When planning your Portfolio it’s easy to cram it full of everything and anything but take a step back, pop on the kettle or pour a Gin, and read through my 7 tips to get your portfolio noticed, resulting in more interviews and invites.
So you have the skills, and the right attitude, it is time to show it off – so let us walk you through some simple but effective tips to both create a great portfolio and landing that first meeting.
01. Print or digital?
As far as an online portfolio goes, a bespoke site is always best, however, that doesn't necessarily mean coding from scratch. Keep it simple and have a think about UX & UI, because if it's not simple to navigate with a great design feel, you'll be the one who looks stupid. Oh, and never use Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest to showcase your work, it screams 'amateur'!"
02. Quality, not quantity
Although the amount of work included in your portfolio will vary from person to person, that doesn't necessarily mean you should cram it full of average work, don’t get me wrong everyone has carried out some average work. Sometimes that’s what the client wants, but don’t let your great work be swamped by the average. Your portfolio is simply a vehicle to express your talent and attitude, the aim is to have that one exceptional piece that will blow them of their feet with envy due to the fact that they didn’t design it.
03. Show your best work
Ensure you have a dozen good projects, but always have the strongest three or four in the forefront of your mind, so that you can confidently talk through them if time is of the essence.
04. Conceptual and Strategic
It is all well and good knowing what it means and talking a good talk but it has to be visible within your portfolio, or they might not even agree to meet with you.A great Creative Director recently described it as “A concept is the idea at the heart of the creative, an overarching Big Idea” that captures audience interest, influences their emotional response and inspires them to take action. It is a unifying theme that can be used across all campaign messages, calls to action, communication channels and audiences, mainly bringing together two thoughts that have been brought together to create a new idea.”So when people ask for examples of conceptual they aren’t just looking for a pretty picture, we need to entice them on a journey telling the story that is the idea.
05. Conduct research
This is the most obvious thing to do before applying, and again before your interview, if your excuse is you 'didn't have time', it’s not a valid excuse and frankly, you have thrown the opportunity away. Take a close look at the company's site and research their network, search the creative press for stories about them, Creatives love talking about the awards they have won, so ensure you actively follow the award shows as this is a great conversation starter.
06. Get involved
Creative studios are usually very social, encouraging sharing successes. Follow their blogs and tweets, and make insightful comments by way of an introduction. Before your design interview do not just randomly try to link with people you don't know on LinkedIn; join one of their groups and interact first.
07. The importance of personality
It is extremely important that you allow your personality to shine through, it’s a great way of checking if you fit within the environment, in all honesty, you could have all the skills in the world and tick every box but if the personality fit isn’t right it will soon become apparent that it is not the right place for you!
Daniel Laghaney Healthcare Communications Recruitment Agency
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