Building a Consulting Portfolio

Let me ask you this: Does your portfolio reflect the work you actually want to be hired to do? If your answer is, “Yeah! I want to be an instructional designer!” ...that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about the kind of instructional designer you want to be. Do you want to design courses? Build systems? Lead strategy? Improve performance? Facilitate change? Because here’s the thing…most portfolios default to the same stuff: ✅ Storyline modules ✅ Rise demos ✅ Job aids about the ADDIE process And that’s totally fine (minus the ADDIE job aid)....if that’s the kind of work you want to do. But not every ID role involves eLearning. Not every L&D professional is a course creator. And not every portfolio needs to be packed with eLearning examples. Your portfolio isn’t just a box to check. It’s a positioning tool. A statement. A signal. It should help you attract the kind of work that lights you up, and quietly filter out the stuff that doesn’t. Ya know, when I built my first portfolio, I learned this the hard way. I thought the goal was to showcase everything I was capable of. So I loaded it up: presentations I’d designed, facilitator guides I’d created, eLearning courses I’d built, videos I’d edited—everything. My thinking at the time was: “The more I include, the more capable I’ll look.” But what actually happened? Hiring managers couldn’t tell what I specialized in. And I kept getting inquiries about work I didn’t even want to do. That experience taught me a valuable lesson: Your portfolio mirrors your focus. Get specific, or get overlooked. So if your goal is to land work you enjoy and work you’re great at, then your portfolio has to tell that story. Show the kind of work you want to be hired for. Be intentional. Be specific. And don’t be afraid to leave things out. Because clarity isn’t limiting, it’s powerful. 👉 If you want to see what it looks like to build a portfolio without any eLearning examples, check out my latest video with the link down in the comments! Have a great week! 👋 Tim #eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment

"I didn't need a portfolio when I landed my last two jobs."  "All my past projects are under NDA." "I can share my work during the call." “It's taking too long and isn't a priority." ---> I hear it almost every day, and I get it. It’s great you could get a great role without having a portfolio in the past. But the thing is - the market has changed. And someone needs to tell this: Yes, there are still ways to get an offer without a portfolio: 1. If you personally worked with someone from the hiring team, and can get a very strong referral. 2. If you are as good as almost overqualified for the role. Now, hiring managers expect to see your work before a conversation. Without a portfolio, or with an old one, you might get overlooked. In the last 6 months, I worked with 15+ clients in the US and Europe on design openings. And believe me - I truly want to see you succeed! (yes, you got me - I get paid for it) So, I need to be honest with you. Harsh truth: 80%+ of hiring managers are now 𝗻𝗼𝘁 ready to consider candidates who can’t share their work before the call. It's no longer about waiting until the interview - it's about showing your skills to start the conversation. So, if you're running into these roadblocks, here’s what to do: ❌ All my projects are under NDA. ✅ Password-protected website pages, blurred logos, anonymized projects, or a Loom recording explaining your work in 5-10 minutes. ❌ I keep putting it off because I want everything to be perfect. ✅ You don’t need to have it perfect. It just needs to be visually clean and user-friendly. Start with a simple minimalistic design, 1 page with contact info + links to 2 cases. Use Framer to move fast. ❌ I’m still working on it. ✅ Start with your best projects. Even 2 cases in the portfolio is usually enough for a conversation starter. ❌ I can share my work during the call. ✅ I know presenting work is ideal, but hiring managers might prefer candidates who can share it upfront. At least 1 case can get things moving. ❌ I didn't need one before ✅ I understand, but the market is different now. If you’ve been looking for a new role for 1-2 months with no success, it’s time to have one! It seems the portfolio is no longer optional. A good part is - it will open so many doors for you! What other concerns do you have about the portfolio? Anyone had luck landing a job without one in the last 12 months? #uxhiring #portfolio #tips #ux #design

Not getting another interview after your portfolio presentation? Maybe this is why 👇 I've sat in many portfolio presentations. I also work with numerous mentees, helping shape their stories. The biggest mistake I always see is not showcasing the why behind your work. Context. So many presentations go like this: - Hi, it me 👋 - Here's my first case - Here is a persona I made - Here is another persona I made - Here is an arbitrary user flow - Here is a sketch I made - Here is a wireframe I made - Here is the final solution - I learned a couple of things Your presentation should be a story, not a simple show and tell. Don't just tell your audience WHAT you did. Tell them WHY you did it. The why connects your thought process to your design. We want to hear what drove your decisions. Paint a vivid picture of the challenges you faced, the insights you stumbled upon, and the brainstorms that led to breakthroughs. What separates you from other designers is how you think and your design decisions. ✅ Frame your failures ✅ Dissect your decisions ✅ Incorporate your successes ✅ Create a beginning, middle, and end ✅ Show the path from initial idea to final Each slide and each statement should reveal a bit more about your thinking process. Details matter. Subtleties matter. They all add up to a powerful narrative. When your presentation is infused with purpose and passion, your work shines. It demonstrates your technical skills and your capacity for critical thinking, problem-solving, and empathetic understanding. And that's what sets you apart. Not just the sheer quality of your work but also the depth of thought put into it. Make them remember what you did and why you did it. Because, in the end, it's the why that truly matters. ------------------------------------- 🔔 Follow: Mollie Cox ♻ Repost to help others 💾 Save it for future use

Confession: While I've reviewed thousands of portfolios, I've never read a case study all the way through. I ALWAYS scan them. I just don't have the time to look through every detail. And I know that most other folks who are reviewing portfolios are doing the exact same thing for the same reasons. This means that your portfolio should: 1. Make it easy to scan 2. Use big, high quality visuals 3. Tell quick, concise stories 4. Most importantly, make that story easy to consume in two minutes or less If I were to build my portfolio today, here's how I would do it using these principles: 1️⃣ I'd have a top overview section that has a short blurb of what to expect/what I accomplished AND the final mockups/prototype of what I created. 2️⃣ I'd write out each case study using a word document first to make sure that my headlines told the entire story quickly and concisely. I'd use a classic story arc 1. Context/background 2. Conflict 3. Rising action 4. Climax 5. Falling action 6. Resolution The simpler version of this is the 3 Cs of storytelling: 1. Context 2. Conflict 3. Change (AKA what improved as a result of your work) 3️⃣ I'd optimize my headlines below the overview to tell the story of what I learned. Once everything was written out in a Google doc, I'd edit everything down to the essentials. I'd make sure to pull out the important learnings/quotes and make them big so reviewers could easily scan them. 4️⃣ I'd break up sections with large images to make it feel more interesting and less fatiguing. 5️⃣ I'd ask friends and family to read it and provide feedback about clarity and how much time it took them. If they can easily understand it, see my impact, and quickly go through it, then I'm on the right track. 6️⃣ I'd use LinkedIn and adplist.org to find more folks to provide feedback. Again, I'd focus their feedback on clarity and the amount of time it took for them to go through it.

My team and I recently wrapped up interviews for one of the most competitive #businessintelligence positions I've ever hired: Over 300 applications and dozens of resumes for me to review spanning hundreds of pages of intriguing experience... and exactly one portfolio. One. I'm not going to lie, this absolutely astonished me in 2024. BI and #datavisualization jobs are still in incredibly high demand and talent is not keeping pace with that demand. If you're confident that you have the skills and want to be absolutely sure that your resume will float to the top of the pile, show the hiring team what you can do. Yes, this might backfire some of the time (your portfolio may help the hiring team decide against you even faster) but even this isn't necessarily a bad thing: Faster rejection means faster feedback means faster calibration of your portfolio/resume so that you can regroup and move onto new opportunities. It just wasn't mean to be! A few tips for your portfolio, though, based on the handful of portfolios I've received from interested candidates: 1. Aim for Quality, Not Quantity: Don't show me over a dozen slapped together dashboards that show me nothing of your analytical acumen, attention to detail, and overall style. Give me 3 solid examples that briefly explain the business scenario, communicate clear insights, and demonstrate at least some real technical ability (I can usually tell how comfortable you are with concepts like DAX, bookmarks, etc. within 30 seconds of looking at your portfolio). 2. Aesthetics Do Matter: The moment my team and I open your portfolio, for better or worse we will notice the presentation/design of your work before we've processed a single data visual. So keep your colors minimal, research smart design principles like Gestalt theory, and identify your #dashboard heroes on your social media platform of choice so that you're getting a steady drip of great design work from BI experts. 3. Sweat the Small Stuff: If you're planning to make a 12-piece portfolio, see Advice 1 and pare those aspirations down to 3 pieces. Then, use the additional time you just saved yourself to go much deeper with the detail and build out several robust examples. Then use more of the additional time you just saved yourself to spellcheck like you're defusing a bomb. You might get a pass on some innocent mistakes for an entry-level job but for higher-level positions, I want to know that you can build client-ready products with minimal supervision. Attention to detail is everything and, on a side note, I'm grateful to the amazing leaders I had early on in my career who helped me to develop mine by being absolutely ruthless critics. They know who they are. And if you're looking for a new BI job, good luck out there!

Designers face a huge challenge. Most of your portfolio is hidden. Like an iceberg, 95% stays underwater. But clients/recruiters only see the tip. It’s your job to shape that tip. Because visibility beats depth online. Recruiters don’t dig. They scan, then move on. Strong visuals stop the scroll. Clear outcomes spark curiosity. That’s the combo that gets interviews. Want to make the visible 5% count? Here’s what helps: – Lead with high-impact visuals – Add 1–2 punchy outcome statements – Skip the long intros, go straight to results – Show your top 3 projects on your homepage – Keep scrolling to 30 seconds or less Is it fair? Maybe not. But it works. Once you’re in the room, go deep. Then reveal the rest of the iceberg. But first → earn the click. Make the surface count.

I was talking to a hiring manager who said something that stuck with me: “The best portfolios are everywhere. I’m looking for people who get it.” He wants someone who can clearly show how they think and how they fit. That’s where some portfolios fall short. I’ve reviewed hundreds of portfolios over the years. One thing is consistent and great work showing the final product with no context can get overlooked. Think about how to make it easy to understand:
 - What problem were you solving?
 - Why did you make certain decisions?
 - What was your role in the project?
 - What came out of it? (Impact, learnings, results) Tailor it to the role:
 - Want a UX job? Show UX work. Walk us through your research, early sketches, wireframes, testing, not branding projects. - Going for a visual/brand design role? Highlight your layouts, redesigns or campaigns. - Applying for a senior position? Make sure we can see leadership, not just execution. Tell the story, not just the outcome:
Some of the strongest portfolios I’ve seen had the goal, their role, process shots or early ideas and a short note on what worked. It doesn’t have to be everything but it does have to be clear. Your portfolio is your voice when you’re not in the room so help the viewer understand how you think, what you care about and why you're the right fit. I've learned a lot from the hiring managers and creative directors I've worked with over the years and I’m grateful for the insight they’ve shared. Every hiring manager sees things a little differently but I hope some of this helps someone out there trying to figure out how to stand out.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫? 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐈𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬: A recruiter is looking at two resumes for a data analyst position. Both candidates have similar skills and experience, but one has a portfolio filled with real-world projects, detailed explanations, and tangible results. Which candidate stands out? When I was starting, I didn’t have a portfolio. I quickly realized that without it, I was missing a crucial opportunity to showcase my work. A strong portfolio isn’t just a collection of projects, it’s your story. It demonstrates how you think, solve problems, and make an impact. Here’s how to build a portfolio that truly shines: 1️⃣ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤: Focus on quality over quantity. Pick 3-5 projects that highlight your skills and have clear, measurable results. Whether it’s a model that improved decisions or a dashboard with impactful insights, each project should tell a story. 2️⃣ 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭: Don’t just list what you did, tell why it mattered. What problem were you solving? What was your approach? How did your solution benefit the business or users? This context helps employers see the value you bring. 3️⃣ 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬: Employers want to know how you think. Detail the steps you took, the tools you used, and any challenges you faced. Did you clean a messy dataset? Choose a specific algorithm? Showing your process sets you apart from others. 4️⃣ 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐈𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞: Make sure your portfolio is easy to navigate. Use a simple layout, and clear headings, and ensure all links work. If it’s a website, make sure it’s mobile-friendly. The easier it is to explore, the more likely it is to impress. Your portfolio is more than just an add-on to your resume, it’s a reflection of your skills, creativity, and attention to detail. In a competitive job market, it could be the difference between landing an interview and being overlooked. If you don’t have a portfolio yet, start building one today. If you have one, review it, does it showcase your best work? If you need feedback or help getting started, I’m here to support you. Found this helpful? Consider re-sharing 🔁 with your network. Follow Mohammed Wasim for more tips, success stories of international students, and data opportunities in US!

I used to get ghosted all the time, even when I thought my resume was perfect. Turns out, something else mattered more. For a long time, I assumed that if I just kept tweaking my resume and sending more applications, things would eventually work out. But the callbacks just weren’t coming, and honestly, it was frustrating watching other people land interviews while I kept getting passed over. Everything changed when I finally set up a personal portfolio website. Here’s what I noticed: 1. Instant credibility. Once I added my site to my resume, interviewers started referencing my projects by name, asking about things I’d built, and complimenting the design. Suddenly, my applications stood out from the crowd. (If you want to see mine: https://lnkd.in/gfF2bm3z) 2. Beyond the bullet points.   A portfolio lets you show your real work and personality, something a resume just can’t do. Sharing your story, your projects, and even your “in progress” ideas makes you memorable. (as well as what makes you *you*) 3. No tech skills required.   These days, there’s really no excuse not to have a portfolio. Tools like v0 or Lovable let you build a great-looking site in a day, even if you’ve never touched HTML (that is exactly what I did). 4. Game-changer in interviews.   Having a site made technical and behavioral interviews smoother. When asked about a project, I could pull it up live, show code, and even share challenges I faced, instantly making my answers more concrete. Not to mention, the interviewers had more background and more interest in my projects because my site could give them extra info and present it in a fun way. 5. “Show, don’t just tell”...in both interviews and in prep. Building a portfolio forced me to prove my skills instead of just claiming them on a resume. The same principle works for interview prep. That’s why I love Interview Prepper Quickies: they give you a chance to practice real, interview-ready skills in bite-sized, hands-on daily minigames, so when someone asks about your abilities, you can actually show, not just tell. If you’re still building your skills or don’t feel confident in the fundamentals, start with Interview Prepper to strengthen your base and get interview-ready. www.interviewprepper.co Your story is worth telling. Don’t let it get lost in the stack.