THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON

Faculty of Arts, Science and technology

MODULE NAME: CSYM036: Career Futures: Employability Skills

Module Code Level Credit Value Module Leader

CSYM036 7 0 Richard Beards

Assessment Brief

Assessment title: AS1 Portfolio

Deadline: Sunday 16th January 2022, 11.59pm (23:59)

Weighting: 100%

Feedback and Grades

Four Weeks
due:

Please read this assessment brief in its entirety before working on it.

The Assessment Tasks:

Task 1 (50%):

You are to create a personal portfolio to support your search for a work placement. It will be based around
the role you are searching for e.g. software engineer, business analyst etc.

You can create your portfolio in presentation software Microsoft PowerPoint (or any other presentation
software) or develop your own website.

Detail: What is a Portfolio

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A portfolio is what you create to show off your skills, experience, projects, and even your personality to
potential clients and/or employers.

There are many benefits in building your own portfolio presentation/website, including:

● Increased visibility, credibility and authority

● If you build an online version, when someone searches your name in Google, your website
appears at the top
● Hiring managers can find you, instead of you trying to find them
● Gives you a chance to show off your creativity and personality
● Shows that you’re a professional, which means employers are more likely to trust you and your
work

A minimum of 7 sections (excluding title page) are expected to be created to form your portfolio. A
maximum of 20 sections could be created.

The 17 sections below are a guide as to the kind of information you could include. It is your portfolio though
and you have flexibility to include what you like, remembering the intended audience is an employer. Only
where it says Mandatory / Yes would I expect you to include the information. Every other section is
optional, it is in your gift to build the portfolio you think best showcases your employability.

Section Content Mandatory

sections to
include
Title page This page should include the title of the assessment, your Yes
name, student number, module code, tutor.

Photo Professional photo of yourself Yes

Film Create a short video, introducing yourself, who you are, why n/a
you are passionate about this career, overview of your skills,
what you are currently doing, what you want to do next, what
kind of placement/company you are looking for

Skills List skills you have and add detail on any you consider yourself Yes
to be a master of

Contact details Add details of how people can get in touch with you Yes

Social media Add links to any social channels you are on including Github if a n/a
developer

Endorsements Add any quotes you have from people you have worked with n/a
or for or studied with that add value
About me Give some information that explains more about you as an Yes
individual, your motivations, maybe some personal information

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 to allow the reader to build more of a picture of you
Work Examples of work you have done in a relevant role. Can be Yes
written text, supported by links to other resources which show
your work e.g. live websites or can include screen shots to
make it more visual
Education Detail relevant academic qualifications or training Yes

Supportive Add evidence of anything else you think a potential employer n/a
information would appreciate. If you are part of online communities to do
with your profession include links, screen shots, written details
CV Attach, link, show how they can view your full cv (screen shot Yes
will suffice)
Volunteering Evidence any volunteering activities you have done recently n/a

Awards Details of any awards or recognition you have received for your n/a
work
Personal projects Details of any personal or side projects you have worked on n/a
that show off skills relevant to your chosen placement
Your work Explain the kind of placement you’re looking for, what you Yes
placement want to get out of it
Your process Talk about any individual process(es) you have developed to Yes
explain your work style

Task 2 (50%):
Search for a suitable job (or placement) for your expertise in the UK. Pick any one job of your choice.
Submit a WORD document containing the following:
(1) Advertisement details of your chosen job (this should include details of what skills they are looking for)
(2) A covering letter suitable for that job
(3) Write a 200-300 word reflective summary on how your own views have changed over recent weeks in
relation to the process of seeking a placement job in the UK.

Assessment Support
Support for this assessment has been or will mainly be provided via the weekly career teaching workshops
with your tutor. Email support from your tutor is available in the form of answers to questions.

Generic Grading Criteria

In addition to the grading rubric at the end of this assessment brief, you will find the generic grading
criteria for achievement at University Grading Criteria. Also explained here are the meanings of the
various G grades at the bottom of the grading scale.

Assessment Submission
To submit your work, please go to the ‘Submit your work’ area on the NILE site and use the relevant
submission points to upload your portfolio. The deadline for this is 11.59pm (UK local time) on the date
of submission.

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Please note that your Portfolio must be submitted in the form of a presentation (in PDF). If you have
created a website, please create a one page presentation using PowerPoint for example with your
contact details and a link to your website (saved as PDF).

You have to submit two documents:

1. Document 1: Portfolio Presentation (in PDF). If you have created a website, include a link to the website
in this presentation.
2. Document 2: A WORD document containing job advertisement, covering letter and reflective summary.

Written work submitted to TURNITIN will be subject to anti-plagiarism detection software. Turnitin checks
student work for possible textual matches against internet available resources and its own proprietary
database.

When you upload your work correctly to TURNITIN you will receive a receipt which is your record and proof
of submission.

If your assessment is not submitted to TURNITIN rather than a receipt you will see a green banner at the
top of the screen that denotes successful submission.

N.B Work emailed directly to your tutor will not be marked. The only exception to this is when you are
instructed to do so because TURNITIN is down.

Late submission of work

For first sits, if an item of assessment is submitted late and an extension has not been granted, the
following will apply:

• Within one week of the original deadline – work will be marked and returned with full feedback and
awarded a maximum bare pass grade.
• More than one week from original deadline – maximum grade achievable LG (L indicating late).

Extensions
The University of Northampton’s general policy with regard to extensions is to be supportive of students
who have genuine difficulties, but not against pressures of work that could have reasonably been
anticipated.

For full details please refer to the Extensions Policy. The module leader can, where appropriate,
authorise a short extension of up to two weeks from the original submission date for first sits only.

Mitigating Circumstances
For guidance on Mitigating circumstances please go to Mitigating Circumstances where you will find
detailed guidance on the policy as well as guidance and the form for making an application.

Please note, however, that an application to defer an assessment on the grounds of mitigating
circumstances should normally be made in advance of the submission deadline or examination date.

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Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
Unless this is a group assessment, the work you produce must be your own with work taken from any other
source properly referenced and attributed. The University of Northampton policy will apply in all cases of
copying, plagiarism or any other methods by which students have obtained (or attempted to obtain) an
unfair advantage.

If you are in any doubt about what constitutes plagiarism or any other infringement of academic integrity,
please read the University’s Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy. For help with understanding
academic integrity go to UNPAC and follow the Top Tips for Good Academic Practice on the student hub.

Please note that the penalties for copying work from another source without proper referencing are
severe and can include failing the assessment, failing the module and expulsion from the University.

Feedback and Grades

These can be accessed through clicking on the Feedback and Grades tab on NILE. Feedback will be
provided by a rubric with summary comments. For work submitted to TURNITIN, please also click
through for within text comments.

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Ver A

Postgraduate Grade Criteria

A+ Work which fulfils all the criteria of the grade
below, but at an exceptionally distinguished
standard.
A Work that is distinguished is of very high quality,
demonstrating evidence which is strong, robust and
consistent, appropriate to the task or activity.
Distinction
Authoritative command of academic /
professional conventions appropriate to the
discipline.
A- Work of threshold distinguished quality displays
most but not all of the criteria for the grade above
in relation to the learning outcomes.
B+ Work that is worthy of a strong merit clearly
fulfils the criteria for the grade below, but shows a
greater degree of capability in relation to the
relevant learning outcomes.
B Work which is a merit is of high quality,
demonstrating evidence which is rigorous and
Merit convincing, appropriate to the task or activity.
Rigorous command of academic / professional
conventions appropriate to the discipline.
B- Work that is worthy of a threshold merit contains
most, but not all, of the characteristics of the grade
above in relation to the learning outcomes.
Work that is worthy of a strong pass clearly fulfils
the criteria for the grade below that also shows
C+
significant capability in relation to the learning
outcomes
C Work that is worthy of a pass clearly demonstrates
evidence of achieving the requirements of the
learning outcomes.
Sound command of academic / professional
Pass
conventions appropriate to the discipline.
C- Work of a threshold (bare) pass standard
demonstrates evidence of achieving the
requirements of the learning outcomes, but only to
a threshold level.
Threshold command of academic / professional
conventions appropriate to the discipline, but only
to a threshold level.
A Marginal Fail F+ Work which indicates some evidence of
addressing the learning outcomes but which
contains some significant omission or

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 Career Futures: Employability Skills

misunderstanding, or otherwise just fails to meet

threshold standards.
A Fail F Evidence included or provided but missing in some
very important aspects.
Poor command of academic / professional
conventions appropriate to the discipline.
A Comprehensive F- Negligible or inappropriate evidence.
Fail Unsatisfactory command of academic /
professional conventions appropriate to the
discipline.
Academic AG Work submitted but academic misconduct proven
Misconduct and penalty given was to award an Academic
Misconduct AG grade
Late Submission LG Work submitted but due to late submission is
awarded a Late LG grade
Work of Nil Value NG Work submitted is of no academic value
Non- G Nothing submitted
Submission/Nil
Attempt