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Do I Really Need a Portfolio?

 Do you really need a portfolio to land an instructional design job? My answer is yes. There may be some different opinions on this topic. In our digital world, you need to have a digital presence. Today I joined Cath Ellis and friends in her Monthly eLearning Hangout meetup, we were talking portfolios, and she agrees a portfolio is helpful and recommends having one. Cath said she had her portfolio before she was a freelancer, and because of this, she was able to transition to freelance. People were reaching out to her do complete projects, and she has not had to look for work since moving to freelance. Hanging out with Cath and I was Mohd Mudassir Nagaria. He stated he was inspired by Cath during The Show to develop a portfolio and highlight his skills.  

 

Here are my reasons why I think you should invest the time to build your instructional design portfolio:

 

  1. Career Transitioning.

If you are...

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Become an IDOL 21: Become an IDOL Advice with Zsolt Olah

Published: August 12, 2020

Episode: 21



Zsolt Olah, Author of Engage the WORL&D! 

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Zsolt Olah about his journey and advice for becoming a learning designer.  Zsolt just wrote a comprehensive guide on becoming a learning designer and we dig into his research and findings. Listen to Zsolt share some great tips for those looking to enter the learning and development world.

Zsolt Olah is a creative learning consultant at Kineo with over 15 years of L&D experience. Zsolt is a frequent speaker at learning conferences on the subject of engagement and game thinking for L&D. He is also the author of the book, Engage the WORL&D!, exploring six essential traits of instructional design. 

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

 

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Credentialed Program Options for Aspiring IDOLs

 

When you want to land your first corporate instructional design and online learning developer job, there are several options for programs that want to help you get there. To help you research the options available and make a decision based on the requirements you need, I’ve created a table. Before I share the table, I want to share the job application assets and skills you need before you even start to apply. This way, you’ll know what you should look for in a program before you enroll.

 

  1. EXPERIENCE. You’ll need experience in instructional design. I know this gets really frustrating for many who want to transition into this career field because they ask, “how can I get experience if they won’t hire someone without experience?” And while there are several workaround answers to this question, the fact remains that you can’t get around the requirement for experience. Does the program add to the experience section on your resume?
  2. Job...
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Newbies’ Guide to Networking - Remote Edition 

 Pivoting your career trajectory or changing careers all together requires a number of key steps; highly important among them is creating new connections. Connecting with others professionally opens you up to new understandings and perspectives on the field you want to join. It also helps you to be aware of opportunities, as well as to learn more about specific companies and organizations. And networking is key to making new connections. While it can be best to network in person, it is possible to do it remotely and everyone should be engaged in both remote or virtual networking, as well as in person or face-to-face networking. As many communities around the world are still under stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders or they’re continuing to practice social distancing, opportunities to network in person are limited, we’re going to kick off this series of articles on networking with a focus on tips for remote networking, but these tips apply if you’re...
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Become an IDOL 19: ADDIE vs HPT vs Agile with Alexander Salas


 

Published: March 27, 2020

Episode: 19

Guest: Alexander SalasDigital Learning Consultant

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Alexander Salas. Alex is an eLearning freelancer and the owner of eLearning Launch. He shares the differences and history of ADDIE, HPT, and Agile. He also gives recommendations for which methodology to use and when.

 

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

  • ADDIE
  • Human Performance Technology
  • Agile

 

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Changing Perspectives: Creative Detours

 I’m tired. I crawl home from my 8 to 5 hour day, eat a brief dinner, and then open my laptop to work on my portfolio, LinkedIn profile, or resume for the final hours of the evening. The constant revision and construction of a sample with an optimistic hope that it would satisfy a recruiter or potential employer. Weeks go by with the occasional interest that leads nowhere. Eventually, the tiredness leads to exhaustion before the creativity runs dry leaving a blank screen and the looming question: “Should I tap out?”

While I am sure and hope I am not the only one who feels this way, I also know persistence is needed for success. However, I feel that I have hit a roadblock. Initially, I felt roadblocks were negative and something I needed to overcome. Then, I shifted my perspective: Roadblocks force us to detour and lead us down a new path. When finding a solution in the corporate world, these detours lead to innovation. But, where does one find inspiration...

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How I learned to love feedback and how you can, too.

 I used to hate getting feedback. Performance reviews, observations, and peer work sessions in professional learning communities all made my stomach turn. I’m not perfect and I’m aware of it; being told about my imperfections felt just awful. But then I learned to look at feedback differently - I learned what feedback is and isn’t, I learned when it has value and when it doesn’t, and I learned how to use feedback to my advantage, to propel myself forward towards my goals; I learned to love getting feedback. I’ve had a lot of mentors in my many professional lives and I’ve had even more supervisors and managers, but the majority of those who gave me important feedback throughout my professional endeavors didn’t even consider how I felt about their feedback and if it was helpful. So, once I figured that out for myself, I have become a bit of a feedback evangelist. The following is my guide for learning to love feedback.

The first step...

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Become an IDOL episode 17: IDOL Hiring Manager Elizabeth Pehlke Shares How to Land a Job


 

Published: January 16, 2020

Episode: 17

IDOL Hiring Manager Elizabeth Pehlke Shares How to Land a Job

Guest:Elizabeth Pehlke, Learning and Instructional  Designer

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Elizabeth Pehlke. Elizabeth was a hiring manager at Pearson and she was hiring between 10-20 instructional designers a year. She shares her best interview, resume, and application tips for those looking to land their first or next instructional design job. 

 

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

  • Resumes
  • Hiring process
  • interviews 
  • Best practices and tips for new instructional designers

 

 

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Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I'll be publishing a new episode...

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Become an IDOL 16: UX & UI for Online Learning with Melanie Sexton

Show notes for Podcast UX and UI design with Melanie Sexton

 

Published: December 11, 2019

Episode: 16

UX and UI with Melanie Sexton

Guest: Melanie Sexton, Learning and Experience Designer

In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Melanie Sexton, Learning and Experience Designer, about her experience in creating graphic interfaces for online courses and E-Learning development.  Melanie Sexton is a jack of all trades learning design professional living in Central Texas. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design earning a BFA and MA in Sequential Art and is now back in school at Austin Community College taking several courses in UX Design. Melanie has a history of making comics and illustrations and sharing her passion for digital media with students in higher ed and libraries. As an instructional design professional, Melanie has worked with clients in the US Military, EdTech, and Cyber Security spaces to create internal, external, and...

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Become an IDOL 14: IDOL Freelancing with Kim Tuohy from Belvista Studios

Published: October 7, 2019

Episode: 14

Instructional Design Freelancing with Kim Tuohy from Belvista Studios

Guest: Kim Tuohy

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Kim Tuohy about making the transition to a freelance instructional designer. Kim shares a wealth of knowledge from her own transition from full-time employee to a self-employed business owner. Belvista Studios is an instructional design and eLearning company located in Australia and as the founder, she has a lot of experience working with clients to share.

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

 

  • How to make the transition to freelancing
  • Considerations when becoming your own boss
  • Getting corporate instructional design experience before making the switch
  • How to price your services
  • How to manage your life and work balance
  • Goal setting
  • Mindset work
  • ...
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