Hiring managers generally spend less than five minutes reviewing portfolios, which leads to frustration among designers who invest significant time polishing theirs. Portfolios fulfill the need to showcase skills, processes, and outcomes, but they often omit the personal stories, struggles, and lessons that define individual identities. These neglected narratives can resonate even more strongly than achievements listed in portfolios, challenging the notion that surface-level presentation is sufficient in gaining attention. Ultimately, personal experiences might convey deeper insights into one’s character and capabilities.
Portfolios serve a purpose - they help hiring managers check the boxes: skills, process, and outcomes. But they only tell one part of the story. What they rarely capture is your personal journey - the struggles, setbacks, and lessons that shape who you are.
We obsess over our portfolios, tweaking them late into the night. Yet hiring managers often spend less than five minutes reviewing them. All that painstaking polish for a quick glance? It's soul-destroying.
As designers - whether UX, UI, Product, or otherwise - we continuously evolve our portfolios. They are extensions of our identity, often boosting our egos.
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