Purpose: Compiling your portfolio prepares you for job applications and helps you reflect on your career goals and your WiSE-FPP experience. Once you submit your portfolio, a WiSE-FPP reviewer (faculty and staff at the University) will review your work and provide valuable feedback, helping you further polish your portfolio.

Part A

Portfolio content

1. Cover page, personal statement, and table of contents

The cover page should contain your full name, contact information, and indicate that you are a First Year WiSE-FPP Associate. You may add a brief personal statement, like a “one-minute elevator introduction” that highlights your credentials, research, and goals. On a separate page, the table of contents should outline the information within your portfolio.

2. Cover letter

If you have applied for positions recently, enclose one or two of your cover letters and the ads for these applications. If you have not yet applied, locate a job ad from your field that appeals to you and draft a cover letter as though you are applying, enclosing the sample ad. For guidance, see the Career Services “Cover Letters” resource and the Graduate School’s cover letter resource.

3. Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume

As your teaching and research experiences grow, update either your CV (for academic positions) or resume (for industry or business positions). Revise regularly to reflect new publications, awards, work experience, areas of expertise, and skills. Include a current version of your CV or resume. For guidance, see the Career Services “Resumes” resource.

4. References and letters of recommendation

a. Prepare a list of potential references for employment or postdoctoral applications. Include each person’s name, title, and contact information (address, phone, email), plus a brief rationale for choosing them: what skills, expertise, or knowledge do you hope this person will communicate about you? Does your relationship have enough depth for a quality recommendation? If not, what would you need to do to change that?

b. Prepare information in paragraph form for your reference providers – a succinct but thorough statement of your strengths, abilities, and specialized knowledge, with examples. Consider: your academic accomplishments and key experiences; concrete examples or results (“show don’t tell”); other experiences, skills, honors, or awards that enhance your fit; your strengths and why you are a strong candidate (the top three things you want an employer or principal researcher to know); work characteristics that distinguish you (leadership, independence, persistence, curiosity); and your own internal motivations for your chosen career path.

c. Copies of recommendations (if available): if you have received recommendation letters, include copies in your portfolio.

Part B

Reflection

5. Outline of academic and career goals

Identify your current academic and career goals with specific, clearly defined, actionable objectives for each (for example, comprehensive exams, oral defense, dissertation, postdoc placement). Supplement your department’s expectations (per the department handbook) with a summary of a discussion with your advisor or mentor. Include anticipated completion dates for all goals and objectives.

6. Critical reflection on your experience as a WiSE-FPP Associate

Briefly outline the WiSE-FPP events you attended (and any Graduate School or departmental events you took part in for WiSE-FPP credit), and the key information, resources, and support you gained. Elaborate on one to three activities that were impactful and what made them useful. Reflect on how your participation made a difference for you personally, academically, and professionally, and how you will sustain a strong professional and support network in the future. If you participated in a Peer Chat, discuss what difference it made and how informal mentoring could be improved; if you did not, explain why and what might change your mind.

Guidelines

Format and submission

Format and presentation: Your CV or resume must follow professional guidelines (from the WiSE-FPP workshops, Career Services, the Graduate School, or other professional sources). All other material should conform to your field’s accepted standards for margins, line spacing, and fonts. Approach your portfolio with the aim to impress the reader, as if writing a formal paper, grant application, or article. Neat, concise, grammatically correct, and easy-to-read materials receive more time and attention from reviewers and leave a stronger impression.

Submission: Submit your portfolio as one combined PDF to suwise@syr.edu with the subject line “WiSE-FPP Portfolio, 1st Year.”