Option A: Professional Profile Guidelines and Rubrics
When developing a professional profile, there are certain guidelines you should follow to show yourself in the most flattering and professional light. Your profile should highlight your skills and professionalism to current and future employers.

Employers often look at profiles to better understand a candidate. You should include important elements, but also think about the quality of each thing you include in a profile. Although employers may not actually score profiles, they do establish criteria to evaluate each one. For our class, we want to get specific and allow you to check for the right things as well as the degree to which you accomplish those. While learning, it helps to look at examples of profiles or your own profile and actually rate them. So after the guidelines below, you’ll find actual scoring rubrics to use to evaluate the sample profiles. Imagine you are a hiring manager looking at these profiles to make a recommendation on whether to employ a candidate.

Professional Profiles should include the following:

Content

Appropriate personal content (not over sharing personal details or giving too much family info)

Limited to professional content (not hobbies, trips unless they support your profession)

Appropriate grammar and mechanics (may use Grammarly to help)

Resume

Appropriate length for profession

Correct dates (No overlap and any gaps explained)

Includes enough detail to explain job tasks/responsibilities/projects

Visuals

Visually pleasing (Not overly busy/visually noisy)

Looks organized and can be easily read

Includes profile photo that demonstrates professionalism

If possible, includes an “action” picture from on the job or completing appropriate tasks that support the resume or objective for a new position.

Rubric to Evaluate a Candidate using their Professional Profile

Sample profiles can be found under the Media area of the Week 5 Resources page. Use this rubric to evaluate the candidates and then follow the directions on the instructions page to type up your review, including:

Critiques of at least 2 of the sample online profiles

Use the rubric to give scores AND explain the scoring

Explain your rationale about your recommendation on whether to hire or not hire this candidate in a 1- to 2-page review and critique of the profiles and recommendations for improvement from the viewpoint of a hiring manager.

Please Note: YOUR assignment will be graded using the standard Assignment rubric for our class. The Rubric below is for your use on the sample profiles and in developing your submission.

Candidate Name:

Points

Scale

Points Earned

Overall feel of Profile:

· Shows interest in field

· Demonstrates a sense of being a good employee

· Is professional

· Doesn’t include too much personal stuff or controversial material

· This is sort of putting a score on your “gut instinct” from viewing the profile and whether you would hire the candidate (be cautious of unintentional bias here)

0 – 20

Resume:

· Has work history, education, and other appropriate content.

· Is updated, relevant, and persuasive.

· Appropriate length

· Correct dates- no gaps

· Detail for job tasks/responsibilities

0 – 20

Content:

· Demonstrates an understanding of a portfolio and contains appropriate content.

· Contains content that reveals aspirations and professional competencies of the author.

· Overall impression is welcoming for a prospective employer.

0 – 20

Visual Aspects:

· The use of images enhances the content.

· Professional + professional “action” shots if possible

· Not too busy or visually noisy

· The visual material creates an additional layer of information for the reader.

0 – 15

Professional Presentation:

· Correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar throughout.

· Well-organized, easy to read, enjoyable.

0 – 15

Total:

90