YouFolio

Create your portfolio at YouFolio.com

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Thoughts from a Co-Founder; Matt Moore

Big Things Daily - Send It

My whole life has been about trying to do big things daily. Whether I am hucking it off a cliff, starting a business, or learning to ride a bike without training wheels - I like to send it. It's a simple phrase, send it, but it encompasses so much meaning. I will break it down acrostically, because I like to use poetry when I can.

S - Seeker of adventure. There are no limits to what you can do in this world, except within your own boundaries. Ignore the red tape and lines in the sand. Don't be afraid to be the first.

E - Energy. The power of positive energy is a thing. If you lose something and it is important to you, it will find its way back into your life. If you care about something, everyone in the room will feel that passion coming from your voice. It is important to keep positive thoughts at the forefront of your mind or else you will be setting yourself up for failure.

N - Never Forget. You learn from your past, both mistakes and successes. You must take something positive out of every life experience.  It is equally important to remember and learn from the negatives so you won't ever make the same mistake twice.  Free tip: write things down.

D - Dream openly and often. I keep my dreams in mind daily. I feel strongly that if you don't believe it will happen, keep your mind on it, and talk about it then your dreams will simply not come true.

I - Innovation. Think creatively and collaborate with others. A great way to get things done is to seek the advice and mentorship from people of different skill sets or who have already accomplished something similar. First think of the possibilities, then the problems, and finally the solution. Wine is a great catalyst.

T - Travel. One must experience different cultures and lifestyles to fully understand their purpose in life. Putting yourself out there in new places will open the doors for great opportunities. You never know who or what you might find, it's a small world and as long as you think big then great things will happen.

That is my stream of consciousness for a ten minute blog post, I hope you enjoyed!

-Matt 

[email protected]

youfolio.com/matt

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Are You Satisfied With Your Current Job?

This is a great exercise you should use to evaluate your job every three months.  Sit down in a quiet place and ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly as Yes or No.  

Do I like what I'm doing?

Do I like and believe in what the company does and stands for?

Is this a fun place to work?

Do I like and get along with my peers?

Am I learning and being given more responsibility?

Am I being fairly compensated?

Is my primary supervisor (or someone else) a good mentor?

These are not in any specific order or ranking; they are each weighted equally.  If you answer No to 3 or more and the answer is not likely to turn to a Yes in the next 3 months, it's most likely time to look for a new job.  If you answer No to 2 of them, ask yourself whether there is anything you can do to get them turned around.

Good luck! 

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How to Prepare for the Career Fair

Here are some tips and guidelines for your upcoming career fair:

Go through list of companies attending the fair

Mark down companies you want to speak with

Brief yourself on companies and job openings (You might have heard of PWC, but do you really know what they do?)

Prepare your LinkedIn, Resume, ePortfolio for when you follow up

TIPS

Business Professional, ALL DAY

Be well prepared with your 30 second elevator pitch

Well groomed facial hair, even if you have an epic beard...Not this

Get a good night sleep

MORE TIPS

Have and ABC list of companies attending the fair. Visit some C listers first to get the jitter bugs out.  Then go for the big dogs you really want, then close with your remaining targets.

Make sure your resume is properly formatted.  If it is not well put together they will just throw you away. Splurge by spending the extra dollar to get nice paper.

Prepare specific questions (DO NOT ASK "What does your company do?")

BONUS YOUFOLIO TIP

In your follow up be sure to include a link to your portfolio.  It is the best way to provide recruiters with more information about yourself, so they can understand your true potential more and pass that information along to their hiring managers.

The most important thing is to be happy and charismatic, be attentive and engaging, and SMILE!

Good luck!

-Matt Moore

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YouFolio InTheCapital

Over the summer, YouFolio has been partnering with small and mid sized, hyper growth companies in the Washington D.C area.  Last week was InTheCapital's DCFest, which was chock full of YouFolio's beta partners and target customers. 

Check out these links below to learn more about some of these awesome companies! 

2U http://2u.com/

Video Blocks http://www.videoblocks.com/

Brazen Careerist http://www.brazencareerist.com/

See the full list of companies here! 

These companies are hiring like crazy and YouFolio is making it a point to help with their online branding, recruiting, and exposure to college campuses and young professionals.

It is YouFolio's mission to help students and young professionals establish a positive online presence and discover great opportunities.  With the extensive list of awesome companies in the D.C. area looking to hire, we are helping students find internships and jobs that match well with their skill set and professional goals.   

Good luck and contact [email protected] any time if you need help getting on the job market, building your YF, or would like to learn more! 

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What YouFolio Has Done For Me

This guest post below was submitted by one of YouFolio's earliest adopters, Christina Champion.  We asked Christina to describe what her experience with YF has been like and to share her story on our blog. Enjoy!

What YouFolio Has Done For Me

YouFolio has been nothing but an interesting and exciting path since the very beginning for me.  When people say connections are what really matters, they are not joking. 

I first heard of YouFolio through my boyfriend. He likes to brag about the people he knows and all the cool things he has done.  So naturally, I found out pretty quickly that he knew one of the founders of YF.  After checking out the website, I agreed that it seemed like an amazing idea and it would make me look like a much cooler person than other websites, such as LinkedIn, ever would.

I had a lot of fun starting to build my profile.  Where else, related to professional websites, do I get to showcase the hobbies and random passions that I have? 

I loved the idea of being able to show recruiters and other companies that there is a lot more to me than just a GPA and work experience. 

What is the most exciting thing that has happened though?  Well here’s where the connections come in.  My boyfriend said that he was going to have lunch with one of the founders he knew and that I should come. Preparing to meet some fancy, super professional guy, I met Matt Moore, a college student at Virginia Tech.  The three of us had lunch in a dining hall on campus, nothing fancy at all.  Lunch was interesting, although maybe just a little bit intimidating.  Nonetheless, I was encouraged to keep building my profile and that what I had done so far was great.

I have continued to use and build my profile so that it represents me well.  It has been an easy to use website and has helped me in numerous ways.  One of the biggest things YouFolio has done for me is put General Dynamics recruiters directly in front of my face.  When I first signed up on YouFolio, I never expected that to happen.  I was invited to attend an info session with GD on the Virginia Tech campus and had an interview the very next day. 

Another big thing YouFolio has done for me is provide me with an internship directly within the company itself.  Matt Moore has been nothing but supportive and helpful of what I have done with YouFolio so far, and when I saw the opportunity to intern with them, I jumped at the chance.

As an engineering major, I think I surprised Matt a little when I said I did not want my internship to revolve around engineering work.  I wanted the experience of leadership, public speaking, and organization to be big in the work that I do.  The main reason for this, I want to be a well-rounded person and be able to showcase myself in many different areas.

As I begin my internship this fall, I am very excited about everything that is happening and ideas have already started to roll.  I know this will be an amazing experience for me and will help me become stronger in several areas.  I strongly believe that YouFolio will be able to grow into something big and will become a powerful tool that job searchers use to showcase themselves to recruiters.  It provides so much more than a hard copy resume ever could.  I encourage everyone to jump on this bandwagon and experience what YouFolio can do.  I haven’t even been involved with them a year yet and so many amazing opportunities have already come my way!

-Christina Champion

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Your Story is Bigger Than Lines on a Resume

What is the best part of a portfolio? It helps you capture your whole story. Don’t feel limited to sharing just your work or internship experiences.  Add posts about your study abroad, volunteer activities, class projects, athletic leadership activities, and more. This is a space to document and display your accomplishments in a way that showcases your professional potential and unique characteristics.  

  Browse these examples created by students on YouFolio. What will you add? 

  Examples of different blocks listed below with images. 

  - Cross Cultural Experiences 

- Hobbies & Projects

- Work/Intern experiences

- Research Papers

- Musical Performances 

- Athletic Leadership Activities 

- Volunteer Activities

- Presentations & Speeches 

- Capstone Projects 

 -Foreign languages

Getting stuck? We can help! Email us at [email protected] for more tips. 

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YF Goes Greek

My college experience consisted of student business competitions, club baseball, study abroad, happy hours, river parties, YouFolio, and my student organization - the Big Things Daily club.  Though I was never in a fraternity myself, I have been able to see the countless advantages and opportunities that go hand in hand with being in one.

This past weekend I attended #PIKECON2014 in Baltimore with my partner and Pike alumnus, Nick Pinero.

This experience with Pike showed to me the deeper side of greek life - the side one might not find at a halloween party or bar crawl. The bond of a fraternity or sorority is strong, and the members who make up those organizations are extremely proud. The bond grows as the members graduate and become professionals - the result being a network that extends all throughout the world.

  So many of the characteristics and traits that the greek community strives to build among its members are the same ones that are desired by recruiters, investors, and employers.  Some of those traits are leadership, trustworthiness, reliability, confidence, and respect. All of those traits are improved on if you are an active and proud member of your fraternal organization. 

Understanding the importance of those traits in the development of an individual is something that fraternities and sororities teach you while in college.  Capitalizing and succeeding as a result of that development is what members of those organizations can look forward to while networking and growing as professionals and alumni.

At YouFolio we want to help you showcase your positive characteristics and life experiences.  We know how important it is to brand yourself in a way that highlights your key traits, skills, and values.  If you are in a fraternity or sorority you have a leg up on the competition because you have participated and organized projects and events that are built around this belief. 

Showcase yourself on YF and take advantage of what you've experienced in college.  Not only will you improve the brand of your organization, but you will also be able to positively highlight your greek life experience online.  

Do you have any suggestions for future blog posts? Contact [email protected] anytime!

Leverage your college experiences when creating the holistic version of yourself online.  

Cheers,

Matt Moore

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Discover how YouFolio used Greek life at Virginia Tech to launch in 2013! http://youfolio.com/matt?upid=64&uid=29

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Read more about personality traits and characteristics that recruiters are looking for.  Learn the importance of creating a holistic version of yourself online.  Showcase yourself. 

http://blog.timesunion.com/careers/the-10-most-important-personality-traits-for-career-success/633/

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140407091936-322130907-you-re-hired-the-six-characteristics-i-look-for-in-a-job-applicant

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How Do You Folio?

One of the best parts about a good website is learning how to use it and then benefiting from it.  Some sites are more complex than others, but the basic principal should be as follows:

At YouFolio, we want to provide people with a fun and easy way to showcase their skills and experiences.  Our mission is to use personal branding through the use of an online portfolio to help bridge the gap between people and great opportunities. 

Here are links to a few videos to help you understand how to use YF.  We are constantly working to improve the experience on our site, please don't hesitate to provide feedback (both positive and negative) that we can use to help us help you. 

1) Sign Up Process- http://youtu.be/VTuiosuDMoM

2) How to Post - http://youtu.be/DDb-hYu5KHU

3) How Do You Folio? - http://youtu.be/0W7sJnk0V3M

Let me know if you'd like to see any more demo videos about YouFolio! 

Best,

Matt Moore

***EXCLUSIVE COMPETITION FOR BLOG FOLLOWERS***

If you upload your own demo video YouFolio will give you a prize.  The best video get the best prize! Keep it at or under 3 minutes!

Example of a non YF how-to video: http://youtu.be/TbkCz6adlCg

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I missed my Cake Day, but it's my Birthday so here goes - Imgur

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Be Awesome; Take Pride in How You Are Perceived

What makes you awesome?

A close friend of mine named Justin Graves makes it a point to meet 5 new people every day, and that question is his go-to conversation starter. 

First thought: Where do I begin?

Second thought: I hope I don’t sound like a loser. 

Unless you can fly, produced The Lion King, or founded Google - that is a tough question! The truth is there are countless things that make you awesome, all Justin wants to do is get to know you a little better and learn what you're passionate about. If you trust in yourself and pick something you love to talk about, your awesomeness will beam off you like happiness from a puppy dog.

Professional Tip: Once you figure out what makes you awesome, record yourself saying it and share the video with recruiters.  Make sure that you are passionate and look nice! 

YouFolio Tip: Make one post about what makes you awesome in your personal life, and another about what makes you an awesome candidate for a certain job.  Reference your skills and experiences to help portray your message. (Follow this link to see a great example: http://youfolio.com/joshuajenkins)

How to make a 30 second introduction video and look awesome doing it.

My responses to Justin’s question, depending on the situation:

I took a road trip across the country in 2011 and ended up VIP status at a Vancouver nightclub after the Canucks won game two.

(That was after the win, do you remember after the loss? Vancouver gone bad)

I am the best marsh mellow roaster, nay the best s’more creator on this side of the Mississippi.

I swim in the Swiss Alps.

I party at Oktoberfest.

I co-founded Youfolio.

I do big things daily.

In case you need a little more inspiration about being awesome, check out this great video from the Kid President! 

-Matt Moore

Any questions or comments, email me anytime at [email protected] or on twitter @matteo_moore.  Thanks for reading!

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To briefly summarize, YouFolio is a web-based portfolio platform allowing students to create a personal brand by showcasing their work and experiences. YouFolio uses individuals’ skills, education, and work experiences to match them with the best job opportunities and allows employers to vet which candidates are the best fits.

YF enables users to bring their résumé to life and create a holistic picture of themselves, aiming to replace the whole paradigm of resume based recruiting. Users can pull content from any of their current online profiles like LinkedIn, GitHub, YouTube, and SoundCloud, simplifying the process of creating a personal brand online. Our goal is to allow users to take control of their online presence and represent themselves the way they want to be seen.

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30 HR Managers Reveal Their Worst Experience While Interviewing A Job Applicant

Well, now you have an idea of what not to do...

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Advice from YouFolio Networking Event

Earlier this week, YouFolio hosted a networking event for Virginia Tech students. At this event were hiring managers from General Dynamics Information Technology, and they (in combination with the founders of YouFolio) had some great things to say and some pretty solid advice.

What we learned was that, from a recruiter's point of view, YouFolio offers something pretty special: it adds dimension to your portfolio, whereas sites like LinkedIn come across as flat. It really allows your personality to come across through images and experiences. Additionally, it's particularly great for people trying to get jobs coming out of college. On LinkedIn, you list your job history, which, to this point, might only consist of things like "cashier" and "lifeguard." Great for you. And half the kids in the country. On YouFolio, someone looking to hire can see relevant work such as projects, renderings, proposals, white papers, whatever. It's a place where you can show them what you actually learned in school and that you're ready to take on the job they're looking to fill.

Another great piece of advice is to make a 30 second video introducing yourself. Consider it a "personal pitch." Write out what you want to say, get yourself all cleaned up and spiffy looking, get in front of a camera, and sell yourself. It says a lot if you can present yourself effectively. And, of course, upload the video to your YouFolio! 

Speaking of cleaning yourself up, for the love of God and all that is holy, make sure you look your best for any kind of interview. (Yes, web interviews count). Flip flops are a no. Shorts are a no. T-shirts, short dresses and skirts, and torn up jeans, you guessed it, are a no. 

As far as your interview goes, you know that part at the end where the interviewer asks if you have any questions for them? Yeah, always, ALWAYS have two or three questions. Not having questions is a no bueno. It comes off as you not really caring about the position. 

A few other tips that were mentioned were about the application process: when you're building your resume and tailoring it to a specific position, not only should you manipulate it to match the job, you should use EXACT words and phrasing used on the ad for the job. Why? Many times there's an electronic screening process where the computer searches for key words and phrases. In some cases, a recruiter looks at your resume and then hands it off to a hiring manager. This person may not know a thing about the position; they're just looking to see if your qualifications match the listing. You may be exactly what they're looking for, and it may be on your resume in different words, and the recruiter could have no idea. Use the exact words. 

If you have taken relevant classes, or were ever a project lead - share it on youfolio! Class projects are great talking points for any interview.

Also, if you're applying online and a company has several listings for the same position, apply for as many of them as you are qualified for! 

Lastly, I know this process sort of sucks, but it really is also kind of exciting, so try to soak it all up and enjoy it!

[you-folio]

37 People On The Trick That Will Win You Any Interview

Oh, Reddit. 

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Land an Interview for Your Dream Job

How? By sending a what's called a "cold email" or in other words, reaching out to somebody that you don't know, via email. (So, you would do this if you don't have a contact within the company.)

The idea is to do this if you 1) are a great fit for a job opening in the company and 2) really passionate about the position. What this does is make sure that your resume is, at the very least, seen. 

To do this, definitely do some background digging on the company site, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc to find out who the best person to contact would be. If you can't find an email, try a few different combinations of what it would most likely be. For example, to reach John Doe you could try [email protected], [email protected], etc. Your email provider should notify you about the ones that don't actually reach a recipient so you know to keep trying. 

But what should you write? The body of the email should do essentially what a cover letter does. Keep in mind that you are asking for something from someone who does not owe you anything, so avoid sounding entitled or arrogant. That's a solid way to land your message (and resume) in his/her trash folder. 

Make sure that you show your recipient what's in it for him/her! You're super qualified and interested in the position they have open? Awesome. Make sure that is made clear. You know a bunch about their company and have ideas about a specific project? Talk about that, too!

The email should be tailored not only to the company, but to the specific person you are reaching out to. Don't go into your email blind. Check him out on LinkedIn, stalk her personal website, whatever. Add some personal touches to show that you really took the time to write this email and connect with the person you're contacting. 

Just keep in mind that sometimes you'll hear back, and sometimes you won't. If they don't follow up, move on to the next opportunity!

Check out this success story about a job landed using a cold email!

(note: a lot of the info in this post came from levo.com)

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Check out this review and see why you should should start your own YouFolio profile

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Online Portfolio Tools

You've probably heard of a handful of online tools that aim to connect you and your work with potential employers, such as LinkedIn. For this post, I took a look at some of these sites: LinkedIn, Coroflot, Behance, and YouFolio. What I found was that the sites do have different purposes and user experiences, and I've created a basic breakdown.

LinkedIn:

Classically, this tool allows you to communicate your education and work history. Recently, it's been updated to allow you to add projects in the form of links, attachments, photographs, etc. The projects are integrated into your resume, however. It is not designed for users to create a seamless portfolio.

The main goal of LinkedIn (as you probably already know) is to connect with people: people you know, people you've worked with, people you have things in common with. It allows employers to post jobs and users to search through job listings, save searches/jobs, and submit applications.

Some other features include access to news and inspiration via posted articles.

  Coroflot: 

Coroflot is a platform for posting creative work such as video, images, photographs, etc. There's a large focus on getting users jobs; it is said to have the largest and most active job board and to be the site most widely used by companies looking to hire creatives/designers. Designers can connect with employers and vice versa.

The site has spaces where you can post a summary, affiliations, awards, etc, but this section holds very little emphasis.

Also to consider, as far as portfolios go, looks matter, and Coroflot seems to lack a certain amount of cohesion. It's very simple to use, and perhaps because of this, it is not customizable, leaving something to be desired in terms of aesthetics.

  Behance:

Behance, like Coroflot, is a place for creating an online portfolio. You get your work online, and it is then viewable by all. It allows viewing, commenting, and sharing of portfolios. The site also posts job listings, and the Behance network connects users to partners for more exposure to a wider web audience.  Similary to Coroflot, Behance also includes and "about" section and other minimal amounts of information about the designer. Additionally, the site itself has the aesthetic quality designers and their employers would expect from a finished portfolio.

  YouFolio: 

YouFolio functions simlilarly to Coroflot and Behance in that it allows you to upload content and arrange it into a portfolio.   Major difference is that it's not intended to specifically target designers/creatives. Instead, it's meant for everyone: engineers, web designers, financial analysts, whatever.  Whereas on Behance, you might upload illustrations, graphic designs, or photography, on YouFolio you might upload photographs from a mission trip, a proposal presentation, or a creative writing sample.

The user experience is suited to that as well.  While it's not customizable, it's clean and simple to use (and doesn't require design experience).

Additionally, it allows you to communicate your work/education history, skills, and contact info (similar to LinkedIn). There is a job board where companies can post opportunities, and users are able to search through the listings, learn about the company, and show interest in the job offerings.

   While I haven't personally check it out much, another name I came across consistently while writing this post as a major online portfolio platform was Dribbble, for those of you who feel compelled to check it out.

  A few of the sites (which include lists of online portfolio tools) are as follows:

http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/marketing/tools-to-build-your-portfolio/

http://www.sessions.edu/notes-on-design/resources/design/top-8-portfolio-sites/