Ever wonder why you’re not advancing through an interview process? It could be because your portfolio is not pulling its weight. We talked to our recruiters to get insight on portfolio red flags that make them wary of recommending you for positions—and what you can do to fix them all today.
Red Flag 1: Not Enough or Extremely Old Work
Whether you’ve just graduated or you’re a seasoned pro, you’ll need to be presenting enough relevant work so that recruiters have fresh projects to show prospective clients. The rule of thumb for portfolio work is that it should be from the last three to four years and have at least three-to-four prominent case studies.
How to Fix it: Old and irrelevant work should be tossed from your portfolio. You can always refer to your experiences in interviews if asked, but interested hiring managers want to see how you’re remaining competitive in today’s market. If you find yourself without enough recent projects (especially if you’re a junior or entry-level creative), you can also include personal projects. However, make sure they’re personal projects you’re proud of that involve collaborations, your thought process, any feedback and revisions, and the final result.
Red Flag 2: Projects Aren’t Presented in Full
“I see a lot of portfolios that have one piece out of a [whole] campaign,” says Rachel Martinic, our Senior Talent Representative. Of course, you’re proud of the end result, but everyone wants to see how you work with others to arrive at a favorable outcome.
How to Fix it: Invest time in writing case studies that flesh out an entire campaign from start to finish. For each one, create a full page that details the project brief, names your team members, covers your responsibilities (aka, your soft and hard skills), and the successful outcome of the project. Case studies show both recruiters and hiring managers the role you play in developing and working on full campaigns with a team. If you need an article to help you write case studies, we’ve got you covered.
Red Flag 3: Lack of Organization
A disorganized portfolio is not a site anyone wants to peruse, nor will it help a recruiter easily point to your success rate. Readers will be leaving after two clicks!
How to Fix it: “Organize your portfolio either by medium, industry, client—anything really, just make it user-friendly,” says Martinic. Place links to your three to four case studies in a prominent place on the homepage. Everything else can be organized through your top navigation. Have too much work and not sure how to organize it? We’ve also got an article to help you choose which projects should be turned into case studies.
Red Flag 4: Unprofessional Information
If your portfolio doesn’t detail how to get in touch with you, then what’s the point of your portfolio? How you present yourself in your About Me or Contact section is an important first impression before you meet hiring managers in interviews—make sure it’s professional!
How to Fix it: Make sure your About Me or Contact page outlines how long you’ve been working, the industries you’re fluent in, your achievements, and perhaps a few interests for personality. It doesn’t need to outline your life story or all your hobbies, so keep it to one paragraph. Follow your paragraph with your email address so people know how to get in touch with you. And finally, if you’re going to use a photo, make it a professional portrait! Alternatively, you can showcase your artistic skills (if you’re an illustrator or graphic designer) by creating your own portrait in your chosen medium.
Red Flag 5: Not A User-Friendly Experience
If your site is not responsive or even simply pretty to look at for a long time, it will tell people you don’t care about user experience. In today’s market, this won’t bode well for your prospects in finding a creative job.
How to Fix it: Invest in your portfolio by transitioning to a modern website builder like Squarespace or Wordpress. Consider using AI to help you out. Though you might spend a bit, the outcome affords you a clean, beautiful site that is built to be responsive and organized from the jump! You can also hire a designer to create a site for you—as long as the outcome is straightforward, clean, and aesthetically pleasing without detracting from your work. Stay away from wild colors or too many hard-to-read fonts. And please, make sure your site looks as beautiful on desktop as it does on phones and tablets.
Feeling overwhelmed? Take each of these fixes one step at a time and make sure to run your portfolio past trusted people in your network. Get feedback and revise your site at least once a year to keep it updated. We’re also here to help if you’re ready to put your portfolio to the test! At Artisan we pride ourselves in placing people like you with our awesome clients. Check out our job board today and get in touch! You never know what jobs will open up next.
