Online Portfolio Legality/Ethics

[TheBourne]

Hi Folks,

Being a recent undergrad of engineering, I have been working on an online portfolio of my academic work and a few personal projects (but majorly academic). My hope is to draw prospective employers to see some more detailed examples of my work, and it would be a non-profit website. It would be an elaborated resume so-to-speak, with major project descriptions, my role in the project, skills/tools demonstrated, etc. All of the content would be my own work within the particular project, but my concern is whether this could possibly raise an issue with the university, professors, or my peers.

Also I'd like to mention that at this point I have no employment experience to show off, but as/if I continue to update the page I realize the importance of excluding any confidential information...but then again I hope that once I get my first relevant job the online portfolio will become less necessary. Any advice on this topic would be much obliged,

Cheers.

 

[TheBourne]

Just to clarify my previous post, I think professional photos are okay as long as you are in a position to be physically recognized, which is not my case.

 

[plasgears]

Photos are in the same category as handwriting samples. Some interviewers are interested in analyzing for 'positive and negative' indicators. In addition, a photo answers a lot of questions that cannot be posed directly.

 

[HgTX]

a photo answers a lot of questions that cannot be posed directly

Which is exactly why not to supply one.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[JLSeagull]

... answers a lot of questions that cannot be posed ...
like age, race, perhaps gender ...

 

[brandoncdg]

This reminds me of one of my first job interviews after graduating college. I brought some plans I had worked on, but wasn't 100% familiar with the plans. When asked some questions I sounded pretty stupid. Remember anything that you present have a very good understanding, as you may be asked anything.

I think bringing a small portfolio to an interview makes sense. Taking photos of yourself seems a bit much for any reason, unless you are the owner of a company and need a face for your website or brochure.

CDG, Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading in the Los Angeles area

http://www.CivilDevelopmentGroup.com

 

[ivymike]

Photos are in the same category as handwriting samples. Some interviewers are interested in analyzing for 'positive and negative' indicators.

that's not fair to photos - you can tell certain things with reasonable accuracy from a photo (95% or better confidence on gender, for example, even if you're not supposed to be asking that). Handwriting analysis is utter quackery which has to date never been able to stand up to any kind of empirical testing.

 

[HgTX]

Have people here really had handwriting samples requested as part of a job application?

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[JLSeagull]

Many companies require a personality profile. Lacking personality, surely that does not apply to engineers.
;-)

 

[ivymike]

I've not... nor photos. Have had written tests for personality profile and engineering aptitude (same interview).

 

[GregLocock]

I had one bizarre interview only a few years back that included a maths test, some sort of personality test and an IQ test.

Very odd.

We also had a problem solving role-playing team game, that was at least recognisably relevant, even if my team managed to select the stupidest of the three approaches we came up with. I gamed that one by saying, well, I think we're wrong, but we only have limited time so let's see how far we can push this one, displaying a rather more cooperative attitude than I do in real life.

They made a lowball offer, I turned them down, two years later they went bust. hey ho.

Cheers

Greg Locock

I rarely exceed 1.79 x 10^12 furlongs per fortnight

 

[brandoncdg]

I had a math test on a job interview and only answered one thing correctly since I hadn't done structural stuff for a few years. They said the one thing I knew was what most people don't know how to do and was basically offered the job on the spot. I was shocked and a bit scared to hear that.

I know when I was looking at jobs overseas a certain country required photos because they were weeding out certain people. I asked up front what they were screening for. Generally engineers don't fit the profile they were weeding, but it still sucked to hear they were doing the photo thing.

CDG, Los Angeles Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading

http://www.CivilDevelopmentGroup.com