A portfolio is a collection of different works you have produced that are shown to potential employers to demonstrate your abilities in the field. These works can be anything from paintings, digital artwork to pieces of literature that you have produced. Your portfolio could be the make or break for you when getting the dream job you always wanted.

Do you think your portfolio isn’t up to par? Then here’s some advice you can consider when making and fixing up your portfolio.

USE YOUR BEST WORK ONLY


You want to show your employer the best you can do, so it’s obvious that you should include in your collection what is considered your best pieces. Your ‘best’ doesn’t always mean your most recently made pieces. If you have a piece that’s three years old and still think it’s one of your greatest works, then keep it in your portfolio.

ORGANIZATION IS KEY

If you are applying for multiple positions or have a specific specialization, organizing works based on your forte is key. You shouldn’t have a mix and mash of different positions in one portfolio but instead have multiple portfolios, each based on one specialization. For example, if you are in video game development and specialize in character modelling and character animations, you would have two portfolios, one focusing on models with images and one focusing on animations with demo reels.

AIM FOR HIGH RESOLUTION

When it comes to your portfolio, want your work to be in the best condition it can be viewed in. Aim to have the quality be of a high-resolution standard. If you are making a digital piece, up the resolution size as best as you can. For when you are documenting a non-digital work, it is optimal to use a camera that can take good quality pictures/videos, such as a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Your work will most likely change over the years, and what you thought looked good in the past might not fit to your standards anymore. Do some spring cleaning with your portfolio and take out the older stuff that doesn’t fit to par with your current best works.

SOMETIMES HAVING A LITTLE IS A LOT BETTER THAN A LOT

Employers want to see the best you can do, not everything that you’ve ever made. Make sure that your portfolio isn’t too large that it would take hours to look through everything. At most it should take about 10 to 15 minutes to look through everything.

DEMO REELS

For aspiring animators or film producers, demo reels are the best to help show off multiple examples of work they have done. A demo reel should consist of snippets of multiple works that focus on parts that match the job position you are applying for. For example, if you want a job in character animation have a demo reel consisting of only character animations and not other stuff, such as special effects. Sometimes it’s better to show off your skills in the final product, like a film or video game, to see what the piece looks like in its final form.

EXPLAIN HOW/WHERE YOU CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROJECT IF GROUP/SHARED

If you collaborated with other people to make a piece remember to always mention where and what you worked on in the piece.