Hello everyone. Do any of you take a physical portfolio to job interviews? I do have an online one, but was wondering if I should take a physical one as well because I know some recruiters like to see physical samples, feel the paper, etc. If so, can you recommend some that are creative? I’ve seen some from Etsy where you can have your logo or name engraved onto it, which I thought was pretty cool. I would like to have something where I put my publications in as well. Any ideas?
As someone who looks at portfolios from prospective employees, I’m not especially concerned about the portfolio case. If an interviewing brings in a bunch of odds and ends in a plastic supermarket bag, it definitely sends a negative signal, but a fancy, expensive monogrammed case doesn’t make any difference to me whatsoever.
Whenever I interview someone, I’ve already seen their online portfolio, but it’s always nice to have a few things in front of us to talk about rather than trying to remember the details of something I saw two days before or passing around an iPad or whatever. It’s also nice to be surprised by something I haven’t seen before online.
In other words, bringing a few physical objects in to discuss makes the whole conversation go a lot more smoothly and helps prevent those awkward silences when everyone runs out of things to ask. It also adds substance to what I’ve already seen online, which is sort of the point of an in-person interview.
The last time I interviewed (about 3 years ago) I brought an iPad with my portfolio on it and a small “photo book” of other examples that could be handed around. It seemed to have worked. I got the job and I’m still here today.
I actually just moved about a month ago and threw away my large portfolio case because I realized I didn’t need it.
Now, if you design things that are very tangible or unique physical items, to me it makes more sense to bring in a few of those as examples of your work, otherwise most of the people we have interviewed here will do similar to what I did. Show work on a laptop or tablet and have a few printed pieces.
Thanks for the replies. Any ideas on what kind of portfolios? I’ve seen some really fancy ones for over $100, but I don’t know if I want to spend that much.
It’s really a great idea to going for an interview with some smart and positive feedback.