As well as using an e-portfolio, letter of application, and having an interview, there are other ways I can communicate and present myself.
Email is the quickest and easiest way to put forward a query, however, there are times where it is and isn’t acceptable. For example, if you need to contact a university about a particular subject i.e. open days, sending an email is an option. However, you may not receive a reply straight away - this is a negative to using email as a form of communication. Emailing isn’t the best way to communicate when it comes down to more formal matters, for example, cancelling a job interview. I personally think that it is too informal and isn’t necessarily the most polite way to notify someone about a formal situation. Instead I think phoning the employer/s to notify them is a more courteous way of communication.
I for one am not a huge fan of phoning places regardless of the reason, but it is a more direct way compared to emailing. You are able to physically talk to the person - things don’t get lost in translation, and even if the person you need to speak to isn’t available, a message can be passed on, they or you can ring back another time. Phone calls are also used as a form of interviewing, even though I believe it’s difficult to put yourself across over the phone. There is also the case of unlike emailing, anything that is discussed isn’t recorded in any way - unless noted; specifics can be missed or misinterpreted, where as with emailing, all of the information is there digitally and a hard copy can be printed.
I had to write one of these when applying for universities, it was a long process, especially if you don’t like talking about yourself. However, personal statements give the university administration and/or potential employers an idea about the person. It’s a tool that allows you to put yourself across without the need to directly speak to someone. For me personally that’s the difficult part about it. It’s hard to remain on the line of being confident and big-headed or under-confident and confident, after all these statements determine a lot, so you have to present yourself and communicate in a way that makes them want to accept/recruit you, whilst making sure you don’t go overboard.
Unlike an e-portfolio, a portfolio contains all of the hard versions of your best pieces of work. Photographs may not necessarily pick up on the detail of the work or the quality may take away from the piece, so by having a portfolio that has the original pieces, the interviewer/employer is able to see your work first hand. I personally feel that there is nothing better than seeing the work for yourself, you get to appreciate it more and I also think that it becomes easier to discuss. That being said, portfolios can be misplaced/lost whereas this is less like to happen with an e-portfolio.
