I recently went to an interview for a speech language pathologist position in a great district. While on the phone prior to the interview, the woman said, “Feel free to bring anything you’d like to show the interview panel!” Panic. What do I bring?! So, I took to Pinterest and found tons of great portfolio resources for teachers but nothing for SLPs. I made an easy, quick portfolio, brought it, and scored the job! Read on to learn more about what I included in my SLP interview portfolio.
{portfolio}
I did this in a total pinch so there are absolutely better ones out there, but this was simple, easy, didn’t take all day, and I think effective. I didn’t wish I had anything other than what I brought.
First, I put everything in page protectors so everything was easy to flip to and was kept protected.
The first 4 pages were as follows: copies of my resume, copies of my professional references, copies of my cover letter, and copies of letters of reference that previous employers provided me.
For making these documents, I 100% recommend using Creddle. It’s a free online resume site that makes your resumes look amazing and professional! The best part is that it keeps your information so you can update resumes easily or change the formatting for different jobs. It’s wonderful and SO easy to use. Click here to check it out!
In the front pocket I included my CPI training card and my ASHA membership card. Exciting stuff 😉
Then I included samples of my therapy, crafts, assessment, goal writing, and parent communication. Check out the pictures below:
Example craft for articulation:
Example parent communication (a newsletter I’ve sent home):
Example assessment forms I’ve made. I included my phonology assessment forms that I made and the language sample analysis form I made and use for language samples:
Example goals I’ve written:
And examples of things in my therapy room:
Some other things I included are: a low-tech AAC flip book that I use for minimally verbal kiddos, examples of teacher training for my AAC students (see a blog post about that here), and some visuals I consistently use with students.
How did I pick what to include? Easy. Really what I did was take things from 2 days of therapy. If I used something in those 2 days, I added it to the binder. That way, my binder was truly a snapshot of my therapy!
Some recommendations: only include activities you’ve made! Include a wide variety of things (assessment, therapy, goals, etc..). Take pictures of things that don’t fit in a binder (I included a picture of the drawer system I use for phonology materials).
Click on the links/pictures above to check out more about these products and ideas! 🙂
{questions for YOU}
There are several great resources online for SLP interview questions. First, I’ll write 5 questions I got below and then link to other awesome posts.
1. What do you do to help decrease excessive referrals for students with diverse backgrounds?
2. What experience do you have with students with ______? (Phonological disorders, AAC, autism, behavioral concerns, language disorders)
3. Tell us about your service delivery. How do you incorporate curriculum into your therapy? Are you familiar with push-in therapy?
4. Describe the process you follow for evaluations. What components do you use? What tests are you familiar with?
5. Tell us about your previous positions as a speech-language pathologist. Note: Be prepared to field questions about your previous positions. I was asked a lot about my role in these positions, the ages I saw, my caseload, my therapy methods, etc…
{questions for THEM}
1. Will the district provide a mentor for you?
2. Does the district have a caseload cap? How do they determine your placement/caseload?
3. What space will you be working in? Do you have a private speech room? Are you required to share a room? Do you get a room at all?
4. Will you have any responsibilities outside of providing therapy/evaluations such as bus duty?
5. Does the district pay for CEUs? Your ASHA membership? Ongoing supply needs? New evaluations?
{wardrobe}
I have a serious inability to dress myself. I have absolutely no fashion sense and struggle to put together outfits, especially professional ones. First, I’d totally recommend using Stitch Fix if you’re anything like me. A stylist will send you 5 clothing items and you only keep what you like. I’ve kept 2-5 things from every single box I’ve gotten! I only do them a couple times a year (usually between seasons) but it would also be perfect to get before interview season. You can specify what types of clothing you want too! Click here to check it out.
To my interview, I wore a blazer, dressy top, black pants, and my Tieks. Everything was black and white except for my gold shoes. I don’t wear jewelry and didn’t for this either. Simple, cute, and easy!
{other}
–SEND A THANK YOU. I was told in the interview they wanted to make a decision in the next couple days so I sent an email the night of my interview. I’m glad I did because I was offered the position the following morning! In my opinion, any sort of thank you (email, note, card) works, but just make sure you do it!
Calm down!! Tell yourself whatever you have to in order to stay calm!
What did I miss? Have you ever brought a portfolio or any materials into an interview?
{thanks for reading}
This is a terrific portfolio. I have also included copies of my license, my child abuse clearances, and a list of therapy techniques that I am familiar with. Sometimes when I’m nervous, I can’t remember the names of all of the therapy techniques I’ve been trained in. Having the list helps me calm down and think clearly.
Thank you!! What fantastic ideas. I wish I had a list of tests I’ve administered as well. They asked that and it’s hard to think of all of them on the spot! Great suggestions!
In graduate school we had to make a protfolio. It was in a 3″ binder with like 30 tabs but it included things mentioned resume, letters of rec, cpr, asha/nsslha cards and other stuff such as reports written with information redacted from all clinic clients, evaluation from supervisors, papers from classes etc. I will definitely be paring it down significantly but I am glad I was required to make it since all my information is in one spot.
That is amazing!! I wish I had one of these from grad school. Would have saved some panic and so much time!
This is fantastic! As an SLP traveler, I generally work in a different state each school year, sometimes with ESY in between in another state, so I tend to interview frequently. I’m going to work on a digital version of this!! I would also recommend including at least a list, if not short written summaries of all continuing ed and professional development activities you’ve completed in the last couple of years if it’s not already on your resume. This would especially be important if you’re applying for a position that differs from your work experience. Thanks for sharing! This is a great post on a unique topic. Love it!
Wow! Sounds like an amazing career opportunity! So cool!
Thanks so much! This is a great idea.
I’m not sure how to interpret/what they’re getting at with this question: 1. What do you do to help decrease excessive referrals for students with diverse backgrounds?
How did you interpret that?
I took that as… often teachers will make referrals for students that are demonstrating dialectical differences that don’t necessarily mean they have a speech/language disorder. How do I determine the difference to make sure these students aren’t overidentified. Hope that makes sense!
I love your ideas! But what if I don’t really craft my own materials- rather, I gather many materials online? Is it ethical to put them in the binder? If not, how should I frame the portfolio instead? Thanks so much!!
Good question! I personally think it’s okay to include them as long as you phrase it like, “Here’s some examples of activities I’ve done with students in the past.”. You can easily include activities that show you make your therapy engaging, scaffolded, and evidence-based even if you didn’t make them I think!
Did you have a panel of interviewers and did they pass around your portfolio or did you have multiple copies?
By the way, thank you so much for sharing. This post is SO helpful!
Good question!! I only brought one copy. I was interviewed by a panel and they just passed it around and I also showed a few parts while I answered questions! Hope that helps!
Thank you for this post!! I know it is so many years later, but after 11 years at a school and not going on an interview, I just used your blog to create a digital portfolio (since apparently that’s what people use nowadays!). It was a lifesaver.