PSA: A talk at the Austin design meetup last month made me rethink my whole portfolio layout

I went to a small meetup in Austin where a speaker said we should put our best work first, not last. She showed data that recruiters only look at the first three projects on average. My old portfolio saved my favorite piece for the end, thinking it was a big finish. Now I'm torn because some folks say the last project is what sticks in their mind after they close the tab. Has anyone else switched their project order and seen a real change in how people react?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_butler471mo ago

Honestly, that speaker's data about the first three projects is dead on.

max38822d ago

...and that's exactly what I was thinking when I watched it, like the way he broke down the first project's timeline was way more honest than most people give him credit for. @avery366 you called it, that earlier breakdown was spot on because those numbers really do shift how you view the whole presentation. Makes me wonder if the speaker held back on some of the later stuff to make the first three look even better than they already do.

avery3661mo ago

Saw a breakdown last week that pointed out the same thing. The numbers for those early projects never get talked about enough. Most people just skip to the later, flashier results. Really changes how you see the whole talk. Makes you wonder what else gets left out of these summaries.