If you think your design portfolio needs improving, start in the middle | by Kai Wong | Nov, 2024


How a journalism technique can fix your design portfolio.

A fishing hook with a sparkly lure that seems like it’s glow on the dark on it
Photo by Kasia Derenda on Unsplash

If you’re having trouble explaining your work as a Designer, learn the power of writing a great Hook.

I’m usually not one to give design career or portfolio advice, but the job market is so crazy that many designers are having difficulty getting past the first step. Here’s the truth: you must quickly show your value as a designer to be considered for positions.

You don’t need to learn to craft the perfect elevator pitch. All you need to do is lean into a time-test technique from Journalism called the Hook.

This is something that I learned when going through the process of hiring another designer.

The scale of applicants makes traditional design methods obsolete

People have given up finding jobs on LinkedIn simply because too many people are applying.

Whether you get 600+ applications for a PM position in a week or 100+ applications in a day, it becomes improbable to get hired if you’re applicant #101. However, many designers haven’t done the math, so here’s what I experienced when I helped my team hire another designer.



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