I’ve reviewed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of resumes and portfolios, interviewed dozens of designers, and hired some. If you’re planning to change your position or, as a freelancer, gain more trust from clients, these tips based on my experience may help you attract attention and successfully complete the process.

This article covers the following topics:

1. The elements of a good portfolio
2. What makes a solid case study
3. How to structure your resume
4. Tips for the recruiting process
5. How to increase your visibility when looking for a job
6. Challenge: completing a portfolio in less than a month

Now, let me share my observations and tips to help you succeed.

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The portfolio: meaningful MVP

If Einstein lived today, he might rephrase his famous joke to: “Two things are infinite: the universe, human stupidity, and the time it takes to finish a designer’s portfolio.” Many creative professionals never finish their portfolios because they aim for perfection. However, recruiters and clients aren’t focused on this aspect.

You don’t need a flashy website to present your work. You need to showcase your work in a way that addresses the questions of the people who want to hire you. There are at least three perspectives to consider: recruiters, clients, and design managers.

What recruiters look for:

• Is it a good fit for the available position? Recruiters will check if your skillset, experience, and listed tools match the job requirements.
• Do you live in a region where working for this company is possible? This is especially important if you’re seeking remote work but are unwilling to relocate.

What clients want to know:

• Does this person do the type of work I need? Some clients may need a landing page, while others require a mobile app or a SaaS solution. Highlight your area of expertise or specialty.
• What are examples of work they’ve done? Clients often want to scan your portfolio’s case studies to see if you’ve handled similar projects.
• Is this person trustworthy? Testimonials help build credibility, whether you’re a freelancer or seeking a full-time job.

What design managers seek:

• What is this person’s experience? Design managers are interested in your skills and past projects. Present this information clearly so it will be easy to scan (design managers time is very limited). It is kind of summary of the resume.
• What work have they done? Provide examples of your work, ideally as detailed case studies from past projects or companies.
• What is their process? How do you approach your work? Do you apply a design-thinking process to solve the right problem effectively, or do you focus more on the visual side? Share your process in your case studies, mentioning the activities and deliverables involved.
• Are they a team player? Design managers often lead teams of many designers. Working as part of a design team is very different from operating as a lone-wolf freelancer.

By considering these perspectives and tailoring your portfolio to address these points, you’ll improve your chances of making a strong impression on recruiters, clients, and managers.

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In short: What a design portfolio should include

Here’s a rephrased summary of what portfolio visitors look for, highlighting the elements I believe should be in a designer’s portfolio to secure an interview:

1. A brief summary of your resume:

• Your name, location, and avatar photo.
• Your skill set and past experiences (companies or projects).

The goal here is to create a positive first impression and confirm that you meet the basic requirements.

2. Show your work:

• Services: If you are looking for freelance work, list your services, add 2 sentences describing what you do. Good practice is to add price range or starting point to build customers awareness how much they need to spend upfront.
• Case study: This is a must. A good case study demonstrates your design process and outcomes. Showcasing what and how you’ve worked often determines whether you’re invited to the next step. If I compare two portfolios—one full of Dribbble shots and another with a single case study outlining a solid design process—I’ll be more inclined to reach out to the the second person.

3. Build trust:

• Testimonials: If you’ve received positive feedback on LinkedIn, showcase it in your portfolio.
• Companies you’ve worked with: If you’ve collaborated with many clients, highlight the most recognizable ones.

4. Provide contact information:

• Email or a contact form.
• Social media links. If you’ve built a personal brand as a designer, this is a bonus.

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What about education?

I will be honest, formal education isn’t a key factor for me. I’ve encountered talented self-taught designers I would hire immediately, and well-known university alumni whose approach might harm a team.

Formal education do not interest me, but additional courses you’ve completed are worth noting. They show a proactive mindset and hint at opportunities for growth within a team.

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What makes a good case study?

A design case study doesn’t need to be lengthy but must include the following elements:

1. Project context
2. The problem you solved
3. Your design process
4. Sample UI and deliverables
5. Lessons learned
6. Final result

The primary goal of the recruiter going through your case study is to see if you aim to solve the problem, know the business metrics & iterate to improve them - the way you think and work. What matters less is the dribbble shot-like presentation.

If you will provide TL;DR at the beginning and add proper dose of storytelling everyone will dive into it with curiosity.

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What makes a good resume?

After reviewing thousands of resumes, I can confidently say that a resume doesn’t need to be a masterpiece of design. What’s more, when a resume’s layout is “too original,” it quickly becomes a pain to scan & read and causes additional frustrations.

When I browse resumes, it’s typically during dedicated time slots, where I go through multiple documents in one session. A clearly structured, elegant resume is all I need to quickly find the relevant information and determine if the candidate meets the requirements to move to the next step.

If I would prepare the resume right now, I would use the clear structure without additional ornamentation. Make the section and headings clearly visible, blocks separated by the proper amount of white space.

As I mentioned before I would not be interested in formal education in the first place, so similarly to portfolio tips I would like to see your name, contact options, link to your work, skills, experience, and past positions. You university should be after all of these.

What about your photo? Include it or not? Truth is that we evolved in a way to recognize faces very quickly, and focus on them. It is kind of a hook. While it does not matter when it comes to final hiring decision, it is for sure easier to remember the document with your business photography than the blank page full or text.

For some companies, it is the dedicated HR solution that initially scans the content of your resume in PDF. That is why I would not recommend to prepare it in Figma and export from it, if I remember it well, some software had an issue with reading this kind of PDFs, so I you would not like to be rejected automatically, use traditional solutions like Google docs, Office or Pages, or if you would like to keep it really minimal use Notion.

Easy to read, well-organized resume is making life of the recruiter much easier and makes you much closer to get hired.

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When you get the offer

Once you’re invited to an interview, preparation is key. Most companies split the process into several stages:

1. Intro call with the recruiter:

This initial call doesn’t evaluate your design skills. Instead, it focuses on soft skills and language proficiency. You might be rejected at this stage if your English isn’t strong enough or if you cannot clearly articulate your thoughts.

2. Design skills evaluation:

This phase is typically conducted by a design lead or manager. They’ll discuss with you about your design process, skills, and past experiences through questions or a small project.

You may receive a design task to complete within a few hours or a day.

3. Final call (design review):

During this stage, you’ll present your completed design work. The key focus will be your ability to articulate your design decisions.

Even if you don’t complete every part of the task, explaining your rationale and thought process is often more important than presenting polished visuals.

After this, your part in the process ends. Typically, you’ll receive feedback within a day or two.

This is where your influence ends, usually after a day or a few you will get the answer. If you won’t pass, don’t give up - take it as the opportunity to learn something and ask about the things you could improve.

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Interview - how to pass it well

Once you know the recruitment process look like, it is important to pay attention to a few things during the interviews. When you appear on a call, first minute is crutial - it builds trust and impression - good or bad. Be confident, honest and positive.

Before you jump into a call it’s always good to read something about the company you are going to join, or the client that reached you. Having the contextual knowledge is building positive impression very quickly.

If you are 2 minutes late, don’t worry - apologise then move forward. If you have any troubles with the connection, write an email immediately so the recruiters will be acknowledged and may eventually help you.

During the interviews I always hated when someone does a lot of spoofing. Recuiters can feel it immediately. This is why I really like honest people, even if something is out of your skillset but you match 80% of crutial requirements you still have chance to get hired.

I like to see people confident with their knowledge, and open to learn something new. However, remember that “confident”, does not mean “stubborn”. Design as a part of product creation process is collaborative process and ability to align with other people may be far more essential than single “genius” that stops the work of dozens of people. Show that you have knowledge, but also that you are open to find solutions that satisfy all the sides.

If I would recommend one of the books that helped me in the past to increase the art of discussion it is “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High”. Definitely recommend read before the interviews.

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The project to complete

The design task aims to see how you work and think in practice. Often, it’s not about perfecting every visual detail. It’s about demonstrating your ability to deliver something meaningful. It also evaluates how you handle the pressure.

Treat this task as if it were part of your daily workflow. If you have a set of templates you use to streamline your work, ask the recruiters if using them is allowed. In most cases, the goal is to evaluate your real skills, so delivering valuable design using templates as a foundation—faster and smarter—is even better. This approach might impress recruiters, as automation and systematization are signs of experience and professionalism.

Document the decisions you make throughout the process so you can answer tough questions during the review. This task is about your process and thought patterns, not just the final result.

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Proactive and reactive approaches of getting a job

There are two ways to get a job or project: applying for it proactively or being contacted. Both are effective, but the reactive approach is often more advantageous. If someone reaches out to you directly, it indicates they value your skills and expertise, putting you in a stronger negotiating position.

To increase inquiries, adopt the mindset of a digital entrepreneur. Build a funnel that boosts your visibility across platforms like Behance, Contra, X, LinkedIn, and Dribbble. The next step is to encourage people to visit your portfolio site. Once they’re interested, provide a clear way for them to contact you.

To attract high-quality work, you need to consistently post high-quality work across multiple platforms. Amplify this with your own platform - your portfolio.

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Challenge for You: Complete Your Portfolio in Less Than a Month

Many designers struggle to finish their portfolios, this is why I encourage you to take action and finally complete yours - starting with an MVP version. At the end of this article, you’ll find a link to a resource that can speed up the process.

If I were seeking a job right now, here’s what I would do. Follow these steps, and I guarantee you’ll have a published MVP of your portfolio within a month or less.

9-Step Recipe:

1. Schedule two hours a workday to fully focus on completing your portfolio. Whether it’s in the morning or afternoon, choose a time when you can work without distractions.
2. Day 1: Define the scope of your MVP. For example:
   • Three case studies
   • 3–4 visuals for each
   • An “about me” section
   • Links to social media profiles where you share your work
3. Use the first three time slots to write one case study. Use tips from earlier paragraphs of the article to ensure it’s high-quality. Proofread it with Grammarly or an AI tool to catch mistakes.
4. Spend two remaining slots in the first week adjusting visuals for the written case study.
5. During weeks 2 and 3, repeat the process to complete the remaining case studies.
6. Week 4, Day 1: Write the “about me” section.
7. Week 4, Day 2: Get a template for your portfolio. Choose from Framer templates or, if you want to reduce the learning curve, use a minimal Notion template (see the section below).
8. Use the remaining days to upload your prepared content.
9. Hit “Publish.” Share the link, and celebrate!

By following these steps and applying the tips shared earlier, you’ll create a portfolio that’s good enough to get hired. It won’t be ideal, but for sure you know that done is better than perfect. You can always develop it further. If the slots for case studies allowed for short articles, you can expand them later. What matters is that you’ll have Portfolio 1.0—ready to help you land a job or new gig.

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Portfolio & Resume in Notion

If you’re short on time or haven’t had the chance to learn no-code tools like Framer or Webflow, Notion is a perfect solution to create your site and showcase your professional experience.

I’ve prepared a simple, easy-to-use Notion template for your portfolio and resume. While it could be a free resource, multiple researches shows that people value what they’ve purchased more. Paid courses are completed more often, premium books are read to the end, and I want you to have your portfolio done.

So, if you’re committed to completing your portfolio quickly—or want to thank me for sharing my experiences—you can get the templates for the cost of a coffee. (Thalion Tools Unlimited Access members receive this resource as part of their membership.)

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👉 Get Designer Portfolio & Resume - Notion Templates

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Summing Up

Getting hired is harder than it was two years ago. However, you can significantly increase your chances by building a meaningful portfolio, presenting information about yourself effectively, and being a friendly professional during interviews.

I’d love to hear your insights! If any of these steps helped you, please share your success stories with me.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!

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