P1- Understand the purpose and use of a personal media profile

A media profile is a document where you showcase your skills and qualifications to show to employers for a job or universities. An example of a media profile is a CV which employees would use to market themselves to employers and use in an interview to show off your achievements or characteristics and see if they suit the job employers are offering.

In a CV you need to include skills such as teamwork, independence and dedication to show to an employer who you are and why they should hire you. You should also include abilities that maybe relevant for the job you are applying for. For example, if you applying for a web design job, you will need to showcase previous experience in website development and tell them you know how to use the software required. In addition, you will need to include your education so where you studied and what you studied there as that will give employers a better idea of your background. In addition, you will need to have your achievements noted down so employers can see how you stand out from competitors and why you are the right person for the job. You should include your hobbies so what you enjoy doing as this will help employers know you more as a person and your hobbies may even link with the job you’re applying for which could give you and advantage. Contact details need to be included so your employer can tell you if you have the job or any important changes. At the start of you CV should be an introduction about yourself to give the employer a brief overview of who you are and they can question you about what you say. A digital CV can be used as you can send it to your employer quickly on email which would make their a lot job easier. This is a much more viable process when the file size of the CV is compressed. This ensures that you can send your CV to your employer quickly and when they receive it, they can download it quickly. The majority of CVs are made in a word document as it is easy to write and it is easily accessible for your employer. Finally, cover letters are used on CVs as they employers an introduction to yourself and it gives you a chance to explain why you are the best person for the job. Cover letters are usually the first thing employers see/read so it needs to be at a high standard as that is the first impression your potential boss will get of you.

Another form of a personal media profile is a portfolio which can be digital or physical and basically they allow you to showcase all the work you have done in one organised place. All portfolios will look different to others but they all have the same purpose which is to show employers their ability and creativity to potentially get a job at a company. Portfolios can be made digitally to showcase all work that has been completed on the computer. This can be work such as videos, audio bites and also graphical design. A portfolio would be made digitally if you need to send it over to and employer via email so they can view it before an interview or the can keep referencing your portfolio when discussing whether you or other competitors get the job you are after. A physical portfolio could be required if you have made physical work or printed out digital work. This could be clothing items you have made printed out magazine pages you made in Adobe Photoshop or InDesign. Portfolios would also include information about so employers can gather a basic idea of who are and your interests. This could be relevant to the job you are applying for as someone who has a passion for IT may be better suited for a job working with computers than someone who's main hobby is playing sports. 

Biographies are another form of a personal media profile but it is more written that visual compared to a portfolio. A biography is a piece of writing that describes your life so for example, your childhood and your upbringing, your education, your work and your hobbies and interests. This form of a personal media profile is basically made for your employers to read about you and your life so far to see whether you are worth hiring and best suited for the job you are applying. Since you cannot showcase your work with a biography, you may do a portfolio with a biography so you can showcase your work and also tell your employer more about you. 

Below is an example of a digital portfolio. 

Sean Halpin | Product Designer | Work

As you can see in the portfolio example, it is a website with a variety of pages that showcase the work that this student has done. The pages are categorized in the form of content which makes it easy for the reading employer to navigate through the portfolio and analyze the work that this student has done. 

Below is an example of a biography that they could show to employers when applying for jobs.

 

As you can see, the biography describes this persons life and tells the work experience and educational details. 

Now I am going to compare the similarities and differences between the portfolio and biography:

• Firstly, the portfolio is much more visual compared to the biography as the purpose of the portfolio is to showcase the work you have completed so far in your life. 

• The biography has much more writing as the purpose of the biography is to tell the employer about you and basically give them your life story so far.

• The portfolio looks like it takes much more time and effort to make as this example has pages and pages or work and information for an employer to see so they probably are more useful when looking for a job. 

• Portfolios are interactive so therefore, they are more enjoyable to use as depending on the content and how your biography is written, they maybe quite boring. 

• Biographies appear to be more formal as in the example there is no colour and it is very well structured. Also, with how short biographies are compared to portfolios, they could be seen as more straight to the point and only include relevant information. This would mean that if you want to send a personal media profile that quickly gets a message across to an employer and only tells important information, then a biography maybe better suited than a portfolio.