Print portfolio tips
Mix up your work
Start your portfolio with a great piece of work, for first impressions, and end it with an equally good piece of work, for last impressions. A common mistake is to place all the best work at the beginning of the portfolio and it ends with thrown in pieces to display basic skills. This leaves the interviewee with a last impression of basic work rather than amazing work.
Know what you are going say
The portfolio is a prop. The real product you are selling is you and your abilities. So what does each piece of work say about you? How did you do it? What did you learn when you were doing it? What did you really enjoy doing and why? What types of work would you like to do more of? With all this already thought out, it is very easy to remember each point you want to raise to the interviewee i.e. different stocks or techniques used.
Design your portfolio
Show pride in your work, but don't make your presentation too flashy. Make sure that it is tidy, clean and well maintained. Let your work speak for itself. The presentation of your work is giving a message about the type of person you are, so make sure it's the one you want to give. Try to create a layout that flows through the entire portfolio with clear but small descriptions of your work
Print your portfolio
A printed portfolio is always preferred over a digital one. A print portfolio will always be more interactive and easier to appreciate.
Length
The length of your portfolio should be between 12 and 22 pages. More than 20 pages will end up exhausting your time in the interview and overwhelming the interviewee and fewer than 12 pages will imply that you do not have adequate experience.
Tailor your portfolio
Always tailor your portfolio to the job you are being interviewed for. If you’re portfolio doesn’t display the skills that the job requires then you may risk losing the position.
Update your portfolio
Always keep your portfolio updated regardless of whether you are in long-term role or not. There is nothing worse than at the beginning of your job search having to scratch through past pieces of work to place in your portfolio. If you update your portfolio as you go, then it will be ready for your first interview without unnecessary stress.
Have life-size images
Always have images of how the project looked at the time of completion and within it’s environment. For example, if you design billboards, then have a photo or sketch of the life-size billboard and not just what the sign looked like. It is important to get the interviewee to be able to see what the final product actually looked like.
Research the prospective employer
Have a look at their website and make sure to note who their clients are. It will go a long way in the interview if you know about the company and it’s workings.
Include printed copies
Try to include printed copies of work you have done. It is always nice for an interviewee to have a ‘hard copy’ of your work. You don’t need to have every printed piece of work you have, but including a few really good pieces is advisable.
Spread your work out
If you’re expertise is designing logos or small pieces, spread them out to avoid ‘busy’ pages. You may have spent a lot of time on a project and just because it is small in print does not mean it should be equally small on the page. In brief, make sure your work is spread out and easy to see.
Leave-behind
Try to organise a ‘Leave-behind’. This is a minimised version of your portfolio, normally containing the best pieces of work, which can be left behind after the interview. You don’t have to spend too much money on this, a simple wire-bind will work.
Keep it real
If you have collaborated on work, then include the work in your portfolio, but make it clear what role you played. Always be honest about what you have done: there's no point in creating unrealistic expectations, and, in any case, you will have to discuss your work and a good interviewer can sense when all is not as it should be.
Be confident
Don't forget - preparation always pays, and you will feel at your best as a result.
Good luck!
