Design Portfolios

Chapter 2Tell Your Story

So…tell me a little bit about yourself.

You've made it to the interview. Congratulations! Once introductions have been made and we've settled in around the conference table, this innocuous sounding request is usually the first thing to come out of my mouth in an interview. While it sounds simple enough, this common interview opener is one that sometimes makes a candidate fidget. Is this a trick question…how should I respond? Knowing how to respond is easier if you understand why I would make such a request in the first place. It's not really a trick question; it's part curiosity and part test. Just as it might be in any other conversation, the question is simply an icebreaker intended to help me better understand who you are and how you present yourself, as well as to enable a more meaningful conversation with you. What I'm asking for here is your elevator pitch; your Story.

If you stop and consider why recruiters require that you submit a cover letter, résumé, and portfolio with a job application, you'll realize that the purpose of that package is much like that of the interview question I just described. You are being asked to introduce yourself to a potential employer and make a pitch for why you might be the right candidate for the position. Consider it your “digital” elevator pitch. The difference, of course, is that you aren't there to make the presentation; your submittal must do all the talking.

As you might imagine, the way I review a digital ...