Photo of design experts and hiring managers with the text "Advice from Design Experts"

Land That Job: What Top Design Leaders Really Look for in a Portfolio

by Laia Tremosa • • 30 min read

495 Shares
Save

Learn from the best—design experts reveal exactly what they look for in a portfolio. Get ready to transform your career from aspiring designer to in-demand professional!

In this video, design experts and hiring managers from across the world share their portfolio advice. Experts include the Creative Lead of Smashing Magazine, Vitaly Friedman, and Netflix’s Product Design Lead, Niwal Sheikh. Hear what they and others, look for in portfolios.

Transcript

Connect with the Community: Elevate Your Portfolio with IxDF Local Groups

Connecting with fellow designers and industry experts in your area through meetups like IxDF Local Groups is highly beneficial for both your portfolio and career growth. Share your work, gain valuable feedback and learn from seasoned professionals. These local connections can provide the insights and support you need to refine your portfolio, showcase your skills effectively, and ultimately land that dream UX/UI design job.

The Take Away

As you’ve heard directly from design experts and hiring managers, showcasing your design journey and your thinking process in your portfolio is key. This way, they can see whether you would be a good fit for their team and for the specific role that they are hiring for. So, step into the recruiter's shoes when you craft your portfolio: be specific, make your thought process clear and convince them you're the designer they are searching for!

A UX network and local connections can support your UX career and help you get the dream job you’re after.

References and Where to Learn More

Take our course, Build a Standout UX/UI Portfolio: Land Your Dream Job.

Read How To Get Hired as a UX Designer.

Build a network that supports your career growth—join an IxDF Local Group.

Watch the following Master Classes:

Hero image: © Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0

Learn More in This Course:

Learn Design and AI From the Best

Get one powerful email each week, like 313,894 others.

Next email in:

What You Should Read Next

  • Read full article
    Don Norman: How You Can Rapidly Move Up by Thinking in Systems (Not Features) - Article hero image

    Don Norman: How You Can Rapidly Move Up by Thinking in Systems (Not Features)

    How can you move up in a company? Learn the fundamentals of business such as statistics, finance, accounting, marketing, supply chain and administration. How do you do that? One way to do this is to get a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. But Don says you can also learn them without go

    Social shares
    611
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    How to Find Your Voice: Speak with Confidence and Clarity - Article hero image

    How to Find Your Voice: Speak with Confidence and Clarity

    You’ve heard it before “It’s not what you said—it’s how you said it.” Your voice can change how people feel—even if your message doesn’t. If you vary your tone and pacing, you can make your ideas sound more trustworthy, exciting, or urgent. Harness this neuroscience-backed communication power and yo

    Social shares
    452
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Avoid Death by PowerPoint: Structure Your Slides for Maximum Impact - Article hero image

    Avoid Death by PowerPoint: Structure Your Slides for Maximum Impact

    Your message is ready, your delivery honed. Now, how do you put that brilliance on slides? Discover how to structure your slide deck strategically so that it supports your message, whether you present live or share it for independent review.Whether you're pitching to stakeholders, leading a team mee

    Social shares
    424
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Use Feedback as Your Superpower: Learn, Improve, Shine - Article hero image

    Use Feedback as Your Superpower: Learn, Improve, Shine

    Feedback: the word alone can inspire apprehension. Yet, it’s the lifeblood of great design. Whether it’s subtle critique or blunt rejection, how you respond to feedback matters more than you think. You can defend your design—or you can use that moment to learn, improve, and show you're the kind of p

    Social shares
    341
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Overcome the Self-Doubt That Stops You from Being an Excellent Presenter - Article hero image

    Overcome the Self-Doubt That Stops You from Being an Excellent Presenter

    Do you doubt your ability to speak up, thinking you’re not the public speaking type? Many people do. But the truth is, most beliefs about presentation skills are simply wrong. Let’s break down these myths and boost your confidence—you’ve got far more potential than you think.In the next video, Morga

    Social shares
    315
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Present Like a Pro: Become a Designer Who Leads - Article hero image

    Present Like a Pro: Become a Designer Who Leads

    Your ideas are only as powerful as your ability to communicate them. You can design the perfect solution ... but if nobody understands it, cares about it, or champions it? It goes nowhere. If you can master presentation skills, you’ll open new doors in your design career, access new opportunities, a

    Social shares
    322
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Presentation Pitfalls and How You Avoid Them - Article hero image

    Presentation Pitfalls and How You Avoid Them

    You’ve worked hard on your ideas—don’t let simple messaging missteps keep them from landing. Make your brilliant ideas shine in every presentation by deftly sidestepping common messaging missteps, and give your hard work the influence it deserves every time.Morgane Peng, Head of Product Design & AI

    Social shares
    330
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    How to Change Your Career from Software Development to UX Design - Article hero image

    How to Change Your Career from Software Development to UX Design

    Most people believe that an aesthetic sense or a formal education in visual design is necessary to become a user experience (UX) designer. This perception unfortunately becomes an obstacle for software developers who want to switch their career to UX design.If you’re a software developer who wants t

    Social shares
    727
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Design League Savings, AI Tutor, and Pricing Updates - Article hero image

    Design League Savings, AI Tutor, and Pricing Updates

    Rikke and I started IxDF in 2002 with nothing. We lived in a bamboo hut in Thailand with no investors, no safety net, and no plan B. We had a conviction that world-class design education should not be a privilege reserved for people who could afford a $15,000 degree.That conviction has never changed

    Social shares
    170
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    If You Don’t Fail, You’re Not Trying Hard Enough - Article hero image

    If You Don’t Fail, You’re Not Trying Hard Enough

    In some cultures, people never recover from failure, and Don Norman says this is wrong. In other cultures, failure is seen as a way to learn. David Kelley, the founder of design firm IDEO, once said, “Fail faster, succeed sooner.” Don says this is good, but encourages us to take it one step further,

    Social shares
    606
    Published
    Read Article

Top Articles

Top Topic Definitions

39% of Today's Skills Will Change by 2030

The World Economic Forum expects 39% of today's skills to be transformed or become outdated by 2030.

The good news is that jobs in UX / UI design and AI are among the fastest-growing professions globally.

Build Skills That Keep You Relevant

Privacy Settings

By using this site, you accept our Cookie Policy and Terms of Use.
Customize
Accept all

Be the One Who Inspires

People remember who shares great ideas.

Share on:

Academic Credibility — On Autopilot

Don't waste time googling citation formats. Just copy, paste and look legit in seconds.

Learn Design and AI From the Best

Get one powerful email each week, like 313,894 others.

Next email in: