Portfolio struggles

Tips and insights to make your portfolio journey

Image Description — Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash

Love them. Hate them. Or just disagree with them. There’s no denying that portfolios have become an active part of the recruitment process. I’ve seen more and more recruiters and job applications ask for them.

At our Content Design and UX meetups, more and more folks have asked what to include in their portfolios and if they need one. I think the question isn’t whether or not you need one but how to use a portfolio to make yours stand out.

But really, what is a portfolio?

I guess you could say that a portfolio is a representation of your work, showcasing what you can do, how you approach design thinking, how well you work as part of a team, and your contributions.

In simple terms, a portfolio is a snapshot of your journey. It’s a way to say,

This is who I am, and this is what I can bring to the table.

The struggle

I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve struggled with my portfolio. As a designer from a content design background, I’ll admit that I wasn’t even sure I needed one.

To me, portfolios have always been more associated with the visual side of UX design. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Content is a crucial part of user experience; I just found myself wondering,

Does a content designer really need a portfolio?

And as I grappled with this notion of building a portfolio, I was flooded with questions. Questions like;

Where do I start?
What should I include?
And why should I invest so much time in a document that might only get five minutes of attention?

As someone who’s been on the other side of recruitment, reviewing portfolios as a hiring manager, I can honestly say I’ve only spent five minutes skimming through them — not because they weren’t interesting, but because I was more focused on the person applying for the role. Who are they? How do they approach tasks? Are they a good fit for the team? But that’s just me.

The Pressure to impress

Creating a portfolio comes with immense pressure, which is just crazy if you think about it. And I’ll admit, I had a touch of imposter syndrome that went into overdrive when I created my portfolio. I mean, this is something someone is going to judge me on.

I’ve worked in and led a UX team, written content, done wireframing, and conducted user testing. I’ve always been part of a team and the design process, and once my initial work was done, it would be handed over to a developer. I’m no developer, and the thought of building a portfolio on platforms like Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress felt daunting. The stress and panic before I’d even begun was overwhelming.

Now, you might be thinking, “Jas — you’re overthinking it,” and you’d be right. But we only have one shot to make a good impression, so what we put out there has to be good — not perfect, because nothing ever is — but good enough for someone to consider us in those precious five minutes.

The dilemma

Despite my reservations, I had to jump on the portfolio bandwagon. I had to adapt, seeing that portfolios are becoming required when applying for jobs.

Initially, I started with a PDF portfolio. It seemed easy enough, but I quickly got the impression that an online PDF version wasn’t working in my favour. After a lot of persuasion, I finally built my portfolio online using Squarespace.

While the tool is relatively simple, it took a few iterations before I was proud of what I created — something I felt confident would make someone think, “Damn, this person knows their stuff.”

But getting to that point was a lot of work and stress, leading me to wonder, was it worth it? I guess only time will tell.

Tips and insights from the community

Given the challenges when creating a portfolio, I thought I’d share some tips and insights from my network for their insights. Here’s what they had to say:

What Makes a Portfolio Stand Out?

Michelle Keller a Trauma-informed Content Designer, admits:

I’ve never used mine to get a job, but I think seeing your thought process is more important than just seeing your output.

This highlights an essential aspect of a portfolio. It’s not just about showing finished bits of work but the journey, the decisions, and the rationale behind each project.

I’ve found that employers are interested in understanding how you think, not just what you’ve produced. So don’t worry if you don’t have a polished mock-up; show your design thinking and be proud of it. I have a project that is still a work in progress.

Amy Grindsted, a Senior UX Writer, emphasises the importance of clarity and utility:

Clear and useful information — like you would with any other content design project.

Amy suggests tailoring your portfolio to your specific industry or specialism. For example, if you’re focused on content design, then your portfolio should highlight projects where you’ve applied content design thinking and strategy.

She also highlights that in some regions, like Denmark, there’s a cultural emphasis on showing the person behind the work in your portfolio. So including personal details and even a photo could help you.

Jef Blocker, a UX Content Designer, offers a vivid analogy:

I think of a résumé as showing a bit of ankle to get a hiring manager’s attention and the portfolio as showing a little more leg.

He believes a portfolio should reveal a candidate’s personal and professional side. That means including not just your successes but also your learnings, your adaptability, and your ability to collaborate with others.

Mistakes to avoid

Michelle advises against including too much detail, while Amy points out the danger of overthinking the design.

Be the fresh air,

Amy advises, referring to a compliment a hiring manager gave her about the simplicity of her portfolio.

Amy’s experience shows that sometimes less is more. Your portfolio doesn’t have to be flashy or overly designed; it needs to be clear, user-friendly and focused on substance — something that I can relate to in the early stages of my portfolio design.

Jef cautions against getting too caught up in the visual design, advising:

Less is more. Structure pages with a hierarchy, use subheadings, and ensure content is accessible and readable.

This is such great advice, especially for those who are not visual designers by trade, like me. It can be all too easy to feel pressured to create something visually stunning. What really matters is that your content is organised and easy to navigate.

How often should you update your portfolio?

Michelle states that she tries to update her portfolio whenever she completes a new project. She uses Google Slides as it provides easy adjustments. Her approach allows her to keep her portfolio relevant and tailor it to specific job applications. Michelle’s system of keeping her portfolio in a flexible format like Google Slides also means she can easily share it as a link or a PDF, depending on what’s requested.

Amy suggests updating your portfolio at the end of each job or as you complete projects, treating the process as a reflective practice. As easy as it sounds — and speaking from experience — this can be hard to keep up. But writing about your work can help you process what you did, your role, and what you’d like to do differently in the future. This reflective approach keeps your portfolio current and helps you grow as a professional by identifying patterns in your work that you want to pursue or avoid in the future.

Jef recommends a six-month update cycle or after the completion of significant projects. He also notes that if you’re shifting career directions, reviewing your portfolio so it supports your new goals is wise. As Amy mentioned, this periodic review and update ensures that your portfolio reflects your current skills and aspirations.

What do you use to present your portfolio?

There is no hard and fast rule saying your portfolio should be in a specific format.

Google Slides, WordPress, and Squarespace are some of the platforms designers use to showcase their work. A simple navigation structure like “Home / About / Work / Blog / Contact” is common. The key is to keep it straightforward, user-friendly, and aligned with the needs of your target audience.

For example, Amy’s “Home / About / Work / Blog / Contact” structure is clean and intuitive, allowing potential employers or clients to find exactly what they’re looking for without any unnecessary clicks or confusion. It’s a structure that I’ve used for my portfolio.

When it comes to case studies, Amy suggests a classic approach:

Project background and goals
Your role in the team
Your process and approach
Any constraints you dealt with
Outcomes, if you have them
Testimonials (which can be incredibly powerful, so ask for these while the project is fresh!)

Jef, who uses a WordPress site for his portfolio, adds that it’s important to have a brief online portfolio and perhaps a more in-depth PDF version that you can share if needed.

This dual approach allows you to tailor your portfolio to different situations — whether submitting an initial application or discussing your work in more detail during an interview.

Final thoughts

Michelle highlighted the importance of using the STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action, Result), a method she found incredibly helpful when crafting her own portfolio. This approach can help structure your case studies and showcase your problem-solving abilities clearly and concisely. It’s the approach that I’ve used when shaping my portfolio.

Amy reminded me to treat the portfolio as another content design task and to learn from each recruitment process. She also suggested not getting too hung up on whether you’ve worked for high-profile companies or if your work is hidden behind NDAs. As she points out, good recruiters are more interested in your thought process and what you can do rather than just where you’ve done it.

Jef added a light-hearted note:

A bad first draft of a portfolio is one step closer to a great final portfolio. Keep it simple. Don’t overthink visual design. Treat it like a content design project and work with what you have.

Remember, your portfolio should reflect who you are — not just your skills, but your personality. Companies are hiring people, not just portfolios.

So, whether you’re just starting out or reworking your existing portfolio, remember: it doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be you.

I hope this article has helped!

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