Creating a portfolio & getting hired
So, you're graduating college and ready to find your first job. Or maybe you’ve had a job for a while, but you're ready for your next opportunity. Great! Now the daunting part: putting together your portfolio, making a website & getting hired.
1. Pick your portfolio pieces.
I personally prefer quality over quantity with portfolios. I would much rather see 3 - 5 strong pieces than have to sift through every project you did in college to get to the good stuff. In terms of what types of projects you decide to show in your portfolio, this depends on how desperate you are for the job. If you really need a job ASAP, consider tailoring the portfolio to the jobs you're applying for. Think strategically about what they’d want to see based on the type of work they make or the role they are looking for.
If you’re not in a rush to get a job and want to hold out for the right opportunity, consider what work you enjoy doing most. The work you show in your portfolio is often the work you get hired for. You may want to skew your portfolio towards work you love doing most & want to be making in the future.
If you ask 10 people their opinion on which portfolio pieces you should include, you’ll probably get different answers from everyone. So, don’t get too caught up in other people’s opinions. Trust your instincts and show the work that speaks to you the most.
2. Create strong case studies.
You can have great work, but if it’s not presented properly, it can ruin the look & feel of the project on your website. It can be quite costly to hire a real photographer or a professional developer, but if you're able to do this professionally, wonderful! If not, there are many cheap solutions.
How you present the graphics is only half of the case study. Writing a good, brief summary is just as important. If having trouble trying to write one, ask yourself some questions. What was the mission of the project? What was the scope of the project? What were the results of the project? What did you learn from the project?
3. Build the website.
Being a design studio, this should be our longest section, instead, I'll keep it short. To us, this is the most important step. If you have the time, money or resources to design and code your own website, that’s great, go ahead and do it, you'll stand out from everyone else. If you don’t, no worries. Unless you specialize in web design and development, I don’t know anyone who would frankly care if you are using website builders or premade templates. There are plenty of beautiful website templates or website builders such as Wix, Peeky, SquareSpace, Format, Cargo, Behance, among many others. Just remember that there are plenty of people using templates, so try to stand out either though changing the look or presentation of information.
4. Creating a CV/cover letter.
To be honest, when we do contract work, I’ve rarely ever looked at a designer’s/developer's CV/resume. I could care less where someone went to school or if they were self-taught. I hire based on experience. A portfolio can tell you how strong someone is formally, conceptually & technically. Looking at someone’s portfolio can also tell you a lot about their interests, passions and skill level (i.e., do they do personal projects? Are they set in one type of style, or do they like to experiment with many?).
With that said, most companies will look at your resume, especially if it's a larger firm with a recruiter or HR team. My advice is to use spell check. Sounds simple, but I can’t tell you the number of HR people I've talked with who all bring up the simple issue of people applying for roles who have multiple errors throughout their resume. If you don’t take the time to carefully check your resume, it’s a sign that you aren't detail-oriented.
In terms of the design of your resume & cover letter, there are multiple ways you can go with it. I’ve seen successful applications where the designers/developers went crazy doing something amazing, but I’m also happy when designers/developers keep it simple. If you’re ambitious & want to make a CV really interesting, ownable and memorable, go for it. The danger is that if it's not super well done, it can also become a distraction and hurt your chances of getting the job. So, if you don’t have the time to go all-in, you can also play it safe and just use nice typesetting.
5. Applying for jobs.
Advice from folks coming right out of college is to carefully read the application process for the place you are applying to. Check the guidelines and apply according to the format requested. Double read or have a friend read over important emails or messages before they go out.
If you have a dream job, don't give up. Keep working on your craft, keep improving your portfolio, keep emailing the places you're determined to work with.
6. Stay social.
Social media is a great way to connect with people you admire and get on their radar. I’ve found numerous designers and photographers we ended up hiring through Instagram and Twitter! I suggest interacting with the designers' & studios' accounts that you like and eventually write them a thoughtful DM with what you are looking for: a job or if you want to meet with them for a portfolio review. It helps if you write them from your work/portfolio IG account, so if they click through, they can easily see the work you do without going on a computer. If they are very well known in the industry, don’t be bummed if you don’t get an answer. Stay persistent and keep trying.