Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is an "English Skills Portfolio" (ESP)?

An ESP is a collection of documents, social media links and videos that demonstrates a job candidate's English ability and professional skills. It makes the candidate stand out by demonstrating that his English skills are genuine.

What should be included in an ESP?

The job seeker may attach zero, one or two document resumes to his ESP.

Besides the resumes, up to four additional relevant documents can be attached. Suggested attachments include course completion certificates, academic transcripts, work samples, letters of recommendations, or technical articles.

Links to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin profiles can be included.

The most important pieces of a portfolio are the video resumes. The English video resume provides concise and convincing evidence that the jobseeker is able to communicate in English.

There are no minimum content requirements for the ESP.

How much does it cost?

ESP's are free to create. Sharing and viewing ESP's are also free, can be done by anyone, and don't require a login. An ESP is a public web page of jobseeker credentials.

In the future we will offer jobseeker premium membership, which will allow ESP's to be searchable by employers. We are committed to making this option affordable and will offer it free to anyone who is experiencing financial hardship.

Job candidates

Do I have to be fluent in English to create an ESP?

No, but you should be able to deliver a job seeker "elevator pitch" for 30 to 90 seconds in English.

Can you introduce yourself and talk about your background, accomplishments, skills and career goals in English? If so, this site was created to give you a secret weapon in your English job search.

Which resumes should I include in my ESP?

Attaching a resume is optional on the ESP. Normally you would include a link to your ESP in your resume, and so in this use case the resume is redundant. However, the ESP can also be also viewed as a "stand-alone" web page that anyone can share or view.

If you choose to attach resumes, you can either attach a resume in your local language, an English-language resume, or both.

Why both? During the recruiting cycle you may encounter recruiters who are not fluent in English and hiring managers who are not fluent in the local language.

Can I keep my contact data private?

Yes. When you create your portfolio there is an option to conceal your name and contact details, but for an even higher level of privacy you would have to remove that information from your document attachments.

Treat your portfolio as a public web page: you can share it freely, but so can everyone else. Recruiters will have easy access to your contact information, but bad guys might find it too.

Remember that the portfolio will normally not be used as a "stand-alone" web-page, but rather as a linked complement to your resume. If the portfolio doesn't have contact details, that's OK -- the company you applied to work for already has your resume, which does.

How do I include my video resumes?

You'll record your video resumes on your phone or computer. After that you'll upload your video resumes to YouTube, and share the links in your portfolio. Your English video resume is "dual purpose" -- it shows that you can communicate in English but also allows you to showcase your qualifications.

What is the value of video resumes?

A video resume is an excellent complement to a document resume in any language. A video allows you to show your creativity, your personality and your communication ability.

The centerpiece of your ESP is your English video resume -- it allows recruiters to assess your English skills with just a click of a mouse.

There are fields for video resumes in many languages besides English, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Indonesian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Thai and Vietnamese. Not all languages are included, but we plan to add some additional ones to the current set.

I live in an English-speaking country. Should I create an ESP?

Maybe. If you are an immigrant or a foreign student whose native language is not English the portfolio will demonstrate your English skills to a prospective employer. Moreover, the video resumes have their own benefits.

I'm a native English speaker. Should I create a portfolio?

Maybe. If you are multilingual then we recommend that you use the portfolio to showcase your communication ability in other languages.

Recruiters

How does the site help recruiters?

A candidate with an English Skills Portfolio provides you with concise and highly relevant information about a key competency that you are recruiting for. It's free.

How can I post a job?

During the beta launch phase we are focusing on the candidate experience in creating portfolios.

Soon we will be actively seeking companies who are interested in posting jobs or becoming site sponsors. We will offer employers the options to post jobs manually, or to synch the site with your company careers page. Thanks for your interest!

Will I be able to search and view candidate profiles that have not applied to one of the jobs I posted?

Not yet but coming soon! We do not want to offer candidate resume searches until we have a critical mass of job candidates in our database.

Career and English Coaches

I'm a coach who helps clients with English job search. Do I need to change my approach to use ESP's?

Maybe a little. The ESP for Career and English Coaches and coaches is analogous to a photo album for a photographer. The photographer's job is to help his subject present himself in the most appealing and attractive way possible. The photo album merely allows the photos to be organized and displayed. Similarly, the ESP is a way to assemble and present key artifacts in the client’s English job search.

You already help clients identify and articulate their key strengths. You already help them with their resumes, with their LinkedIn profile and with their “elevator pitch”. The portfolio is just the container for all this work.

True -- there is a bit more involved in building a portfolio – like document selection and recording videos. However to a very large extent, the ESP just allows you to conveniently present the work you are already doing together.

Why should I create portfolios with my clients?

A well-done portfolio can be a powerful advantage for your clients in their job searches. If your client wins, you win.

You might also be able to upsell additional services, or leverage success cases to capture new business.

Why is the site free for coaches and candidates?

To earn revenue the site will depend overwhelmingly on company job posts and sponsorships. That’s how career sites operate. But English Career Network is different from most career sites because it is not just a job board – it is also a platform the enables creation of shareable ESP. Every time a job candidate uses an ESP in his application – on any company site or job board – he introduces the site to a potential customer.

Can I use the site in group classes?

Yes. The portfolio and its components could be used in a classroom setting for a single class or over the course of a semester. Any accounts created in the process are free accounts. One suggestion: ask students to script and rehearse a job “elevator pitch”. Practice it with fellow students. Record videos of the elevator pitches, and build a portfolio.