Developing a Brag Book Five Strengths Career Transition Experts

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If it’s true that a picture is worth a 1000 words, why don’t job seekers come to job interviews prepared to show and tell?

One of the best ways to do this is with a “brag book”, also known as a portfolio presentation folder, to leave behind or for interviews.

You are reading: Brag books for interviews

While portfolios are expected in certain “creative” professions, job seekers in many more “traditional” fields could benefit from preparing a brag book to use in an interview.

Putting together a bragging book is also a great way to prepare for a job interview, as it can be used to reflect on what knowledge, skills, and abilities will be most relevant to the target position.

A bragging book is also a great confidence booster. There’s something about seeing all your accomplishments in print that boosts your confidence and self-esteem.

A bragging book is useful in a job search for:

tangible display your accomplishments
document the breadth/depth of your educational credentials, training and professional development
set you apart from other candidates who are interviewing for the job
provide you with an “accessory” to make you more comfortable answering interview questions
allow you to provide greater depth and detail about your qualifications than you can on your resume alone

Posting a portfolio online can help you stand out from other candidates in a competitive job market. you can link to your digital portfolio on your linkedin profile, as well as provide a link to the portfolio on your resume.

The Bragging Book is designed primarily for use at the job interview, both to illustrate your qualifications and (possibly) as a piece to leave behind. Developing a personalized bragging book to use as a reminder can be a very effective strategy. shows you prepared for the interview.

A bragging book can also be used in your current job, such as in a performance review meeting or when asking for a raise or promotion.

The swagger books support your qualifications as a candidate. the purpose of the brag book is to corroborate the information contained in your resume and in your linkedin profile. therefore, your resume and linkedin profile are the best place to start compiling your bragging book.

what to put in your bragging book

How do you decide what to include in your bragging book?

Review your resume and identify pieces of your portfolio that could substantiate your education, experience, training or other qualifications.
Think about the responsibilities of the position you are seeking. Are there any skills required by the position that you want to showcase your expertise with, for example writing, photography, social media, or leadership?

These are some of the kinds of things you can include in your bragging book:

education/training

a copy of your college or university transcript
copies of certificates or diplomas from trainings/workshops/degrees listed on your resume
sample assignments of important classes: report, presentation or project (for recent graduates)
documentation of knowledge of a foreign language (certificate, qualification or test result)
licenses

job-related documentation

performance evaluations (or excerpts from evaluations) of supervisors or managers
work samples (projects, newsletters, photographs, case studies, proposals, surveys)
documents/reports/publications you have written
sample writing/communication skills (writing samples)
evidence of computer/multimedia skills
records/ lists/charts documenting your performance
sales information, but be sure not to disclose sensitive information
30-60-90 day plan: what you plan to do in the first 30, 60 and 90 days on the job in your new position

awards and honors

if you mentioned an award on your resume, please include a copy of the certificate or a photo of the trophy
photos of individual or team participation in an event or award
scholarships received

comments/testimonials/endorsements

Include copies of any letters of appreciation you have received, including letters and emails from clients and/or co-workers
Recommendation letters from previous supervisors and managers
list of references
linkedin recommendations: you can select some and place one on each page, or create a page of recommendations excerpts

community or organization involvement

list of professional affiliations, including leadership roles
clubs or activities you participate in
photos of events you helped organize
newspaper clippings showing you at work or your involvement with charity or a non-profit organization

how to create your bragging book

You can make a great paper (physical) swagger book for less than $30, but you may decide to spend more, depending on how many pages/sections you include.

First, gather any and all materials you’re considering including in your bragging book. start an archive of all the documents you might want to include.

some tips:

If you don’t already have them, contact previous supervisors and ask for letters of recommendation.
Call your college or university and ask for a copy of your transcript. or check the school’s website; some allow you to request transcripts online. if necessary, pay for a certified copy of your transcript instead of logging into an online account and simply printing out a list of classes.

Next, review your materials to prioritize what to include.

Create a logical order and structure for your bragging book. this can be reverse chronological or by section. start with your most recent achievement and work backwards.

Your brag book should be between 10 and 25 pages.

if it is more than 20 pages, you must include a table of contents, listing the documents included (although you do not need to number the pages).

Consider creating sections for easy navigation. If you divide the bragging book into sections, use professional divider tabs. you can buy them at an office supply store. usually a setup of 5 or 8 tabs is enough.

You can buy a view folder at an office supply store. choose the most durable (heavy duty) option they sell and opt for the d-ring style instead of the standard o-ring. (this makes it easier to turn the pages). a size of 1″ or 1-1/2″ is enough to start.

make a cover for your portfolio. call it “[your name]’s professional portfolio”.

This is easily done at fiverr.com (www.fiverr.com). for $5, you can have a flat image designed. find an ebook cover designer. this was designed by a designer named vikiana (www.fiverr.com/vikiana). Submit a high resolution photo of yourself.

For an additional $20, you can get a front and back cover, plus a spine design.

Buy clear sheet protectors, the kind you can slide sheets of paper into. either top load or side load covers will work. buy the heaviest (sturdiest) ones they have, and make sure they hold 4 or 5 sheets of paper. (You will include several copies of each page in a sheet protector, so you can give the interviewer a copy, if requested.)

Make color laser prints/copies of your photos and documents, or if you print them yourself, be sure to choose the highest quality setting on your printer. color prints are preferable to black and white.

Do not, under any circumstances, include original documents in your bragging book (except your resume). That way, if they ask for your transcript, for example, you’re giving the interviewer a copy (one of several you’ve made), not your only copy (your original).

take the time to “polish” the materials. For example, write a key phrase or phrase from a performance review on a single sheet of paper, listing the name of the supervisor who wrote it and the date it was reviewed. this makes your bragging book more “scannable”.

design your pages. don’t include just one photo, be sure to include a description of what is happening in the photo, who is in the photo (identify the scene/setting/participants), and their role. use subheadings to explain/highlight the specific skills or experience you are emphasizing (if the item is not self-explanatory).

check and edit carefully. Check all materials in your bragging book for typos, spelling, grammar, and formatting errors. ask a friend or family member to proofread it too.

Whenever possible, tailor your bragging book specifically for the desired job. If you’re using a 3-ring binder with protective sheets, you can simply insert the pages you want to include for a particular job interview. For example, if the position requires public speaking skills, include a photo of yourself giving a presentation to a large crowd. if the position doesn’t require presentation skills, you can skip that page.

For best results, personalize the portfolio, especially if it’s a piece to leave behind.

The first page must include some or all of the following information:

full contact information: your name, address, cell phone, email
your linkedin url
title and company name for the position you are seeking
your photo (either a professional photo or a photo of you at work)

some more tips:

choose only the best examples of your work to include.
carefully cultivate elements to include that provide concrete evidence of your abilities.
when in doubt, leave it alone outside. If you’re not sure whether to include a particular item, don’t include it in your portfolio.

create brag books online

according to a 2012 survey by hams interactive, 37% of recruiters use social websites to consult with clients. A digital portfolio is a way to highlight what hiring managers will find about you online.

A digital or online version of a bragging book has several advantages. creating duplicate physical brag books is time consuming and can be expensive. digital bragging books can be copied and personalized very easily. they can also be easily shared with potential employers. a digital bragging book is also easier to keep up to date.

another advantage of a digital bragging book is the multimedia capabilities: it can include videos, audio files, photos and document files.

A new and innovative way to create an online bragging book is to use pinterest (www.pinterest.com). Since Pinterest is a visual medium, look for images that represent career milestones, for example, a photo of you in cap and gown and her diploma, and then a close-up of her diploma. or a photo of you receiving a sales award and then a scan of the award certificate. Pinterest also allows you to pin videos, so you can include a video of yourself giving a presentation, for example.

Do you work with recognizable client companies? Assemble your logos into a collage labeled “key customers” or “strategic account management”.

You can also create a powerpoint presentation and save it as a pdf file that you can open on an ipad or other tablet in a job interview. here is an example powerpoint presentation:

microsoft offers many free powerpoint templates:

Use a brag book in an interview

Before you use a brag book in an interview, you’ll need to practice. Incorporate your brag book as part of your natural conversation. Simulate an interview with a friend, colleague, or family member, and practice referring to your bragging book to answer questions.

At the beginning of the job interview, inform the interviewer that you have prepared a “portfolio” that illustrates your qualifications and accomplishments. offer to let him/her check it out. if the interviewer refuses, put it aside until you need it to illustrate a point or answer an interview question.

You can offer the bragging book again at the end of the interview. In general, you don’t want to leave your bluff notebook with the interviewer unless specifically asked to do so. Being asked to leave is a great sign that the interview went well.

However, don’t think about getting a book of bragging back that hasn’t been left behind. If you don’t get offered the job, you can follow up and ask for the book back, but don’t be surprised if the interviewer can’t locate it or says it’s been discarded. this happens. instead, consider creating a specific leave-behind version of your bragging book. you can have a bound book made for you at your local office supply store. print your custom cover on cardstock and wire or spiral bind the book.

If you haven’t created a specific portfolio to leave behind and you’re asked to leave a swagger book with the interviewer, start working immediately on creating a replacement book. if you get the original book back, you’ll have a spare. That’s why it’s also important not to include original photos or documents in your bragging book.

get ready

Building your bluff book from scratch will take some time, but you can start small and improve over time. keep it up to date and when an opportunity presents itself, you’ll be ready to respond.

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Developing a Brag Book Five Strengths Career Transition Experts | Resume Writing for Executives