Work Portfolio Package (WPP)
The Work Portfolio Package is a personally relevant (job) application package
This individual assessment item is undertaken in assessable parts according to the “Learning to Reflect” series facilitated by Tom Worthington.
You have 12 weeks of complete this assessment. We encourage you to keep an up-to-date technical journal, or engineering logbook, which should assist you in producing an excellent WPP and supplementary. Please ensure your team, shadows, and tutor, have access to your journaling artfacts.
Purpose
To reflect on your learning in the TechLauncher program as a launching point for the next part of your career.
Goal
Research, plan, and practice pursuing opportunities aligned with your ambitions and career objectives.
Overview
The WPP is an application for a position of any kind, built primarily around your experience in TechLauncher. This could be an application for:
- graduate employment, or a promotion in your current position
- an industry or social internship
- an postgraduate program, or other scholarship program
- a relevant award
- a startup program or accelerator
You are responsible for finding a relevant real job/internship/program/award advertisement to respond to. So that those evaluating your portfolio have adequate context, you must include a copy of the job description in your final submitted package – i.e., a URL is not sufficient, as it may become stale.
Requirements
We describe the requirements for the final artefact you submit in relation to the portfolio assessment.
Your portfolio MUST respond to a real advertisement that has been published for the first time this semester.
All materials, including the job/opportunity advertisement, must be in the English language as per ANU requirements.
The assessment scheme (below) implicitly measures your ability to research for an opportunity that you can respond well to. Your research should uncover an opportunity where you can leverage the professional and/or technical experience in TechLauncher to improve your application. For example, your application is improved where you are exhibiting your individual achievements, responsibilities, and developed/tested competencies.
All students will create at least two unique portfolios over the course of their TechLauncher experience. It is incumbent upon you to use the portfolio exercise as opportunity to learn, develop, improve, and to repeatedly test, with your tutors and peers, your evolving approach to pursuing opportunities.
The focus of the package should be to address the requirements, particularly the Selection Criteria, of the opportunity. Your submission must include:
- A cover letter (1-page)
- A statement addressing the selection criteria (typically 200-250 words per criterion)
- A brief CV (2-pages)
- 2-pages of Supplementary material (work product) in PDF format
- An appendix containing a copy of the opportunity you are responding to
If there is no specific indication, then use the above guidelines in consultation with your tutor(!)
You MUST include two pages of evidence as supplementary material. This should be contextualised during the application. This supplementary material should be individual work that demonstrates claims that you have made in the application. For example, it might include a drawing, sample code, prototype, user testing results — any part of your work in TechLauncher that can provide evidence to help you demonstrate that you have met the criteria.
Marking criteria
Your work will be assessed against the following criteria:
| Criterion | Characteristic | Low High |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Approach | evidence of decision-making | no evidence clear evidence |
| maturity of reflection | not reflective transformational | |
| professional tone | not acceptable professional | |
| evidence of life-long learning | no evidence clear evidence | |
| acting on feedback | not clear clear | |
| professional attitude | negative positive |
Assessment Process
Some aspects of your WPP will be assessed by your peers, with the majority of your individual submitted material being assessed by examiners and tutors.
Opportunity for formative feedback
As you are preparing your WPP, you should seek formative feedback as a formal agenda item from your tutor and project team.
Submission
Submission is via PDF formatted files in Wattle. All inclusions should be in PDF (we will not accept work product of any other file type - for example, if you are submitting code extracts, these should be printed in PDF format).
Commitment to professional development
A component of the WPP includes a commitment to life-long learning. We encourage you to demonstrate engagement in professional development over each semester.
Professional development:
- Should be a part of a plan, rather than ad-hoc and opportunistic.
- Comprise activities that you nominate and pursue – e.g., specific training as part of your team role.
- Be related to your personal development.
Activities from groups on campus, organised activities from TechLauncher, and activities in the community will make up the calendar. These will include academic and professional talks, networking events such as First Wednesday connects, and ongoing training such as participation in InnovationACT.
Tips and suggestions
- Think about the roles you aspire to, and make a plan to develop the relevant knowledge and competencies.
- Always keep an engineering log and/or work diary. This enables you to highlight and reflect on your individual contributions and experiences.
- Use the resources provided by ANU Careers, and the college employability unit within our student services team, and engage with their activities.
- Plan to spend time every week analysing the range of opportunities available that week, and map out the landscape of career opportunities you might pursue.
- Attend hackathons, enter competitions, publish your work, and above all else talk to people and build relationships!