Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody | UX, Product Design, UX Research 104: Your UX portfolio isn't about selling the product you worked on, it's about selling YOU
In this episode, Sarah Doody delivers a hot take on a common mistake in UX portfolios: focusing too much on showcasing the product and not enough on showcasing the designer. Drawing on her experience reviewing thousands of portfolios since 2017, Sarah explains why it's critical to highlight your decision-making process, iterations, and problem-solving skills to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers.
Timestamps
00:44 Understanding the Recruiter's Perspective
02:41 Key Elements to Highlight in Your Portfolio
03:00 Showcasing Your Decision-Making Process
03:49 The Importance of Iteration and Trade-offs
06:42 Collaboration and Learning from Projects
08:40 Conclusion and Additional Resources
Key Takeaways:
- Sell Yourself, Not Just the Product
- Your portfolio should showcase how you think, not just the shiny end results.
- Recruiters and hiring managers are the users of your portfolio, and their needs differ from internal stakeholders.
- Common Portfolio Pitfalls
- Reusing slides and presentations designed for team meetings or stakeholder updates.
- Treating your portfolio like an investor pitch deck, focusing on visuals rather than process.
- What Recruiters and Hiring Managers Want to See:
- Decision-Making Process: Explain why you chose specific methods or solutions.
- Iterations and Evolution: Show how your designs evolved and improved.
- Trade-offs: Highlight how you handled constraints like budget, time, or team capacity.
- Challenges: Share how you navigated setbacks or unexpected problems.
- Collaboration: Demonstrate how you worked with peers or across departments.
- Lessons Learned: Reflect on what you gained from the project and how it informs your future work.
- Reframe Your Portfolio:
- Treat it as a showcase of your thinking and not just your output.
- Avoid the temptation to make it a "Shark Tank" pitch for your project.
Resources Mentioned:
- E91: No, you don’t need 3-5 projects in your UX Potfolio to apply for a job
- E85: Q&A about UX portfolio formats, case studies, tailoring your portfolio, & more
- E60: Create a portfolio that stands out by focusing on your benefits, not features as a candidate
- Blog: 8 UX Portfolio Website Mistakes To Avoid
- Career Strategy Lab: A 3-month UX career coaching program to help mid and senior-level professionals navigate their job search and secure roles with five-figure salary increases.
Connect with Sarah:
Enjoyed the Episode?
- Share it with a friend or colleague!
- Rate us on Spotify or review us on Apple Podcasts.
Thanks for listening! Catch you next week. 🎙️
🎬 Watch our free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in 2025
👉 Join Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.
👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.