Want to land your dream job or keep your portfolio fresh while you're employed? Your portfolio is the key to the next step in your career! Troy Parke from Big Fish Games, http://www.linkedin.com/in/troyparke, presents his answers to the Top 10 Portfolio Questions from Filter, the anatomy of a good UX or Visual Design portfolio and provides insider information on how to catch the eye of a hiring manager. This event was part of Behance Portfolio Review Week: May 13-20, 2013.

2. The Top 10 Portfolio Questions
for UX andVisual Designers
(and my answers)

3. http://slidesha.re/19mdxne

4. Q:Who am 1?

5. Troy Parke

6. http://www.behance.net/troyparke

8. Everything...
but the games and external marketing

10. Student
Illustrator
Freelancer
Art Director
Hiring Manager
Engineer
Entrepreneur
Contributor
FilterTalent
Filter Client

11. Practical UX/UI Designer

12. Who are you?

13. Students?
Illustrators?
Freelancers?
Web Designers?
UX/UI?
Copywriters?
Content Strategists?
Photographers?
Visual Designers?
Career Changers?

15. #10

16. Q: How many pieces
should be in a portfolio?

17. 7±2
As many as it takes
Only your latest work
It depends...
I don’t know
All of the above

18. A:You will be remembered
by your worst piece.

19. Be selective
(Reviewers are too)

21. Relevant, real and ready for scrutiny

22. Yes...There are exceptions
(freelance business, agency & single project)

27. #9

28. Q: How should it be presented?
(How do you call out work and
how much detail do you provide?)

29. A: Quick synopsis that leaves the
reviewer wanting more.

30. You have to tell them
(Don’t let the work “just speak for itself”)

35. Explain what was done
(The problem, what you did and the outcome)

36. Problem
Audience
Project Duration
Your Involvement
Press Links
Awards
Metrics

37. Include Metrics
(Implies you understand business needs)

41. #8

42. Q: How do I present work that
I did on a team without taking
credit for the whole project?
(How do you call out what
you did vs. someone else?)

46. A: Say so.

48. Role at time of creation
(Identify work as team, collaboration or
feature task during a project phase)

49. I did the red portion

50. I did the red portion

54. #7

55. Q: Can I include student work?

60. A: Only if it doesn’t look like it.

61. Replace it ASAP
(Volunteer, pro bono, concepts,
collaborations & personal projects)

62. It takes time...

65. #6

66. Q: How do you handle
NDA work?

68. A:With non disclosure.

69. Don’t Show It
(or don’t sign it... I know... it hurts)

70. This is Tough
(because as a reviewer, I want to see)

71. If you are going to betray the
confidence of a prior employer,
how can I trust you?

72. Password protected site
Switch out the logo
Placeholder content
Printed portfolio
Personal machine
Share during interview

73. Password protected site
Switch out the logo
Placeholder content
Printed portfolio
Personal machine
Share during interview

76. #5

77. Q: How do you choose
what to include?

79. A: By handing out roses.

80. Mediocre work
No online portfolio
Unfinished work
No recent work
All process... no final

81. Mediocre work
No online portfolio
Unfinished work
No recent work
All process... no final

82. Your best work
Showcase strongest talents
Demonstrate applicable skills
Crossover skills

83. Representative, recent
& recognizable

87. Remember to be selective
(Reviewers are playing “The Bachelor” too)

88. #4

89. Q: Should I include work that
doesn’t reflect my style if its
for a well-recognized company?

91. A: If it’s good, why wouldn’t you?

92. Designers and Writers
Great value in being versatile

93. Illustrator
Photographer
If you feel pigeonholed
Notoriety

96. #3

97. Q:What do you hate to see
missing or included in a portfolio?

98. A: Lying, %$@*#! & NSFW.

99. Poor quality portfolios are good
(They save me a lot of time)

100. Lying by Omission
(Describe your role and contribution)

104. This isn’t a value judgement
(But a liability in a professional environment)

107. #2

108. Q: How long do you spend looking
at a portfolio? What makes you
decide to look closer?

110. A: Less than 10 seconds.
(If you’re lucky)

111. Application System
Recruiter
Office Manager
Hiring Manager
Referral Process
WholeTeam Review

114. A: Exhibit design approach.

115. At a glance
Browsing
Deeper dive

119. #1

120. Q: What do you look for in a
portfolio as a hiring manager?

122. A: Is this someone I
want to interview?

123. (A: Everything we’ve just covered.)

124. Portfolios get your foot in the door
(Nothing more)

125. I haven’t hired “by the book”
Referrals & connections
At least a phone screen
Some interview loops take weeks

126. Q: What are the questions a
hiring manager is thinking
during an interview?

127. A: Invite me back.
(This is another topic. ^_^)

128. A: Invite me back.
(This is another topic. ^_^)

129. Q: Any suggestions for
our portfolio reviews today?

132. A: Discuss with your group
(Agree? Disagree? Agree to disagree?)

134. troyparke@gmail.com

135. Q: Can we ask more questions?

136. What do you think of Behance?
What about PDFs & physical portfolios?
What traditional work do you like to see?
What other skills to you look for?
What do you look for in a resume?
How do you present in a group setting?

137. Thank-you.