RECORD OF YOUR PAST…..PASSPORT TO YOUR FUTURE
2009 Senior Portfolio Guidelines
Securely Attach the following in a Folder
· Title Page – Includes name, address, club name(s), county, 4-H Club leader signature and date
· Resume – No more than 3 single spaced pages. Margins no less than 1”, font size no less than 12 pt.
Resume should include:
Personal Information
Name and Address
Club and County
Objective
Fill in a one sentence objective when you create a resume for a particular purpose, such as applying for a job, a volunteer position, or college admission. Your objective is best expressed in the fewest words possible, while still being clear and explicit enough to create a mental image of what you want to accomplish with the resume.
Examples:
To present skills and accomplishments acquired through membership in the 4-H program.
To present my credentials to represent Maryland at the 2005 4-H Youth Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Skills and Accomplishments
Summarize your leadership and citizenship activities in one or two line statements. Be explicit – use numbers and explain your role where appropriate. Please be sure that you are including entries in the right category. Leadership entries should be those things where you actually took the leadership role.
**Find this information from your Junior Summary Form**
Leadership:
Page 6 – Volunteer Leadership
Page 7 – Elected and Appointed Leadership
Page 8 – Promotional Leadership
Citizenship:
Page 12 – Community Service
Tips for writing One-Liners (describing your relevant skills and experiences)
~ Be specific and use action verbs. Banish the overworked phrase “responsible for”. Resume reviewers don’t need a job description, they need to know what you accomplished.
Examples:
Raised $6,144 by serving 768 dinners at Lineboro Fire Hall Company Fundraisers (2000-2005)
~ Be “punchy”. Remember, more is not better and use simple direct English.
~ Quantify your accomplishments, where appropriate, telling how much, how many, how often. For example, you can say how many people you assisted, or what total project profits were.
~ Describe the value or benefit to the club, organization, etc. from you activity. Answer the implied question “So What?” Perhaps your work ultimately raised money or increased membership, or improved community relations.
~ Take credit for your role in the activity. If it was a team effort, you can say “Co-led” or “Partnered with”
~ Describe the accomplishment so it is clear what your contribution was.
~ Format for one-liners can be either outline or narrative; however, choose one and use that same format throughout your resume.
Outline
- Prepared for the county fair by helping to set up and clean up the barns for 28 hours (1992-2002).
- Made 68 Christmas decorations for seniors at Long View nursing home (2005).
Narrative
2005. Served dinners for 1618 persons, helping to raise $13,547
for Lineboro Volunteer Fire Company. Raised $600 toward food for the needy by walking in CROP. Baked items and washed cars for church youth group to raise money to support a child in India, totaling $153. Cleaned along the roadside for club’s Adopt a Highway project.
Life Skills and Special Achievements
Here you will list the life skills you have learned over the years and include significant accomplishments and awards that indicate the quality of your work. They do not have to be 4-H related. Again, you can use Outline or Narrative format, just be sure to use the same format you used for Leadership and Citizenship.
Examples
Outline
Responsibility
– Beef Project Medal winner in 2002 and 2005
- Champion Beef Showman 2004
Decision Making
- 3rd High Senior Individual Maryland State Fair Livestock Judging Contest
Communication Skills
- Champion Sr. Prepared Speech, Carroll County and Regional Contests 2004
Narrative
Learned Responsibility through caring for my beef project, receiving beef project medal awards in 2002 and 2005. Dedication to a task resulted in Champion Showman honors on 2004. Communication skills developed and I was awarded Champion Sr. Prepared Speech at the county and regional level in 2004.
Skills in Decision Making helped me place 3 at the Maryland State Livestock Judging Contest in 2005.
Education
Include the name of the school you are attending, anticipated graduation date. Also list your most meaningful participation in school activities including leadership roles and honors received.
Employment
List any work experience, paid and unpaid.
Personal Information
Include information on family, hobbies, group affiliations, and religious activities.
· Essay Question – no more than 2 double spaced pages. Margins no less than 1”, font size no less than 12 pt. Topic for 2009 is “Of the Four H’s, Which One has had the Most Impact on Your Life and Why?”
When writing Essays, remember it’s important to include what you did, what you learned, and how it made you feel. Pay careful attention to be sure you actually answer the question that is being asked. Have someone proof-read your essay before you turn it in. Grammar and spelling are important!
· Additional Support Piece – Use your creativity to submit one additional piece that completes your portfolio. This piece should help the judge know a little more about you. It does not need to fit inside your folder. Write on an index card what the object is and why you chose to select it as a support piece.
· Project records – only include project records from the current year. Put them in order of importance with your major project area first.
Congratulations!
You have finished a senior portfolio! Many 4-H’ers have used these portfolios to win state trips, scholarships, or even included them with college applications. You should be able to look over this and get a good idea of what you have accomplished. Once you have completed one portfolio, it should be fairly easy to just update it every year to keep it current.
It is the policy of the MD Cooperative Extension that no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital or parental status, or disability.