A portfolio, often referred to as your book, is a sampling of the work you have produced within the last few years. If you are a clerical or managerial applicant, you will not need a portfolio. It should display 10 to 15 of your best pieces. Choose examples that demonstrate the full range of your graphic skills and creativity. There are certain accepted standards or rules for portfolio preparation, and interviewers tend to be silently critical about designers who present poorly prepared portfolios. So before you set one toe inside an interviewer's office, review the following rules to make sure that you have done it right.
Rules of portfolio preparation
Rule #1: Each work you select to include in your portfolio should be yours. If you worked for an agency or company that produced a piece while you were there but you were not directly involved in it, do not use it. The only exception to this rule would be something you did as part of a group project. In this case, clearly identify which part of this project was your responsibility.
Rule #2: Include only those pieces that are in close-to-perfect condition. Torn, smudged, tattered, yellowed, crinkled, blurred, or stained pieces are not acceptable.
Rule #3: Each piece should be neatly mounted on a neutral backing of lightweight mat board with an even border of approximately two to three inches all around. It is less distracting if all your pieces are mounted on the same color mat board. If you have a ring binder portfolio with acetate sleeves, mount your work on a heavyweight matte-finish paper. These sheets can be trimmed to the sleeve size and inserted. The work can be mounted on both sides of the paper. Many of these binder portfolios already come with paper inserts. This saves a lot of time.
Rule #4: If you have a number of small pieces to display on a single page, mount them together in an uncrowned and visually interesting arrangement on one piece of mat board or directly on the insert paper.
Rule #5: Your work should be grouped together in a logical sequence. First, look for similarities in the work you have chosen. Group samples together that relate to one particular project or to the kind of work produced by the agency you will be visiting. Projects that show similar styles or share the same graphic category, e.g., direct mail pieces, can be grouped together on one page or adjoining pages; the same with ads, logos, etc.
It is also interesting, from the interviewer's point of view, to include the various stages of a project. For example, you might show a few concept layouts, a presentation comprehensive, and the finished piece to allow your interviewer to see how you would take a project from start to finish.
Rule #6: Always use a proper portfolio case for your work. You will find a wide range of cases from leather and vinyl to canvas in art and office supply stores. Decide exactly what you want to include in your portfolio before you buy one, so you do not get stuck with one that is too small for your work.
Rule #7: If your portfolio is a ring binder with acetate sleeves and paper inserts, secure each piece of work to the paper with tape or glue. There is nothing worse than opening your portfolio during a meeting and having everything fall out. Include uncounted copies of any foldouts, brochures, or booklets you have taped or glued to the inserts, so that the interviewer can hold, open, and examine each piece individually.
Rule #8: Less is more! Include only your best work. Filling a portfolio with so-so samples is a big mistake.
The oral presentation
Your oral presentation (what you will say during your interview) will reiterate what you know about this agency, what you have to offer them, and a brief overview of the work in your portfolio. If the first part of your presentation package is effective-your cover letter and resume-then you will be given the opportunity to present the second part of your package during an interview-the oral presentation. That will be your final chance to convince that agency to hire you. You will not be hired on the strength of your cover letter and resume alone; they are only intended to get you in the door. Your performance during an interview will keep you there.
Remember your personal presentation package objectives. The first is to make it clear to each agency that you have taken the time to learn all you could about that agency, its clients, and its future direction. Your second objective is to convince each agency that your thorough research revealed a compatibility between your personal capabilities and the agency's needs.
If you want your oral presentation to be successful, which means that you come across with confidence as you convey information about yourself and your background and tie that in with what you have learned about that agency, you will need to prepare yourself. You cannot have just a vague idea of what you want to say and hope to wing it. Although some people maintain that they perform much better if they do not plan too much, I tend to disagree with that approach.
I think it may work well if the person is experienced in interviews and has become comfortable in that kind of situation, but if this is still new to you, preparation is definitely the root of success.
