CAREER PORTFOLIO
Career Portfolio gives members the opportunity to showcase their accomplishments, skills, and career goals in a professional portfolio format. Members will submit a pre-judged electronic career portfolio. Finalists will present their portfolio to a panel of judges, demonstrating personal growth, education, training, and readiness for future career opportunities.
Event Overview
Division: High School
Event Type: Individual
Event Category: Pre-judged and Presentation on the state level
Event Elements: Pre-judged and Presentation on the state level
Presentation Time: 3-minute set-up, 7-minute presentation time, 3-minute question & answer time
Career Cluster Framework Connection: Career Ready Practice
NACE Competency Alignment: Career & Self-Development, Communication, Critical Thinking, Leadership, Professionalism, Technology
Items Provided by Competitors: Technology and presentation items for final presentation, Photo Identification, Conference-provided nametag, Attire that meets the Florida FBLA Dress Code
Items Provided by FBLA: Internet access and table for presentation
District
Check with your District leadership for District-specific competition information.
State
Eligibility
· FBLA membership dues are paid by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on December 1 (or earlier date specified by District Director) of the current program year.
· Members may compete in an event at the State Leadership Conference (SLC) more than once if they have not previously placed in the top ten of that event at the National Leadership Conference (NLC). If a member places in the top ten of an event at NLC, they are no longer eligible to compete in that event.
· Members must be registered for the SLC and pay the state conference registration fee in order to participate in competitive events.
· Members must stay within the official FBLA housing block of the official FBLA hotel in order to compete.
· Each district may be represented by participant(s) based on the Florida FBLA scaled quota system found on the Florida FBLA website.
· Each competitor can only compete in one individual/team event and one chapter event ( Community Service Project, Local Chapter Annual Business Report).
· Identification: Competitors must present valid photo identification (physical) that matches the name on their conference name badge. Acceptable forms include a driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, or school ID.
· Only competitors are allowed to plan, research, prepare, and set up their presentations.
· Each competitor must compete in all parts of an event for award eligibility.
· If competitors are late for a presentation time, they may be disqualified or placed later in the schedule. The decision is solely up to the judges.
· Participants must adhere to the Florida FBLA dress code established by the Florida Board of Directors or they will not be permitted to participate in the competitive event.
Recognition
· The number of competitors will determine the number of winners. The maximum number of winners for each competitive event is 5.
Event Administration
· This event has two parts: pre-judged project and final presentation
Pre-judged Project
· Submission Deadline: A URL of pre-judged project must be submitted by the date in the State Conference registration packet. Entries will not be returned.
o Student members, not advisers, must prepare presentations.
o Presentations must address the topic as described in the competencies.
o Entries will be judged according to the rating sheet.
o Competitors are responsible for bringing a copy of their project to show to the judges.
o The event is to be specific to the career goals and professional experiences that the student has completed; it is not a showcase of FBLA experiences.
o All information should reflect the student’s accomplishments and experiences that have actually occurred.
o The portfolio should have no more than 30 pages (i.e., slides, links, text files)
o Portfolios must include a resume and career summary. The career summary should include career choice, description of career, skills and education required, and future job outlook (e.g., monetary, advancement).
o Sample materials must also be included in the portfolio. These samples must include, but are not limited to the following:
§ Career-Related Education: describe career-related education that enhances employability. Include a summary of school activities, career research projects, application of business education, and/or related occupational skills and their relationship to job.
§ Educational Enhancement: describe educational opportunities that enhance employability. Include career opportunities that enhance employability. Include career opportunities development planning, summaries of job shadowing, internships, apprenticeships, informational interviews, community service projects, and products developed during these experiences.
§ Examples of Special Skills: includes up to five examples of special skills, talents, and/or abilities related to job and career goals. These may be in any format but must fit within the dimensions of the portfolio. Audio and/or video recordings may be included in the portfolio.
· Final Presentation Information
o Equipment Set-up Time: 3 minutes
o Presentation Time: 7 minutes (one-minute warning)
o Question & Answer Time: 3 minutes
o Internet Access: Provided (Internet access may not be Wi-Fi, so competitors should plan appropriately when selecting devices on which to present. Please note that internet reliability at any conference venue cannot be guaranteed. Always have a backup plan in case internet connections go down.)
o Based on the results of the preliminary competition, the highest prejudged project scores, a maximum of five individuals will advance to the final presentation round at the State Leadership Conference. These are the only five that will present.
o The presentation is judged at the SLC. Presentations are not open to conference attendees.
o Technology
§ Competitors can present with one or two devices which includes a laptop, tablet, mobile phone, or external monitor (approximately the size of a laptop screen). If presenting with two devices, one device must be connected to the projector or facing the judges and one device must face the competitors.
§ The following will be provided for the final round if it occurs in a conference room: Projector, projector screen, power, and table.
§ Competitors using laptops or other devices that do not have an HDMI port will need to provide their own adapters.
§ It is up to final-round competitors to determine if they wish to use the technology provided.
§ Wireless slide advancers (such as a presentation clicker or mouse) are allowed.
o Materials, notecards, visual aids, and samples related to the project may be used during the presentation; however, no items may be left with the judges or audience.
o When the equipment set-up time has elapsed, the timer will automatically start the presentation time.
o Restricted Items: Animals (except authorized service animals), Food (for display only; may not be consumed by judges during the presentation), Links and QR codes (for display only; cannot be clicked or scanned by judges before, during, or after the presentation)
o Competitors should incorporate the following aspects in their presentation
· Resume Review with Visual Aids
o Clearly demonstrate how experiences, qualifications, awards, and skills align with the selected career.
o Make direct connections between specific resume elements and career requirements or expectations.
· Comprehensive Career Research
o Present a thorough overview of the chosen career, including required education or training, typical responsibilities, and long-term outlook.
o Integrate relevant statistics, data, salary information, and potential challenges associated with the career.
· Connection to School and Work Experience
o Highlight relevant school-based activities, work-based learning, coursework, leadership roles, and/or work experiences.
o Provide analysis of how these experiences have contributed to career interest and preparation for future goals.
· Skills, Awards, and Certifications
o Identify at least one special skill, award, or proficiency that directly correlates to a required or desirable skill in the chosen career.
o Where applicable, connects the skill or recognition to a formal certification, endorsement, or credential relevant to the field.
Scoring
· The preliminary pre-judged scores will determine the finalists.
· The final presentation score will determine the winners.
· Judges must break ties. All judges’ decisions are final. All judging decisions are final. Results announced at the State Leadership Conference are considered official and will not be changed after the conclusion of the State Leadership Conference.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
· FBLA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by providing reasonable accommodations for competitors. Accommodation requests must be submitted through the conference registration system by the official registration deadline. All requests will be reviewed, and additional documentation may be required to determine eligibility and appropriate support.
Recording of Presentations
· No unauthorized audio or video recording devices will be allowed in any competitive event.
· Competitors in the events should be aware FBLA reserves the right to record any presentation for use in study or training materials.
Penalty Points
· Competitors may be disqualified if they violate the Competitive Event Guidelines or the Honor Code.
National
If you are competing on the National level, be sure to see the National guidelines at https://www.fbla.org/divisions/fbla/fbla-competitive-events/