27 Mar 2015

Presenting Your Portfolio Part 3: Presentation

27 Mar 2015

my pick
Hi! My name is Sophia, I am an Associate Search Consultant with The Melanie Andersen Agency. I work on all design and merchandising roles for our fashion and retail clients. I’m obsessed with all things fashion, and feel so privileged to play a role in the direction of the design and production of our clients’ products.

My favorite part of the interview process is looking at designers’ portfolios, so I created this 3 part blog series that gives some advice on how to maximize your chances of landing the interview. Resumes and portfolios should be the champions of your cause, not the Achilles’ heel for an otherwise talented designer. Last week, I gave a brief overview of what content to include in your portfolio. For the 3rd and final installment of this blog series, I offer up some advice on presentation which will give you a competitive edge and help ensure you knock ‘em dead!

So now that you have been able to painfully edit down your life’s work into what I’m sure seems like only a tiny sliver of what you have done and what you are capable of doing, it is time to present your portfolio to a hiring manager.

There are a few of things to keep in mind and to make sure you touch on when you are presenting your work:

Walk the hiring manager through your process, speak to your inspirations, your methods, etc.
Talk at the same time as turning (or swiping!) through the pages, if you talk too much without simultaneously moving through the portfolio, the hiring manager could get impatient.
Speak with intention, meaning don’t talk in circles, be really thoughtful about everything you say and let it be short, sweet and to the point.
My best advice for nailing down your presentation technique would be to practice with friends. Walk them through your portfolio as if you are on an interview. This will get you comfortable with telling your story and public speaking. Just remember you are talented, creative, and you deserve it!

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