nervous because you have something in writing that you can refer to and refresh your memory. By using a portfolio you are not just telling the employer you are the perfect person for the job you are showing proof!
Partnership advisors can be reached at 518-486-7814 or 800-253-4332 or advisors@nyscseapartnership.org to discuss your educational planning and questions about interview portfolios.