👋 Introduction

Welcome to Portfolio Masterclass!

During this 5-day course, I will guide you through the 5 steps that you can implement immediately and bring your portfolio to the next level. One step each day.

Portfolio Masterclass Playbook

In addition to emails and video content, I’ve prepared The Portfolio Masterclass Playbook. It’s a Notion-based workbook designed to accompany the course and give you some space to work through the exercises. It’s also a place to return to as you continue to grow your portfolio. Please, keep in mind that it is not designed to be a textbook, and to get value out of the course, it should be used alongside the course lessons rather than instead of them.

Course outline

During this Masterclass, I will send you 5 emails with the video content and actionable steps you can take that day. Each day of the course is about a different theme.

• Day 1: Projects Inventory - We’ll perform the inventory of your projects. I will share with you how to choose projects for your portfolio and how to determine if they are high-quality
• Day 2: Goals - Why and how to include them in your case study, so they have the most impact
• Day 3: Design process - We’ll talk about showing design process with a focus on challenges and decisions to create a balanced narrative.
• Day 4: Text & Structure - We’ll focus on text and structure. I will share my methods for making the case study scannable and engaging.
• Day 5: Mockups & Visuals - I’ll share insights about mockups and visuals - how to present them, provide context, and guide viewers' attention.

Why should I put additional time and effort into improving my portfolio?

💡 I see the portfolio as an asset for a Designer. If you’re going to invest in it upfront to increase its value, it will eventually start benefiting you by creating opportunities. The level of opportunities that your portfolio will win for you is proportionate to its quality.

🔑 A portfolio is a key component during the Product Design recruitment process; it is usually a must-have for individual contributors.

🤝 Your portfolio is often the first thing that recruiters and hiring managers see. It’s your introduction, and an opportunity to give a good first impression.

🙅‍♀️ A portfolio is usually a make or break. No matter how good your CV and experience are, if your portfolio does not meet the bar, there is no possibility of moving forward in the recruitment process.

⏰ In addition, your portfolio needs to be optimised since you don’t have a lot of time to grab their attention. It takes a couple of minutes for the recruiter to do the initial scan of your portfolio.

💎 A huge benefit of improving your portfolio is getting ahead of the competition. There is a big pool of Designers with low-quality portfolios, and there is a small group with high-quality portfolios. If you’re competing for the same jobs, being in the high-quality group lets you stand out and put yourself at a significant advantage. To be clear, a high-quality portfolio doesn’t have to contain case studies from the biggest companies or have a marvelous UI with animations. A portfolio with a correct implementation of the principles that I would like to show you already puts you in the top tier and can go a really long way.

💡 The art of building a portfolio is separate from the Product Designer skillset. Building case studies is about storytelling, synthesis, distilling information, and providing context.

Product Design Candidate Scorecard

I would like to invite you to take a 🎯 Product Design Candidate Scorecard - it’s a free test that will let you evaluate where you are currently and identify potential areas for growth when it comes to looking for a design job and preparing for the recruitment process. It is quick, it takes less than 10 minutes to take, and it can help you determine what to focus on to increase your chances of landing your dream job.

👉 Take the scorecard now: https://product-design-candidate-scorecard.scoreapp.com/

Contact & feedback

📩 If you have any questions or would like to share feedback about the course, please send Alicja a message at [email protected]

👉 Join our Discord group https://discord.gg/5szcHY8K for more support and contact with other Students. Use the invitation in the first email from this Masterclass. See you there!