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Writer's pictureTianyu Koenig

Portfolio is more than just showing your projects

Many students come to ask me for a portfolio critique but nobody ever emphasized on their About page. Believe it or not, most hiring managers, including myself, do not go to your cases right away, we scroll through your homepage, go straight to the “About” page, then go back and check out 1 or 2 cases. The reason is simple - before seeing what you can do, we want to know who you are first.


Imagine you are introducing yourself at a hiring event. How would you start? I don’t think you would go straight to your credentials and design tools, right? Maybe you would start with where you are from, what you do, why you are passionate about what you do, and your career aspiration. Next, how about sharing a bit about your design philosophy? What are you learning now? What are your hobbies outside of work?



Even if it's just a short blurb, try to avoid using self-labels such as “data-driven designer,” and “multi-disciplinary UX enthusiast,” or generic definitions of industry terms like “design thinking process.” If everything sounds generic and vague, you are blurred with the rest of the candidates very quickly.


⭐ Here are some ideas to make your “About” page more memorable:


  1. How to pronounce your name and what does it mean, especially if you have a foreign name

  2. A personal story related to your profession that can be explained in 1-2 sentences.

  3. Pictures and videos of your hobbies, whether that’s creating art, crocheting, or snowboarding. If you are proud of it, show it.

  4. A high-quality picture of yourself relevant to what you wrote, with a caption.

  5. Humor! “I once designed an onboarding flow to introduce my parents to my dog.”


Now your turn! Feel free to DM me with your introduction pitch or book a session with me, let’s tinker together!

 

Need a portfolio review?

Hi there! My name is Tianyu. I’m a certified career coach and a UX Lead at a top recruiting company in the US. I have ten years of experience in American tech companies, including Meta and Google. I’m passionate about helping others gain clarity and confidence in their career.



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