Top 5 Tips for Your Portfolio

There’s never been a better time to stay indoors and polish up that portfolio. If you’re currently working on yours, check out our key tips for making your portfolio shine!

Work Smarter. And Harder.

Include work that has smart thinking behind it and demonstrates how you twist convention to make something fresh. Show off your creativity by thinking outside of just traditional tactics. Having a good mix of tactics will show how your skills can translate to real world work.

Two Brains are Better than One.

If you don’t have much work, connect with a student or someone working on their book and make something together. While working independently is an important skill, being able to work collaboratively with a partner is just as important. The best ideas always have a team behind them.

Curate, Curate, Curate.

Don’t put a million things in there, curate it down to your best work. And make sure to put your favorite work first — most CDs or recruiters only click on 1 or 2 things before deciding if they’ll look into you further.

It’s All About You.

Employers want to hire someone they’ll enjoy working with, so have fun with your about page. Show what you’re into and what you’re passionate about beyond advertising. Are you into hiking, crafting, collecting? Help recruiters get to know you!

Scout the Competition.

There’s nothing wrong with getting a little inspiration for your site from other creatives. Find portfolios worth stealing from online archives such as Modern Copywriter, and spend some time glancing at ads on adsoftheworld.com. AdAge and AdWeek are also great resources for staying up-to-date with the latest in the advertising industry.

Applying these tips to your portfolio will help you stand out as a candidate and hopefully get your foot in the door. Good luck!