Expected portfolio standard for entry level position

Hi,

I’m wondering if there are any examples of the level of portfolio an employer would expect to see from applicants applying for an entry level position… I will eventually be looking to apply for corporate ID entry level/junior positions and think it would be helpful if I had some idea of what level of work gets your foot through the door for an interview…

Probably a hard question to answer but thought id ask.

Cheers

That’s really hard to say. Sometimes the company doesn’t have a lot of experience with design or designers and the standards can be surprisingly low. Sometimes they want you to be “rockstars” or “design ninjas” and ask you to be their graphic designer, their logo designer, their website designer and their industrial designer at the same time (better stay away from both of them).

There is a certain industry standard when applying in a design company, but when it comes to corporate jobs in my experience there are no rules. Usually it is more important to be the right person at the right time with the right projects in the portfolio and not an abstract level of “hot sketching”- and “cad monkey”-capabilities.

In that case I will just have to go with the the standard expected when applying to design studios. Any examples of this level of portfolio by any chance?

Cheers :slight_smile:

Go to behance, look at the best rated/most viewed portfolios - that is usually the standard to aspire to. A solid mix of everything and being really good at at least one thing. No rocket science, really.
But the metrics for getting a job at a ID firm are not very representative in my opinion. They usually pitch and present to clients a lot, so they will look for people who can sketch, render and present well. Those skills are not equally useful in every industry.
There are corporations that do all their developement inhouse. You can be a designer in such a corporation and never once do or see a keyshot rendering in years - because they take the sketch right to a prototype. Just an example, but that happens and is highly dependent on the industry. That’s why I am saying: It is more important to show up at the right time and show them the projects they want to see. So ask yourself: What kind of corporate industrial designer do you want to be? And then do projects in that field. If they make industrial printing machines or plastic tableware will greatly influence their choice of designer.

Thankyou for the advice and the insight. Cheers

Agreed, look at recent grads on Coroflot and see where you compare in different skill areas, sketching, presentation, CAD, but also compare the stories you are able to tell with your process and projects.

Every employer will look for different skill sets at different times. Sometimes you might someone who shows great sketch ideation and can come up with lots of fresh ideas. Other times you might want someone who demonstrates more technical skills and could support your senior designers with projects.

In groups with lots of Jr. Designers, they may purposely blend designers with varied skillsets to round out the group better.

Lastly, keep in mind your portfolio will get you in the door but your personality and fit will get you a job. Good communication, humility, and a clear desire to learn are just as important to get across to a potential employer as to how awesome your solidworks skills may be.

Good luck,