E‐portfolio, a valuable job search tool for college students

Abstract: Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to find answers to the following questions: How do employers think about e‐portfolios? Do employers really see e‐portfolios as a suitable hiring tool? Which factors in students' e‐portfolios attract potential employers? Can e‐portfolios be successfully used by students in their search for a job?

Design/methodology/approach
– A semi‐structured interview survey was used in this study. All ten interviewees were HR managers from ten different companies. They were interviewed face‐to‐face between December 2010 and May 2011. In order to collect a broad range of multiple ideas, the interviewees came from a wide range of industries including tourism, product design, real estate, information and technology, insurance, recruitment service, and others.

Findings
– The results of this survey showed that the e‐portfolio is perhaps still in its early stage of development. Nevertheless, the employer interviews indicate a high and consistent level of interest by the employers, indicating a promising future of the e‐portfolio as a job search tool. In addition, employers can use specific information to conduct to pre‐screen candidates. On the other hand, they may include the e‐portfolio as a factor in the final phase of the selection process to obtain a deeper and more complete level of information (e.g. learning reflections) that can clearly demonstrate a job applicant's characteristics and potential for career development.

Originality/value
– Faculty members and career service staff in universities and colleges should consider promoting e‐portfolios to employers as a promising tool for selecting their next employee.