Make up your portfolio. Put your personal information to the items given below according to the recommendations.

 

A portfolio is a binder or book that shows off your work and abilities. It goes beyond a cover letter and a résumé. A portfolio is a job-hunting tool that gives employers a picture of who you are — your experience, education, accomplishments, and skills. Not only does it show the employer who you are, but it also displays what you have the potential to become. It is designed to support you as you market yourself!

You should start developing your portfolio by doing a self-assessment.

Evaluate what you have to off er and what the best ways are to market your assets. You should decide which skills and experience you have will relate to the needs of the interviewer, or what you would most like the interviewer to see. If you don’t have much work experience — most students don’t — you’ll need to tell about your law school work, volunteer work, and hobbies for evidence of the relevant skills you know you have.

 

The following is a list of items you may want to include:

1. Table of Contents (for easy reference)

2. Career Summary and Goals: A description of what you stand for (such as professional ethics, organizational interests, management philosophy, etc.) and where you see yourself in two to fi ve years.

3. Traditional Résumé: A summary of your education, achievements, and work experience, using a chronological or functional format.

4. Skills, Abilities and Marketable Qualities: A detailed examination of your skills and experience. This section should include the name of the skill area; the performance or behaviour, knowledge, or personal traits that contribute to your success in that skill area; your background and specifi c experience that demonstrate your application of the skill.

5. Samples of Your Work: A sampling of your best work, including reports, papers, studies, brochures, projects, presentations, etc. Besides print samples, you can also include CD-ROMs, videos, and other multimedia formats.

6. Testimonials and Letters of Recommendations: A collection of any kudos you have received from customers, clients, colleagues, pastemployers, professors, etc. Some experts even suggest including copies of favorable employer evaluations and reviews.

7. Awards and Honours: A collection of any certifi cates of awards, honours, and scholarships.

8. Conference and Workshops: A list of conferences, seminars, and workshops you’ve participated in and/or attended.

9. Transcripts, Degrees, Licenses, and Certifications: A description of relevant courses, degrees, licenses, and certifications.

10. Test Results: Document professional or graduate school testing results (such as GRE subject test results).

11. Newspaper Clippings: Include articles and/or photos that address your achievement.

12. References: A list of three to fi ve people (including full names, titles, addresses, and phone/e-mail) who are willing to speak about your strengths, abilities, and experience. At least one reference should be from your former manager.

Organizing Your Portfolio

• You should keep your portfolio in a professional three-ring binder.

• Come up with an organizational system of categories to put your items together. Sample categories are as follows: Work Experience, Education, Awards and Certifi cates, Special Skills, Personal Accomplishments, Background. Use tabs or dividers to separate various categories.

• Your portfolio should be no more than 25 pages. The shorter it is the better because an employer will only really absorb 6–10 samples.

• Every page should have a title, a concise caption, and artifact. Captions should explain the process you went through and the resulting benefits. Use the same type of action verbs as you use in a résumé.

• Photocopy full-page samples to a smaller size, if needed.

• Make the layout and design consistent, and don’t get overly decorative — keep it clean and use lots of white space.

• You may also consider including CD with samples of your work. An on-line portfolio is another option.

• Once you have put together your portfolio, you should create a title page, table of contents, and introduction. The introduction is your opportunity to tie together your portfolio contents and summarize your qualifications.

 

GLOSSARY
1. Acumen (e xtensive experience in dealing with commercial matters that yields a prompt and appropriate response to issues that typically have a favorable outcome. One of the best characteristics to look for in a senior executive is well developed business acumen that typically comes from the combination of experience and having the innate mental agility needed to deal quickly with business situations as they arise )
— проницательность, сообразительность; острота ума
business acumen — деловая хватка demonstrate / display acumen — проявить смекалку, сообразительность legal acumen — юридическая проницательность political acumen — политический инстинкт

2. Articulation ( the way in which you express your feelings and ideas) — словесное выражение, формулировка
articulate lawyer — юрист, умеющий хорошо излагать свои мысли, красноречивый articulate one’s ideas — ясно изложить свои мысли

3. Credentials ( documents that state the abilities and experience of a person and show that the person is quali fi ed for a particular job or activity)
— документальное подтверждение, дающее человеку право заниматься тем или иным родом деятельности
academic credentials — успехи в учебе; успеваемость; успехи, достижения в научно-исследовательской деятельности, научные степени, академические регалии professional credentials — профессиональные достижения; профессиональная репутация

5. In-house lawyer ( a lawyer employed by a business to work in house on its legal matters) — коммерческий юрист, штатный юрист компании
in-house counsel (син.) — корпоративный юрист

6. Interview (a formal discussion between a hirer and an applicant or candidate, typically in person, in which information is exchanged, with the intention of estalishing the applicant’s suitability for a position) — собеседование
an interviewer — человек, ведущий собеседование an interviewee — человек, который проходит собеседование conduct (hold) an interview — проводить собеседование pass an interview — успешно пройти собеседование

7. Occupation (a person’s job or a regular activity or hobby) — занятие, род или вид деятельности, профессия
profitable / rewarding occupation — доходная профессия gainful occupation — прибыльное дело, доходное занятие

9. Persuasiveness (the power to induce the taking of a course of action or the embracing of a point of view by means of argument or entreaty) — убедительность
persuasive arguments — убедительные аргументы persuasive speech — убедительная речь persuasive advocate — защитник, обладающий даром убеждения 10. Р ortfolio — 1. (a collection of investments all owned by the same individual or organization) — портфель, папка, дело; 2. In educational process — a compilation of student work assembled for the purpose of (1) evaluating coursework quality and academic achievement, (2) creating a lasting archive of academic work products, and (3) determining whether students have met learning standards or academic requirements for courses, grade-level promotion, and graduation — метод - портфолио.

11. Resume /rezju:mei/ (formal presentation of the job applicant’s education, work and experience; syn.; CV, curriculum vitae) — краткие анкетные данные, резюме
12. Skill (an ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained eff ort to smoothly and adaptively carry out complex activities or job functions involving ideas (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people (interpersonal skills) — умение, мастерство.

THE LIST OF IDIOMS

1. Give a good account of oneself — хорошо себя проявить.

2. Take something into account — принимать в расчет, учитывать.

3. Turn something to good account — извлечь пользу.

4. An apple of discord — яблоко раздора.

5. Foot the bill — заплатить по счету, ответить за все.

6. Monkey business — нечистое дело.

7. Carry the can — отдуваться за что-то или кого-то.

8. Play one’s cards right — использовать все свои преимущества.

9. Save the day — спасти положение.

10. Double dutch — китайская грамота, тарабарщина.

11. Feather one’s nest — набить себе карман.

12. A golden opportunity — редчайшая возможность.

13. Give up as a bad job — махнуть на все рукой.

14. The long arm of the law — карающая рука закона.

15. Give someone a bad name — приобрести дурную славу.

ANSWERS TO THE TEST

1. — d. “Let the decision stand”.

     2. — b. an area of study focusing on the philosophy of law and the legal system.

3. — c. city ordinance.

4. — c. failing to honour the requirements in a contract.

5. — b. changing expectations.

6. — b. a treaty among three or more nations.

7. — b. is a tariff -free group of European countries and has its own currency.

8. — d. keeps the relationship and communications between lawyer and client confidential.

9. — a. information from lawyer-client conversations regarding a lawsuit.

10. — b. arbitration.

11. — a. motion for judgment on the pleadings.

ВОПРОСЫ ДЛЯ САМОКОНТРОЛЯ

1. What ways of applying for a job do you know?

2. What way of applying for a job is the most effective in the modern world in your opinion?

3. What are the common duties of the in-house lawyer in the company?

4. What skills and abilities are “a must” for the in-house lawyer?

5. What is the format of the resume?

6. What is “a summary” in the resume?

7. How is the strategy of interviewing built up?

8. What questions are commonly asked by interviewers?

9. What is portfolio?

10. What is the main purpose of the portfolio in applying for a job?