Look for roles you’re a good fit for — then bypass the ATS.

Instead of clicking “apply,” take some time to do some research. The recruiter’s or hiring manager’s name is sometimes right there in the ad, or easily found on their website or LinkedIn. Send them a quick, thoughtful email.

I’m always going to read an email that’s sent directly to me.

If it’s short, friendly, and has a great portfolio attached, you’ve got my attention.

It doesn’t need to be perfect. Just show you’re genuinely interested and appropriate for the role. You’ve just put yourself WAY ahead of the game, and won’t get bounced by an algorithm.

Tell the Story, Not Just the Outcome

Design isn’t about outputs. It’s about decisions. And yet, many portfolios skip straight to the glossy end result; all screen mock-ups and zero narrative. That’s not a case study; it’s a sales brochure.

Every solid case study should walk the reader through a clear arc:

• What was the problem? Who was the user, and what pain point were you solving?
• What were the constraints? Time, tech, stakeholder chaos — tell us what shaped your decisions.
• What did you actually do? Not what the team did. What was your role?
• What changed along the way? Iteration, testing feedback, compromise. The messy bits matter.
• What was the impact? Even if it’s anecdotal, did the user experience improve? Did the product ship?

Think of it like a documentary, not a highlight reel. We want to understand your process, not just admire your final deliverables.

Be Honest About Commercial vs Non- Commercial Work

A common trap, especially for junior designers, is presenting university projects or self-initiated redesigns as if they were client briefs.

Let’s be clear: personal and academic work is absolutely fine to include. In fact, it’s often the only way to demonstrate early capability. But label it honestly. Trying to make a course project look like client work is transparent, and not in a good way.

Instead, own it:

“This was a self-initiated project to redesign a mobile banking app. I focused on applying usability heuristics and improving accessibility.”

You’re not expected to have a CV full of commercial work on day one. But you are expected to know the difference and be transparent about it.

Frame the Role and the Impact Clearly

One of the quickest ways to lose a hiring manager’s interest is to be vague. If you say you “collaborated on a design system,” that could mean anything from leading it to nudging a few colours around.

Instead, be specific:

“Led the component audit and documentation process for a new design system, working with 2 engineers and 1 PM.”

Own your contribution, explain your impact, and keep the language clear and grounded. No jargon. No fluff.

Trade-Offs Are a Strength, Not a Weakness

The best designers aren’t the ones with flawless portfolios, they’re the ones who can explain why things turned out the way they did, and what they’d do differently.

Talk about:

• Design decisions made under time pressure  
• Ideas that got cut (and why)
• Feedback that challenged your thinking
• How business goals shaped the final product

This isn’t “airing your dirty laundry”, it’s showing maturity. Every real-world project involves compromise. Show us you know how to navigate it.

Design Your Portfolio Like a Product

Your portfolio is a user experience. If the layout is confusing, the navigation is buried, or you’re sending people on a password-protected scavenger hunt, you’re making things difficult.

Well-Presented, Easy to Navigate

This shouldn’t need saying, but it’s shocking how many portfolios make basic usability mistakes.

• Clear sections. If we can’t find your work in under 30 seconds, we’re already closing the tab.
• Legible fonts. No 9pt grey-on-white. You’re not designing for ants.
• Mobile-friendly. Yes, we sometimes check portfolios on our phones!
• Avoid endless scroll. A long, linear dump of images with no breaks or navigation? No thanks.
• No mystery navigation. If I have to hover over a random icon to figure out what it does, you’ve overdesigned it.

Think like a designer. Respect your user’s time.

Curate, Don’t Dump

More is not better.

We don’t want to see 9 projects that each barely scratch the surface. We want 2–3 deep case studies that show how you think, how you work, and how you solve real problems.

If you can’t explain your role, your rationale, and your results in a given project, cut it, or at least demote it to a footnote. Treat your portfolio like a design challenge: what’s the minimal set of content that creates maximum impact?

Skip the Fluff, Keep the Substance

There’s a weird trend where portfolios open with copy that reads like a dating profile:

“I’m passionate about creating intuitive, human-centric design that delights users and solves real-world problems.”

That tells us absolutely nothing.

We don’t need passion statements. We need proof.