People who have been / are involved within stages of the hiring process – advice for online vs. PDF portfolios?
Hiya! I’m Alex; Junior Graphic Designer w/ continued freelance experience, and the Lead Designer & Visuals Co-Director at a start-up environmental magazine [2 years, voluntary].
I’ve been continuously applying for work: adding links to my online portfolio AND curating a PDF portfolio specifically for each application. I’ve had a few interviews with these applications, however recent feedback suggests there weren’t examples of work which I’ve had a lot of experience in (something showcased more w/i the PDF portfolio than my website).
MY QUESTION: do those in the hiring process prefer to look at an online portfolio OR a PDF portfolio? Or perhaps an online portfolio supplemented w/ a tailored PDF portfolio? Maybe I should add sections to my website showcasing the skills I own?
Any advice would be hugely appreciated! Thank you very much. Wishing you a wonderful day.
For reference:
Website: alexhopwood.com
Instagram: instagram.com/alilouucreative
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alex-hopwood
Replies9
- @Anna Negrini Hi Anna – huge apologies for my delayed reply. I hope you’ve been keeping well. Thank you so much for your time in replying to my questions, I really do appreciate it!Really interesting that you mentioned Pentagram – they definitely have a good website to take inspiration from, so I’ll have a look on there again and have a think about how I can best showcase my work, skills and services on my own website.Thank you for also expanding on what captures the recruiter / Art Director / Creative Director’s eye. That’s super helpful advice! I’ll go back to the “About” section I currently have on my website and implement what you’ve mentioned here.Thank you ever so much again for your time and advice; I appreciate how busy you may be, so I really am very grateful for everything you have shared with me. Please do feel free to reach out if you would ever like to ask me any questions, or to just have a good ol’ chat!Thank you, and wishing you a wonderful week :)
- @Alex Hopwood If you can split your projects in categories it would be great (sometimes a work can fit in more than one) or you can add a filter at the top. Pentagram - who is a big agency with tons of projects - uses "Type of client" "Type of work" (some of them are added in more than one category). I'd add your skills in the About section too.To the question " is there anything in particular which really captures the recruiter / Art Director / Creative Director’s eye?". I think they want to understand better not only what you did or you do at the moment but where you want to go, so what's your strength, something unique about your approach to work, which is the kind of project that makes you thrive, etc.All in a very concise manner :)
- @ON [Currently Hiring Designers] (madebyon) Hiya! Thank you very much for your advice!Would you suggest a minimum / maximum number of projects to include on a website? And would it be beneficial to divide the website into different sections to showcase skill-specific projects (ie. a Branding section, Editorial section, Motion Graphics etc)?Thank you again for you help, I really appreciate it!
- @Alissa Metsnik Hi Alissa – thank you ever so much for taking the time to reply. The advice you’ve given is really interesting and incredibly insightful, thank you!Interesting you mention about spending no more than 1 min per portfolio – do you suggest a maximum number of pages / projects for a PDF portfolio? This is something I have been struggling to gauge. And how detailed should these projects be within the PDF portfolio? Ie. Should I only include final deliverables, or is it also nice to see sketches / my creative process?Thank you very much again for your time and insightful reply! These are all things I’m going to think about moving forward with my portfolio. I really appreciate your help and advice.
- @Anna Negrini Hi Anna – thank you ever so much for your reply. Really interesting to read what you’ve written about ADs / CDs vs start-ups / founders and their viewing experience! That’s definitely food for thought.Your mention of including more personal info on a website – in your experience, is there anything in particular which really captures the recruiter / Art Director / Creative Director’s eye? Also re. skills – would you suggest splitting my website up into sections specifically showcasing this work (ie. a Branding section, Editorial section, Motion Graphics etc), or just list my skills in my “About” section (or both!)?Thank you ever so much again for your reply! I really appreciate your help and advice. Hope you've been having a good week thus far.
- @Ruta Jane Hi Ruta! Hahaa no worries – thank you for replying! Would you suggest tailoring the PDF portfolio for each role, or do you suggest including a range of projects to create a condensed “master” portfolio which I then send as my standard PDF portfolio? You also mentioned about the website being a place to view projects in more detail – should I only include final deliverables in the PDF portfolio? Or is it also nice to see sketches / my creative process – ultimately allowing recruiters to see how I work as a Creative – within this PDF?Thank you very much again for replying! I really appreciate your help.
- Website is great as it can be easier to navigate, shows you can put a site together and just looks more professional! Having said that I think the approach of having a website PLUS a tailored PDF would be great.
- Hey Alex,Definitely a pdf! It's by far the easiest and best way to tell anyone who's looking through your portfolio what kind of designer you are and what you consider your best work. It tells me so much more about you than a website ever will... and you're the one controlling how it'll be seen.If I'm having a busy day I'll spend no more than one min per portfolio - if it's a website it means maybe looking through roughly one project of yours, the rest info I get is through thumbnails and about page, but if it's a pdf, it means looking through a whole pdf.That said, always do what you feel is right for you and your type of work. Just remember it has to be easily and quickly accessible.Alissa x
- My experience is that recruiters/ADs or CDs prefer a PDF as they don't have much time and it's easier to scroll quickly, while digital agencies or startups/founders like a website because you can add more personal info and they enjoy the browsing experience better. As you suggested I'd add your skills to your website and also it would be great to have in homepage near the project name, what is it about (you have it in the project page, like "Application Design").
You must sign up or log in before you
add a comment.