Impressive and Attractive Portfolio - Article Example

Impressive and Attractive Portfolio Writing an impressive and attractive portfolio is an essential prerequisite when it comes to the job scenario. Portfolio is the collection of works that the applicant is capable of doing, and is designed to be the winner in an interview for a dream job. As action do speak louder than words, it is essential to consider the portfolio as an opportunity to show your future boss or the clients that you are the perfect one for the job. Moreover, it expresses the passion and commitment to one’s profession. The major aims and significance of portfolio are: self assessment, satisfying the needs of the client/ employer, setting goals for future, getting more meaningful picture of one’s growth, increasing self directiveness and responsibility towards oneself. One must not consider that the portfolio may replace formal qualifications and reports, but it can play a crucial role in the decision making process of a hiring manager or one’s prospective employer. By arresting the attention of the company/client through a systematically prepared portfolio, the applicant gets a chance to prove that he/she is the perfect fit for the job. As the past work one has done is considered as the best indicator of future performance, a hiring manager really cares about what the applicant can do for them in the future. In an interview, the examples of one’s work turn the interview into an opportunity to show where one excels and it provides a concrete opportunity for the employer to look for what he really expects from the applicant. A portfolio which is systematically prepared could just give one the edge, and one may get the first offer. To prepare an excellent portfolio, one must concentrate on the following points. It must include a copy of the applicant’s master resume to show the level of one’s skills, base and breadth of ones experiences in the field. Moreover, it must be pointed out that the applicant possesses lots of untapped potentials which distinguish him from the rest of the people being interviewed. The next point that must be considered is whether the applicant is capable of setting real examples or representative samples of his/her past works, which clearly show one’s level of skill and quality. For instance, a person who has previously worked in an insurance company or a bank can include samples of memos, e-mails, reply letters, request letters, negative message letters, sales letters and press releases in his/ her portfolio. It is also desirable that the candidate includes a brief history of one’s accomplishments which highlight all the remarkable things one has done, including other than one’s normal job responsibilities which show what a valuable employee or business owner one would be. It can also contain features like the variety of tasks and responsibilities, one has already successfully mastered, clearly pointing to the new tasks one is competent to undertake if given an opportunity. The primary focus of such a portfolio is to impress the prospective employer so as to convince him of how the company would benefit from accepting the applicant as an employee. Considering these points and adding some other innovative ideas, one can prepare an excellent portfolio which captures the attention of the employer. The essay focuses on such an applicant named Jack who has worked formerly as an insurance advisor in Walcott Insurance Group, Florida (imaginary). The applicant now seeks to find a better job in a highly reputed international Insurance Company in California (imaginary) in the same post. It is now imperative for him to prove that he possesses ample experience and has the necessary skills to be in the post. For this, he needs to prepare an attractive portfolio in which his communication skills- both written and oral- should be highlighted. As an insurance advisor is supposed to display a flexible approach whereby he is able to clearly convince the clients of various policies, maintain a one to one relationship with all the clients through constant correspondence and to offer them free and prompt assistance whenever needed, high level of communication skill is mandatory for the post. Besides, the confidence level of the applicant, his appearance, key board skills and the ability to draft effective business correspondence such as memos, e-mails, various types of letters and press releases are also to be given sufficient expression in the portfolio. Given below is the portfolio that he carried with him when he went for the interview:- PORTFOLIO Memo: Memos in the business circle are very often used to communicate to people within the organization. They are used as reminders in specific cases whereas in certain cases they are used to solve problems, to provide information regarding new products or policies, and to throw light on the policy changes made at the higher level. Given below is a sample memo that I have sent to the marketing executives of the company, asking them to attend a one week intensive training to familiarize them with the new marketing techniques for the implementation of the Children Below 10 Insurance Scheme:- Memo No. 1230 Children Below 10 Insurance Scheme: One Week Training Program To: The Marketing Executives, Walcott Insurance Group, Florida From: Jack, Insurance Advisor, Walcott Insurance Group, Florida Date: September 16, 2007 Ref: Children Below 10 Insurance Scheme, catering to the health care needs of children below the age of 10 I am happy to inform you that the Company has launched a new insurance scheme to cater to the health care needs of children below 10. The Scheme is known as ‘Children Below 10 Insurance Scheme’. The Company seeks to provide intensive one week training to all its marketing executives with a view to equip them with fresh and novel marketing techniques for the implementation of the scheme. The training program will be conducted from October 1 to 7, 2007 at the Company Head Office in Florida. All the marketing Executives are asked to attend the training program without fail. The program will be attended by the M.D, CEOs from various branches and other distinguished resource persons. Please do visit the Company Website www. walcotinsco. com for further details or direct your queries regarding the memo to jackwalcoadvisor@gmail.com E-mail: E-mail or electronic mail made drastic changes in the mode of inter and intrapersonal communication. There are so many .com companies in the virtual web, which provide free access and usage of email. Here is a specimen of email, to an existing customer of my former company, to inform about a new insurance plan to which an existing policy holder can migrate without any loss. From: jackwalcoadvisor@gmail.com To: Johnsmith2007@gmail.com Subject: To inform about new insurance plan Dear John Smith, Hi, my name is Jack, and I am the insurance advisor of Walcott insurance group, Florida. I am writing this email concerning your existing insurance plan (XNY-34573). Please be informed that you can migrate to another plan which satisfies your current needs. So try to contact your local insurance agent as soon as possible. I hope that I have provided you with the useful information. Thank you for choosing Walcott. Have a nice day, John. Sincerely, Sd/- Jack Nicolson Insurance Advisor, Walcott insurance group Reply Letter:-Reply letters are considered as answers to the enquiries and correspondence made by the clients as well as the faculty of the organization/ company. It is essential for an insurance advisor to know how to draft various types of e-mails that are appropriate to the need of the time. Given below is a sample reply letter sent to an accident coverage policy holder who enquired about the renewal of the policy:- 19 May 2007, The Managing Director, Walcott insurance group. Richard Thomson Accident coverage policy holder Policy no: 875663834 Sir, Sub: Reply for the renewal of Accident coverage insurance policy Ref: Your enquiry for the renewal of Accident coverage insurance policy dated May 19, 2007. Following your enquiry of the renewal of your Accident coverage insurance policy, regarding the delay in the payment of premium for successive three months, it is to be informed that you can renew your policy without losing the lifetime coverage. Please complete and return a statutory declaration along the lines of the form attached. You may also consider having any dispute concerning payment dealt with through an adjudication process under the insurance policy payment act 2007(PSW) For the manager, Sd/- Jack Nicolson Walcott insurance group. Request Letter: Another important form of correspondence is the request letter and here is a specimen copy of the request letter that I sent to the Managing Director of the company in order to get a promotion:- The Managing Director, Walcott insurance group, Florida. Dear Sir, My name is jack, and I am an experienced insurance Advisor who has been working in your company for the past five years. Last day, I came to know that there is a vacancy for the post of Team Leader in our company. I would be grateful to you if you can offer me the post considering my experience, hard work and efficiency in work. If you need additional information about me, please contact our HRD Head at (23987523745982) Sincerely, Sd/- Jack Nicolson (Insurance Advisor) Walcott insurance group. Negative Message Letter: It is also important for an insurance advisor to know how to draft negative message letters as he needs to stick on to the Company’s rules and regulations. Given below is a sample negative message letter sent to one of the clients who made many over dues to the policy and requested for yet another extension for the payment:- July 20, 2007 The Managing Director, Walcott Insurance Group, Florida. Jane Christopher Holder of Policy No. 1001 Sir, Sub: Extension for the payment of Policy No. 1001 rejected Ref: Your request letter for the same dated July 15, 2007. With reference to the above, the company is sorry to inform you that we are unable to grant you yet another extension for the repayment of the over dues. The company has already given you sufficient time for the payment of the over dues and therefore as per the Company’s rules and regulations we are unable to offer you any more extensions. Therefore, the Company asks you to pay the over dues at the earliest so that your policy benefits are not adversely affected in any way. Regretting the inconvenience caused to you, Yours sincerely, Sd/- Jack, Insurance Advisor, Walcott Insurance Group. Sales Letter: An insurance Policy Advisor should be able to offer attractive sales packages to the clients, which would attract them to choose from the various numbers of offers and schemes offered to them timely. The sample copy is as follows:- Dear Tom, How would you like to receive multiple benefits and coverage of accident claim throughout your life? Read on! This might be the most important letter you ever receive. Here’s how our company helps you to be free from extra premium payment. I know this sounds outrageous. I’d be skeptical too. But the more I learned about this plan, the more I knew that I should give it a try. Here’s why you should too accept this new insurance plan. Research shows that no other company can introduce this sort of insurance coverage and multiple benefits like we can. The special features of or plan is:-life long coverage, accident claim and less amount of initial premium. But you don’t have to take my words for it. Here’s what our satisfied customers are saying-“No one can match this offer.” So, you’ll get over ten times your money’s worth in value! Guaranteed! So here’s everything you get by accepting this offer- life long coverage, accident claim and less amount of initial premium. If you respond by 27/2/2007, you need to pay only $10 as the first premium. That’s right, for the price of two movie tickets and popcorn; you pay only $10, if you respond by 27/2/2007. If you feel interested, please contact me before 27/2/2007. Sincerely, Insurance Advisor, Walcott insurance group. Ph: 14656-5854956 Website:www.walcotinsco.com Email:jackwalcoadvisor@gmail.com Press Release: Press Releases are very often made by the Company to create public awareness regarding the various policies and schemes undertaken by the Insurance Company. They are so carefully drafted to provide the basic information regarding the important functions, programs, policies and new schemes the company is going to undertake. For the purpose of the portfolio I have selected the Press Release regarding the launch of the ‘Children Below 10 Insurance Scheme’ mentioned above:- WALCOTT INSURANCE GROUP, FLORIDA Press Release Inauguration of ‘Children Below 10 Insurance Scheme’ Florida: The Walcott Insurance Group is inaugurating its special insurance scheme for the health care needs of children below 10 on August 17, 2007. The Scheme entitled ‘Children Below 10 Insurance Scheme’ will be inaugurated by the Honorable Governor of Florida, Charles, Crist, Jr at the Florida Cultural Auditorium at 10.30 am. Eminent personalities who represent the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) attend the function. A National level Exhibition on Children and Health Care is being organized at the Auditorium in connection with the inaugural ceremony. Thus, it is evident from the above discussion that an impressive portfolio along with a good resume can increase the prospect of an applicant or job seeker to conquer heights of professional achievement. As far as the insurance field is concerned, one can rise to eminence if only one has good communication skills and if one is able to maintain effective business correspondence with the clients and the employer through effective e-mails, various types of letters, memos and press releases. Read More