Creating a portfolio can be one of the most stressful activities candidates come across whilst trying to secure an interview or their dream role or simply getting someone to notice their work. There are many factors to making a portfolio successful as well other factors which can give your portfolio less appealing to a potential employer. Once your portfolio is complete, there is then the challenge of getting your work out there for people to see. There are different web platforms which candidates can use to share their work. This article focuses on the best ways to lay out your design portfolios. 

Think about what you should include

When you’re about to organise your portfolio, have a think about all the pieces of work or projects you have completed and make a selection. Do not include any random pieces of work or projects that you don’t think are your best. Take the time to make a list or selection of the best few pieces of the bunch to give you the best chance of standing out and being hired! 

Share your best pieces of work

When you go to an interview, ideally you want to be speaking about your strengths rather than your weaknesses; so why not make that the case with your portfolio? You want to be showing your potential employer the absolute best, your work represents you, give them the least possible reason to say no to you. It’s like inviting a guest into your home, you want to make sure it’s tidy and organised, so they are impressed. 

Start and end with the best pieces 

Try to start the portfolio off with a killer piece of work to impress them, as well as ending your portfolio with a piece of work that will make them wanting more. You want to arrive at a meeting or interview with your client eager to speak to you about what they saw in your portfolio and asking you about what else you can offer! 

Make it relevant 

It is so important to know what your potential employer wants. The last thing you want to do is have a selection of projects which are completely unrelated to the job that you are applying for. That will lead your client or your potential employer to feel that you are focusing on the wrong industry or you are confused about what you would like your future profession to be. Make sure you tell a story with your portfolio, a story that your client or employer can understand and want to find out more. 

Make sharable content 

One of the best benefits of having an online portfolio, is having different social media platforms to share them on. The more people that like it means more likes and sharing of your work. Another option may be printing your work, so you are able to share printed copies. You can send your work through the post or display them using various methods asides of digital. 

Get a second opinion

You’ve seen your portfolio a dozen times, it starts to become a blur to you after working on it day and night.  Having another set of eyes to analyse your work isn’t a bad thing, after all your work will be viewed by many and they will all have different opinions. That may mean your portfolio may be open to criticism, but you can always benefit from that by making the necessary changes to your portfolio in order to give yourself the best chance of being successful. 

Include a variety 

Employers like to see that their potential employees have a variety of skills, surprise them! You don’t want someone sitting there going through your portfolio and thinking “I’ve seen this all before”. You may have different types of work that could all be related to one thing, however, making them unique will boost your chances of getting your work noticed and more appealing to not just one person, but many others within that particular sector. 

Try to stay current 

When deciding what to include in your design portfolio, try to stay current. Employers like to see their potential employees keeping up to date and staying busy. Try not to include anything older than three years. The world of digital is changing, there are new concepts constantly being introduced. Staying up to date in the world of digital shows your enthusiasm and motivation to keep learning and succeed. 

Your portfolio represents you and what you’re capable of. For your client or employer it is only a glimpse of what you can achieve, they will expect a lot more from you once you’re given all of the tools to produce your very best. You need to be proud of your portfolio, its work you have worked so hard on, it deserves to be noticed.  Ensure your portfolio includes all the work you are proud of and can speak about enthusiastically, explaining your journey so far and how much further you want to go! 

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