5 Do’s and Dont’s for Your Design Portfolio by Heather Phillips

And here is my writeup of a roundtable discussion with two creative recruiters at the One Club last year:

On resumes:

Your “about me” section should avoid clichés like, “hard-worker,” “self-starter,” “works well with others,” and more things that everyone always puts in that spot. It was noted that if you are writing something about yourself that every other person could write, or if you are writing something that is a basic assumption of a good employee, then you should cut it. Also, think about the opposite of some of these statements, “lazy”, for instance, and the fact that no one would ever write that.

Be uniquely yourself in this section, but not for the sake of being unique or different. Stand out by being who you really are, not standing behind boring platitudes.

Be a storyteller, and tell your own story. Who are you and what do you like to do? What are you good at? What else do you do? What else are you interested in?

On Portfolios:

If you have to explain a project on your website or in your portfolio, then take it out/off. You will not always be there to explain it and it also means that it doesn’t speak for itself, which means it is not successfully communicating what it needs to.

On Networks/Networking:

Do it! Build a network, stay in touch with people. Don’t be shy or afraid of talking to people or reaching out to them. Take advantage of the built-in network of school: peers, faculty, guest speakers, tours, etc. and build on that.

Build a network of like-minded people, people you actually are interested in. This is one area where you should not “fake it til you make it”

On Tooting your own horn:

“If you’re not going to blow your own horn, who is?” –Fifi Jacobs

“You need to be an expert about yourself.” –Christina Hines

This is truly one of the best things that they talked about. You need to be able to speak confidently and clearly about yourself and your work, because no one is going to do it for you. You need to be able to know your work better than anyone else and stand behind it.

If you aren’t comfortable with sharing your own website or portfolio with teachers or classmates then how are you going to send it to employers?