Show that you really, truly care.īe brief, but be sincere-it shows through in a sea of templates. Show that you know the company inside and out. Talk about problems you’ve tackled in the company’s industry. Show you’re a passionate, excellent designer through that first email-it’s much more effective than a template. The majority start with “Dear Hiring Manager…”, outline the applicant’s experience in excessive, flowery speech, and usually end with the candidate being “fully aligned with your mission.”ĭitch the cover letter. Needless to say, I didn’t get the internship.Ī hiring manager reads hundreds of cover emails. I stammered out a reiteration of the prompt they’d given me. I’d designed a flashy, interactive wireframe with tons of features, and as I finished up my sentence, I felt proud and confident.Īnd then the interviewer asked, “What goals are you trying to accomplish with this design?” I completed a design exercise for the firm, and I was explaining my concept to the interviewer. If you choose to showcase design exercises in your portfolio, make sure those exercises involve rigorous problem solving, and make ’em case studies! Let me be clear: posters from your first-year typography class look cool! But they don’t show that you can work independently and solve problems-they show that you can follow a prompt. Go through hundreds of portfolios, and it’s not that hard to spot class projects. Portfolio #3: Craigslist redesign, fake mobile app, fake ad campaign. Portfolio #2: ad for hypothetical product, Facebook redesign, concert poster. Portfolio #1: typography poster, ad for hypothetical product, Reddit redesign. You’re not ashamed of the un-sexy work you’ve created, but you’re smart to be critical of the outcome.Ĥ. And if that project has a poor outcome, talking about it is good. This real-world experience demonstrates your character-it shows that you can work with a team of stakeholders, under tough deadlines and constraints. So as a substitute, show that you’ve worked with others. When a designer interviews you, they don’t know what it’s like to work with you… until they do work with you. “Showcase real-world work in your portfolio, even if it’s got problems.” And that went over well with the designers I spoke with. I spoke frankly about how the project succeeded, and how it failed. But, being honest about failure was an asset. Should I put it in my portfolio, even though I’d have to talk about it to future employers?Īnd man, it was awkward: during interviews, I presented a project that I ultimately failed on. The work looked great, but the project ultimately failed. But shortly after, the project fell apart, and my team disbanded-partially because of the work I did!Īwkward. I designed beautiful work-and my team was thrilled with it. In school, I had an excellent internship. Showcase real-world work, even if it’s got problems But I didn’t want a print job, so I omitted it. But here’s the secret: my entire body of work over the past three years wasn’t all web- over half of it was print. My portfolio was filled with web or mobile interface design. When I was starting out, I wanted to do UI design, so I applied for UI positions. The majority of work in your portfolio should be that specialty. But if you want to design mobile apps, and only design mobile apps-then specialize, specialize, specialize. If you’re still exploring careers, and you’re not sure what you’d like to do, I say that it’s good to show breadth. You like mobile apps? You want to build mobile apps in the future? Fill your portfolio with mobile apps. Some educators advise to diversify your portfolio: show a variety of work-be it packaging, print, advertising, and web. Should your portfolio be specialized or general? For design students, this choice is tough. Show that you can solve problems, and you’ll show that you’re worth hiring. Can you design a solution that makes your users, clients, and stakeholders happy? Can you talk about your process-what solutions you tried, what worked, what didn’t, and why? Can you show heaps of work including prototypes, wireframes, scrapped visuals that shows your rigorous problem solving skills? My employer response rate jumped.īig beautiful images look great, but they don’t tell a hiring manager if you can solve a problem. I thought, Why couldn’t I have case studies? Rich, wonderful case studies that talked about their design process, their successes and failures, and their ultimate design solutions. I asked a friend for help-and she passed along a few portfolios of friends who’d gotten hired at top-tier companies and… “Show that you can solve problems, and you’ll show that you’re worth hiring.”
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