As a copywriter in the industry who has held not one, but TWO real jobs, I clearly know all there is to know about creating a good portfolio website.  So listen up, everyone (or not, since I’m clearly being sarcastic).

I’m going to go ahead and leave the actual “work” out of this, because your work is your work and I certainly can’t change it.  Bad work is bad work and no manner of presentation will fix that. These are just some non-technical things you can do to make your portfolio and you more attractive to prospective employers. I’m basing this information on three things: critiques I’ve gotten, good portfolio sites I’ve seen, and instinct.

Make the layout easy to read, easy to load, easy to navigate.

I don’t understand really flashy flash sites.  And no, this isn’t just because I don’t know how to make them.  I just hate when someone really goes through the effort of hiding their work beneath confusing layers of design and effects. And if it takes forever to load (which it usually does), then that makes it all the more annoying.  If I can’t easily figure out how to get around on someone’s site, that also bothers me and makes me feel stupid.  I’m not saying that this is also what creative directors think, but it’s a pretty good assumption.   If you have the skills to make something complex work beautifully, then by all means, more power to you.  But if you are like me and don’t possess these skills, then keep it simple.

Mobile-friendly is a must.

Okay, maybe this is not as important as I think it is, but I recently changed my website and now my videos and radio spots won’t play on my iPhone or iPad.  And I don’t like that because an iPad makes an awesome mobile portfolio.  It is difficult to gauge compatibility across all devices, but try, if you can.  Because you never know when a recruiter might be scrolling through your site on an iPad or when you might run into a fellow creative with nothing on you but an iPhone.  It’s just a good idea to get in the practice of making things mobile-friendly.  It’s the FUTURE, dude.

Brag without bragging.

As someone who cringes every time I am forced to write an “about me” paragraph, I don’t like bragging blatantly about myself.  But when it comes down to it, we’re all trying to sell ourselves and there is a right way and a wrong way to go about that.  I’m not saying that I have perfected this, but I try to state my accomplishments with a little bit of humility and a dash of sarcasm.  You want prospective employers to know you’re proud of what you’ve accomplished but also that you aren’t full of yourself.  In my experience, creatives who are full of themselves are the worst people to work with, not to mention oftentimes the worst at actually being creative.

Personality (if you have one) should come through.

Your site should reflect your personality. That’s obvious. If you’re an art director, this should be through the design.  If you’re a writer, this should be through the writing anywhere on your site.  Don’t go overboard and over share and make everyone uncomfortable, but make sure it’s not just a portfolio site but your portfolio site.  But at the same time, don’t try to be someone that you’re not.  If you’re not a crazy, eccentric person, certainly don’t try to come across that way.  That will just create more of a problem for you when you go in for an interview and they realize you’re nothing like your site made it seem.

If it relates AT ALL to what you do, throw it in there.

My portfolio currently includes two of my most recent shorts stories.  An earlier version included a children’s book that I wrote for an astronomy class to get out of taking a test.  Do I think that everyone who visits my site reads these stories? No.  But it’s a good indicator that you have interests and talents outside of simply writing advertising copy.  And chances are, someone might at least glance at it and see what you’re capable of.  It doesn’t have to be writing, but if you are a writer, you should include some long form writing projects outside of advertising.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – there’s nothing worse than a writer who can’t write.

- Lauren Miller