Design Portfolios

Chapter 5Share Your Work

Let's have a look at your portfolio, shall we?

Cautiously, I placed my portfolio on the conference table and opened it to my first project. I began, “This first project is one that I…” Before I could complete the sentence, the interviewer grabbed my binder and began flipping through the pages. A few “hmmms” later, he looked up and asked, “When can you start?” Stunned, I asked, “You mean…you want to hire me?” He returned his attention to my portfolio, then glanced back at me and said, “Great, Monday will work fine. How much do you want?” Unfortunately, I didn't have a ready answer for that question either. Preoccupied, I was still debating the first question…Oh no, I'm going to have to cancel next week's trip to the beach! Before I could say a word, he said, “OK, you'll start at $5 an hour. We'll see you on Monday morning, 8:00 sharp.” Wait…is $5 enough? Let's see, I made $2.65 an hour pumping gas last summer. Monday? What?

That interview lasted all of 15 minutes. I wish I could tell you that I was prepared, but it's obvious I wasn't. I requested an interview with that firm in early spring and had never heard back from them. The day after graduation, I decided to drop by unannounced; I was just passing by, right? Most recruiters will tell you not to just “drop by,” that it's not professional (and, I agree, it's not), but I didn't have anything to lose. Luck would have it, I walked in during lunch and the President of the firm was the only person in ...