Online vs PDF portfolio for interviews.
Hi fellow dotters,
I have a question I hope I could get some advice on about if I should present my online portfolio during an intervew or create a pdf/powerpoint presentation specifically for an interview.
I've seen some questions on reddit from other designer's experiences saying that they've showed nothing other than there online portfolio during an interview, and i've recently seen a video from the futur saying that you shouldn't.
I would be grateful if I could hear from Art/ Creative Directors as well as everyones to what they believe is best to show in an interview.
Thanks a million,
Ahmed
Replies15
- Always a PDF. I have seen many people having issue with internet or website loading during meeting, its simply just not worth it unless your portfolio is very animated base. I personally would always prepare a portfolio where it can be viewed anywhere with or without internet access.If you are to show your portfolio digitally I would say present it with a decent size screen, and with a good resolution especially on iPad, first thing people always do is to zoom it !!Personally I tend to show mine in a printed format, and editors / art directors always loved it when someone come with a physically portfolio.
- @ɐɹoᗡ ɐuu∀ ˥ thanks Anna for the advice. Wow, everyone is been so helpful with this question.
- @ɐɹoᗡ ɐuu∀ ˥ haha, thanks Anna!I don't have a life outside of work either :DI appreciate you sharing your experience with us Anna, it's so daunting to create a portfolio for jobs and interviews.
- @Malini Rao Also it's like I had 15 projects prepared to show in a pdf but was taking in and out projects based on the company / sector / project I was interviewing
- @Malini Rao 15 yes lol I'm not gonna even pretend I have life outside of work. Don't feel bad if you have. Size wise:- for interviews the real size, big and shinny, optimised to the screen I show on- for sending in emails I would definitely keep it max. 7mb as most of mail system drops it back above that
- @ɐɹoᗡ ɐuu∀ ˥ Wow! 15! Do you mind sharing what size is the best for pdf portfolios Anna?
- Hi Ahmed,In top of what others already said I would highlight two other things about a pdf portfolio:- recruiters prefer a pdf as in case of the big companies who really just rush through it's easier to understand- a pdf you always can change relatively to the job you apply for. I don't use it anymore but when I did had 15 projects pdf ready and always talked about just the 5 most relevantHope it helps. Feel free to check out my work on https://www.instagram.com/annadoralascsik/ as well
- While I understand some designers don't have the time to curate a PDF or presentation, I feel like that the format works better for a conversation where you are guiding someone through your work.The reason is that you can curate a presentation to fully match what you expect the interviewer to ask, focus on specific elements of your work or process, and even show elements that you wouldn't want to display online.If you have videos, gifs or others, most tools will allow you to embed them. (Keynote and Google Slides certainly do, but Google Slides quality can get dodgy). I'd even recommend trying Figma, depending on your needs.
- As well as a bespoke edit (as many have said below) a PDF portfolio lets you show someone the "behind the scenes" which is not as easy to do online. I love seeing scamps or drawings that helped someone get to the work that I've probably already seen in their online portfolio by the time they come in for the interview.
- Thanks @Morphe Digital Design and @Ryan Amstad for those great suggestions. I do have some GIFs on my site, which I feel won't work on a PDF format, so I really like the idea of having the site as support for an interview.
- I have always carried hard copies of my portfolio with me. However, if you have it, take an iPad (or similar) with you. I use it to further evolve my portfolio with videos which you can't convey on paper. Then leave the hard copy with them! Good luck!
- @Rosa van Heusden thank you so much for comprehensively explaining the reasons to having a PDF. I've recently finished my portfolio site and thought I could take that to an interview, but I'm glad that I found this out now rather than later.
- Hi Ahmed,My advice would be to always prep a PDF portfolio for an interview.When I myself am interviewing applicants, by that time I would have seen all they have ever shared on the internet already ;-)It's always great to see something new that allows you to talk a bit more during an interview (without me already knowing about the subject).Seeing a bespoke 'edit' tailored to the role and company you're applying for is also very useful for evaluating a candiate's suitability.Last but not least, it's a nice way to let the candiate be the first one to follow up directly after an interview with a quick email, attaching the PDF (which I can then keep on file).*Do make sure you have access to all the work you have online too though, during the interview. In case I want to ask something specific about one of your projects I've seen.
- Thanks for asking this question Ahmed, I am also trying to figure out which is the best way to show your work.
- I'm a designer so it might be different, but I have a smaller selection of work online, then in interviews I take a wider range of work in a portfolio, including the stuff on my site.
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