How to Build an Interesting Portfolio that Gets you the Job

I was recruiting for a role and part of the requirements was for the candidates to share their portfolios. My observation led me to write this newsletter.

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So to the topic of the day: How to write an interesting portfolio.

Some weeks back, I was trying to fill the role of a social media manager. As part of the application, candidates were required to submit their portfolios. Looking through the portfolios, I realized that most people [or at least the portfolios I’ve seen in the times I’ve attempted recruiting ] were doing their portfolios wrong.

They simply add the logos of the brands they’ve worked with and for some, the extra mile is to slap screenshots of their work [social posts, email copy, articles, etc] into the portfolio, and viola! Portfolio is done.

This is wrong for one reason: it doesn’t provide context. When I look at your portfolio, I want to understand:

• What was the state of the brand/business before you met it?

• Is there anything interesting that was happening in that sector when you joined?

• What approach did you take?

• What did you do? [this is where you can now add screenshots of your post.]

Unless you’re Sam Altman or some celebrity marketer, adding the logos of brands you’ve worked with won’t just do.

The Purpose of a Portfolio

The goal of your marketing portfolio [can’t speak for other disciplines 😂] is to tell a story that you couldn’t fit into your resume. For instance, if you listed on your resume that you increased retention from 5% to 20% MoM, your portfolio is a place to get into a little detail about that. 

For instance, you could talk briefly about the strategy you used to increase retention. This helps the hiring manager see the depth of your expertise.

P.S. I am not advocating for wordy portfolios. What I am saying is, figure out how to provide more context without being too wordy. In the next section, I’ll show you how I attempted to do that in my portfolio.

The Evolution of My Marketing Portfolio.

First of all, a disclaimer. My marketing portfolio is not perfect. A more experienced marketer may probably be convinced that I am doing it all wrong. What’s most important, however, is that I believe that after a handful of iterations, this is the best approach to building my portfolio…for now.

Portfolio 1: Made in 2022

This is the first portfolio I created. I made it with Google Sites.

I provided a professional summary [that might be a bit too long, depending on the opinion of who’s reading] and included images/videos of my work with a short commentary on what I did.

What’s missing:

• I didn't share the results from the activities I mentioned.

Portfolio 2: Made sometime in 2023

In 2023, I decided that Google Sites wasn't flexible enough and decided to try a new website builder Vzy. 

There isn't much difference between this portfolio and the first. Or maybe there is. I changed the header photo and included the results in the summary. Another thing I did differently was to add links to my Substack newsletter and my medium profile.

I also added the link to an artifact I submitted to Reforge.

Portfolio 3: Made in 2024

I built my third portfolio on Carrd. I wasn’t satisfied with the look of my second portfolio and I hit a roadblock with Vzy. The template I used wasn’t flexible and they had limited themes to choose from. So I moved to Carrd [for no particular reason except that I recalled that I’d heard of them as a landing page builder. I don’t know anyone who’s used it or read reviews. I simply decided to try it].

What I did differently this time around was provide more context into what I did.

In one role, I shared a bit of what was happening in the market. This makes it easy to understand the value of my work. In another, I briefly mentioned the startup’s target customers.

What’s in this new portfolio:

• I quantified my achievements

• I added all the other stuff I do by the side like the early-stage marketer community and the swipe files I am building

• I shortened the hero section [quite a feat! 😀]

What I think isn’t so right:

• Depending on who’s reading, it may be slightly long. [I tried my best to shorten it though]

• I didn’t have a photo in the hero section [I was keen on selecting the most flexible template I could find. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with a place for a photo]

• It is monochromic. This feedback is from my sister. When I tried adding more colours, it looked like kindergarten coloring homework so I had to revert to all white.

That’s it from me! What other advice would you give a marketer who wants to build an interesting portfolio that showcases their skills and puts them in a position to get their dream job?