Jon,
You gotta think about where the rubber hits the road. The person reviewing your work (ultimately the hiring manager) will looking at your visualization skills sets (sketching, rendering 3D render, etc). YO’s assessment to put your work into his ‘maybe pile’ might be on the generous side. I would really sharpen on the sketching/rendering side of things- in particular paying attention to perspective drawings. I think once you master the ability to sketch and render you’ll have the attention of the person looking at your portolio/resume (who would likely have an eye for design), then he or she will dwell further into your resume and skill sets. I have to admit when applicants (even consultancies) sent me their work/capabilities I gloss over their resumes and awards and go straight to their hand drawn sketches and renderings, then their released products, then other capabilities. Hope this helps…