How to Create an Engineering Portfolio

Summary

This video script details the transformative power of a well-crafted portfolio in securing job interviews, especially for engineers. The speaker shares their journey from frequent rejections to landing interviews at top companies like Apple, Uber, and Facebook. They outline the importance of a portfolio in showcasing past work, the three main methods to create one (PDF, GitHub, or a personal website), and a six-step process to organize it effectively. The video also includes tips on tailoring portfolios to job applications, maintaining confidentiality with professional projects, and leveraging theoretical knowledge as a fresh engineer.

Takeaways

• 📑 A portfolio can significantly improve job interview opportunities, even leading to interviews with top companies like Apple, Uber, and Facebook.
• 🛠️ There are three main ways to create a portfolio: a PDF document, a GitHub account, or a personal website, with the PDF being the easiest to start with.
• 🔍 A portfolio serves as a showcase of past work, including images and summaries, and is crucial for demonstrating skills and experience to potential employers.
• 👷‍♂️ Tailoring the portfolio to the job application by selecting relevant projects increases the chances of getting an interview.
• 📈 Including the project process, technical skills, and results in the portfolio helps demonstrate a candidate's capabilities and the project's success.
• 📝 The script emphasizes the importance of telling a story with work, being clear about contributions, and showing hard technical skills in every project.
• 🔗 Having a link to the portfolio in the resume is essential for both software and hardware engineers to make it accessible to hiring managers.
• 🚫 For positions involving confidentiality, like at Tesla, it's crucial to get approval before sharing projects to avoid revealing sensitive information.
• 💼 Creating a 'master portfolio' that includes all past projects allows for easy customization when applying to different companies.
• 🎨 Personal projects can be included in a portfolio, especially when starting out, but professional projects are preferred as experience grows.
• 📐 The script provides a step-by-step guide to building a portfolio, including organizing projects, writing descriptions, and choosing relevant images.

Q & A

What is the main skill discussed in the video that helped the speaker transition from getting rejected to landing interviews at top companies?

The main skill discussed is creating a portfolio to showcase one's work, which can significantly improve the chances of getting job interviews.

What are the three main ways to create a portfolio as mentioned in the video?

The three main ways are creating a PDF document with images and summaries of work, using a GitHub account to share code, and building a website to display images, prototypes, and designs.

Why is a PDF portfolio recommended for those who have never created a portfolio before?

A PDF portfolio is recommended because it is the easiest option to create and can effectively compile the best projects into one document, which can then be attached to a resume when applying for jobs.

What should be included in a portfolio to make it stand out to recruiters?

A portfolio should include the process of the work, clear explanations of contributions and results, storytelling with the work, demonstration of hard technical skills, and tailoring to the job being applied for.

What is a 'master portfolio' and how does it help in job applications?

A master portfolio is a comprehensive collection of all past projects. It allows the job applicant to select and tailor the portfolio to match the specific requirements of each job application, making it more relevant and appealing to potential employers.

Why is it important to tailor a portfolio when applying for jobs, even though it might seem impractical to tailor for each job?

Tailoring a portfolio to a specific job helps demonstrate the applicant's understanding of the job requirements and how their skills and experiences align with the role, increasing the chances of being considered for an interview.

What is the recommended length for a portfolio, and why?

A portfolio should ideally be two to three pages long, ensuring that each project is intentional and relevant to the job being applied for. This length is manageable for a hiring manager to review without being overwhelming.

How can one ensure that their portfolio is not too large when submitting it for job applications, given that there are often size limits?

One can use tools like PDF joiner to combine the resume and portfolio, and then use a PDF compressor to reduce the file size to meet submission requirements, while maintaining readability.

What are some personal projects included in the speaker's portfolio, and why were they chosen?

The speaker included personal projects like 'Drill Guard' and 'Happy', a toilet attachment for health analysis. These projects were chosen because they demonstrate innovation and the ability to work on diverse projects outside of professional settings.

Why is it important to get approval from companies before sharing professional projects in a portfolio?

Getting approval is crucial to respect the company's confidentiality and intellectual property, especially if the projects involve sensitive or unreleased information.

What should be the focus of a portfolio for someone aiming for a mechanical engineering position?

For a mechanical engineering position, the portfolio should focus on CAD work, design processes, and projects that demonstrate mechanical design and fabrication skills, rather than coding or other unrelated areas.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Power of a Portfolio for Job Applications

This paragraph introduces the concept of a portfolio as a critical tool for job applicants, particularly in the tech industry. The speaker shares their personal experience of transforming from a frequent job rejection to securing interviews with top companies like Apple, Uber, and Facebook by creating a portfolio. The paragraph outlines different methods to create a portfolio, such as a PDF document, a GitHub account, or a personal website, and emphasizes the importance of tailoring the portfolio to the job application. It also discusses the benefits of a portfolio in standing out among other applicants and provides a six-step process to organize one's portfolio, complete with a free template.

05:01

🛠️ Building a Portfolio: Techniques and Examples

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of building a portfolio, starting with the speaker's personal portfolio as an example. It discusses the importance of showcasing the project process, technical skills, and the ability to tell a story with one's work. The speaker provides a step-by-step guide on how to document each project, including the 'what,' 'how,' and 'results' aspects, and stresses the significance of tailoring the portfolio to the job's requirements. The paragraph also touches on the idea of a 'master portfolio' and the importance of confidentiality when including professional projects, especially from companies with strict non-disclosure policies.

10:01

🖼️ Organizing and Presenting Your Portfolio

The final paragraph focuses on the organization and presentation of a portfolio. It provides guidance on how to structure the document, including the use of images, concise titles, and brief descriptions under each image to explain the project. The speaker advises on the order of projects, suggesting either a chronological or a relevance-based approach. The paragraph concludes with tips on what not to include in a portfolio, such as outdated projects, irrelevant work experience, and personal hobbies, and emphasizes the importance of showcasing theoretical knowledge as a strength, especially for younger or less experienced engineers.

Keywords

💡Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of work samples that demonstrate a person's skills and accomplishments. In the context of the video, a portfolio is crucial for job applications as it showcases previous projects and helps candidates stand out in the hiring process. The speaker emphasizes that having a portfolio can significantly increase the chances of landing job interviews with top companies.

💡PDF Document

A PDF document is one of the recommended formats for creating a portfolio. It is suitable for hardware engineers to display images and summaries of their work. The video suggests that creating a PDF portfolio is the easiest way to start and can be attached to resumes when applying for jobs.

💡GitHub Account

A GitHub account is an online platform where software engineers can share their code and projects with potential employers. The video mentions GitHub as an effective way for software engineers to showcase their work and provide recruiters with direct access to their coding skills.

💡Website Portfolio

A website portfolio is a personal website where one can display work samples, including pictures, prototypes, and design projects. It is a versatile option for both hardware and software engineers, allowing them to include links to their work and make it easily accessible to recruiters.

💡Recruiter's Perspective

Understanding the recruiter's perspective is important for job applicants. The video explains that recruiters prefer candidates who present a clear and comprehensive view of their skills and projects, as this helps them assess if the candidate is a good fit for the job. A well-organized portfolio can make a positive impression on recruiters.

💡Master Portfolio

A master portfolio is a comprehensive collection of all projects a candidate has worked on. The video suggests creating a master portfolio to streamline the process of tailoring portfolios for specific job applications. Candidates can then select relevant projects from the master portfolio to include in job-specific portfolios.

💡Project Process

The project process involves detailing the steps taken to complete a project, not just the final product. The video stresses the importance of showing the process in a portfolio, as it demonstrates problem-solving skills, technical abilities, and the candidate's approach to project management.

💡Technical Skills

Technical skills refer to the specific abilities and knowledge required to perform tasks in engineering and technology fields. The video highlights the need to showcase hard technical skills in a portfolio, as these skills are critical for demonstrating competence in the candidate's area of expertise.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling in a portfolio means presenting projects in a narrative format that engages the viewer. The video suggests telling a story with work samples to make the portfolio more compelling and memorable. This involves explaining the challenges faced, solutions implemented, and outcomes achieved.

💡Tailored Portfolio

A tailored portfolio is customized to align with the specific job a candidate is applying for. The video advises job seekers to tailor their portfolios to highlight relevant projects and skills for each job application. This approach makes the portfolio more relevant and increases the chances of attracting the recruiter's interest.

Highlights

Making a portfolio significantly increases the chances of landing job interviews with top tech companies.

A portfolio showcases your work by sharing samples of past projects, and it can be in the form of a PDF, GitHub account, or website.

A PDF portfolio is recommended for beginners as it's the easiest to create.

Submitting a portfolio alongside your resume helps you stand out from other candidates.

Separate portfolios for hardware and software jobs increase relevance and impact.

A good portfolio shows the process, not just the finished work, and includes clear explanations of what you did, how you did it, and the final results.

Tell a story with your work and highlight your hard technical skills.

Creating a master portfolio with all your projects allows you to tailor submissions for specific job applications.

Professional projects should be included over personal projects, but ensure to get approval if they are confidential.

Organize your portfolio with a concise title for each section and include small company logos for a more aesthetic look.

Use images to complement brief texts under the headings 'What', 'How', and 'Results' for each project.

Ensure your portfolio is not overly wordy and avoid repeating resume content.

Save the top heading with your name, major, university, and contact information for easy reference.

Don't include irrelevant work experience, very old projects, or projects you didn't actually work on.

Young engineers should leverage their theoretical knowledge to stand out against more experienced candidates.

Transcripts

this one skill helped me go from someone

who was always getting rejected when

applying to jobs all the way to someone

who was able to land interviews with

companies like apple uber facebook and a

bunch of tech startups can you guess

what it is it's making a portfolio it's

crazy how this piece of paper right here

can make such a huge difference when it

comes to getting job interviews in this

video i'll go into more detail on what a

portfolio is why it's so important what

mine looks like and i'll share with you

the six step process on how you can

organize your portfolio with a free

template at the end a portfolio is just

a place for you to show your work by

sharing samples of what you've done in

the past there are three main ways in

how you can create a portfolio first you

can create a pdf document that shows

images of your work as well as a very

brief summary of it this is ideal for

hardware engineers where the projects

they work on are pretty tangible second

your project can be on a github account

where you basically are just sharing

your code with the hiring manager this

works best for software engineers

finally a portfolio can be a website

where you share pictures of your work

tangible prototypes or even some of your

designs also on a portfolio website if

you've built apps or you've worked on

programming projects you can share them

there as well making a website works

really well for both hardware and

software engineers if you plan on making

your portfolio on a github account or

through your own personal website just

make sure to have a link to that in your

resume however out of the three options

the easiest one is to create a pdf

document as your portfolio so if you've

never created a portfolio in the past

i'd recommend starting there it doesn't

matter what kind of engineering you're

in whether you're in mechanical or

software you should take your best

projects compile them into one document

attach it to your resume and then submit

that when you're applying for jobs doing

so will help you get way more job

interviews that's because when anyone

applies to a job they always submit a

resume but not everyone submits a

portfolio so by submitting one it helps

you stand out it also helps the person

trying to decide whether or not they

should hire you if you're worth their

time just think about it from the

recruiter's perspective if they look

through your resume and portfolio and

they see you working on projects that

are potentially similar to what you

could be working on at the company

they'll most likely want to interview

you and just have a chat with you

however do keep in mind that if you're

applying to both hardware and software

jobs you should make sure to have

separate portfolios for each so what

makes a good portfolio first you have to

show the process and not just the

finished work second you have to be

clear on what you did how you did it and

the final results third you should try

your best to tell a story with your work

fourth show your hard technical skills

with every project on your portfolio

fifth when you're applying to jobs your

portfolio should be somewhat tailored to

the job but i know you're thinking i'm

applying to hundreds of jobs there's no

way i can tailor a portfolio to every

single job i apply to that means i have

to make hundreds of portfolios so the

way to get around that is by creating a

master portfolio a master portfolio

contains all the projects that you've

worked on in the past that way when

you're applying to a company you can

just pick and choose the projects that

you want to share with them for example

let's see have project experience

working in consumer electronics aviation

technology electric vehicles and

robotics if you're applying to a company

like tesla lucid or uber then save your

electric vehicle projects for those kind

of jobs that being said these skills and

engineering are actually pretty

transferable so just because you have a

lot of aviation engineering experience

doesn't mean you can't transfer

industries and work with electric

vehicles engineering instead for example

from my experience working at tesla i

was able to transfer the skills i

learned working with electric vehicles

into where i'm working now at a robotics

startup one thing to keep in mind when

submitting a pdf portfolio is that

there's usually a size limit so what i

would do is i would first use a website

called pdf joiner to join my resume and

portfolio into one pdf the file it

produces tends to be pretty big so then

i use another website called pdf

compressor to compress that file into a

file small enough that i can upload it

when applying to jobs obviously after

compressing it the images in my

portfolio may be a little blurry but

it's still readable so it's not that bad

also in terms of how many pages your

portfolio should be there is a huge

spectrum i've seen people submit

portfolios that are just one page long

and i've seen other people submit

portfolios that are like tens of pages

so i personally prefer to make

portfolios that are like two to three

pages long where every project is

intentional and somewhat relates to the

overall job that i'm applying to the

hiring manager or recruiter probably

wouldn't want to read through a 20-page

portfolio but if it's just a two-pager

it'll take a quick glance at it

especially if it's mostly pictures now

i'll briefly share with you what my

portfolio looks like then i'll erase it

completely and redo it from scratch to

guide you through the six step process

of building a good portfolio starting

off my portfolio with the heading i have

my name major and university i also have

my contact information like email

linkedin and phone number the linkedin

url is a hyperlink so if you open this

pdf on your laptop it takes you directly

to my profile i also like to add some

color in my portfolio so it's easier on

the eyes here i chose to go with a light

baby blue starting off with the first

project in my portfolio here i show some

images and i go into a lot more detail

on the what how and the results aspect

of my projects for this particular

project which was called a centrifuge

tube reader the what aspect was that i

designed and fabricated a device that

reads the sediment and water quantity in

oil with over 95 accuracy the how aspect

was that i used she metal features in

solidworks finally the results of this

project was that the design fulfilled

its purpose with 97 accuracy versus the

80 that existed previously when readings

were done by humans also notice how here

i try to tell a story and show the

design process by showing the part alone

then showing the part in an assembly and

finally showing the part when it was

finally built moving on to the second

project in my portfolio is the tube

holder the what how and results sections

are clearly labeled i like to build my

technical skills that i think matter the

most the type of stuff that the hiring

manager for a mechanical engineering

position will find important again i

always include pictures of the cat and

in real life to show the design process

the same thing applies to my third

project that's called a solar panel test

fixture that i worked on at access labs

one thing to notice here that's

different is that in this project there

was some electrical work since i had to

use an arduino

do some wiring and soldering however i

didn't talk about it too much because

i'd like to work for mechanical

engineering roles and not electrical

roles another example of a project in my

portfolio was this thermostat packaging

that i did for ecobee so if you order a

thermostat from ecobee it comes in this

really nice packaging and the unboxing

of it is really satisfying however

ecobee also sells thermostats to

contractors who are building new houses

these contractors would usually receive

the thermostat in this really nice

packaging but honestly they didn't care

about this nice packaging all they

wanted was a thermostat in one piece so

because they didn't care about this

really nice packaging and this packaging

was also very expensive i worked on

designing and building this packaging

that would keep the thermostat safe

against drops and impacts but would also

be very cheap so that's the what of this

project the how aspect was that i did

this by using solidworks to design the

outer box and i was in contact with

manufacturers in china to fabricate the

packaging the outcome was that i was

able to reduce production costs by 62

percent and i built strong relationships

with chinese manufacturers which is

actually very important when building

hardware products like this so the past

four projects were professional projects

that i did at work and the next two

projects were ones that i did personally

either on my own or with friends when

you're first starting out most of your

projects will be personal projects but

as you get more experience through your

internships make sure to include those

professional projects instead of your

personal projects on your portfolio

however in engineering keep in mind that

some companies tend to be very secretive

to make sure that you get their approval

before you share your professional

projects that you did with them for

example in my portfolio i didn't share

any of my projects from my time working

at tesla as an engineer because they

were super secretive about everything

that i was doing they are definitely not

okay with me sharing cat or images of

car parts that haven't been released yet

moving on the first personal project i

work on is called the drill guard and

essentially you would place it on a

working drill and it collects dust as

you drill moving on the second personal

project i worked on is called happy it's

just a toilet attachment that analyzes

your pee before it's flushed away to

allow you to track your health and

detect any possible diseases in the

early stage i chose to use a whole page

to talk about this project because i'm

not restricted on what i can say with

all my professional projects i need to

be very careful when talking about them

so i don't say any confidential

information but here i can say whatever

the heck i want now that you've seen my

portfolio it's time to delete everything

download my canva template that you'll

find in the video description and

recreate my portfolio in six steps now

before starting your portfolio you need

to ask yourself some questions first

what type of positions are you aiming

for second what type of work does this

company do third what would my job

responsibilities be these questions can

help you figure out two things the types

of projects you should focus on and the

kind of skills you want to present if

you don't want to code in your new job

then don't share a lot of projects that

involve coding if you want to be doing a

lot of mechanical design then share a

lot of your cad work instead or maybe

you want to be working as a product

manager in that case you shouldn't be

sharing your cad or your code at all to

make creating your portfolio very easy

you need to make sure that you're

constantly taking pictures of all your

projects at work whether that would be

screenshots of your cad pictures of your

first or final prototype or maybe even

sketches of some of your projects if

you're really good at drawing i'll start

off by having folders on my laptop for

every single project i want to include

on my portfolio each folder will be

named after the project and within each

folder i'll make sure to include images

of everything that was involved in this

project and maybe even some cad models

then choose three images that best

describe what was going on in that

project ideally one picture in the

initial stage of the project one picture

halfway through the product development

process and one picture at the end of

the project next block off every section

in your portfolio with a concise title

try to go for a name that makes it clear

what the project you're working on is

about i also like to include small

company logos just because i think it

makes my portfolio look a little more

aesthetic moving on you should think of

your portfolio as a document filled with

images with some text that briefly

explains what's going on in these images

it definitely should not be as wordy as

your resume under each image i'll have

the what how and results subheadings

then a brief description to highlight

what i did how i did it and the final

results of the project i try my best to

make sure i don't repeat anything that

was already mentioned in my resume the

what section briefly explains what i did

on this particular project and the

overall project purpose the how section

talks about the skills i learned from

this project and what kind of software

or tools i used to work on it the

results section just shares the overall

outcome and whether or not this project

actually fulfilled its purpose if you

achieved it that's awesome try to back

it up by including numbers like reduce

production costs by 62

if you're unsuccessful in achieving the

project purpose that's totally fine just

briefly explain why and make sure to

include some kind of numbers as well

because engineers love numbers once

you've roughly included all your

projects with some images and some brief

text you should consider the order of

how you place your projects you can

either present it chronologically where

you start with your most recent project

and go all the way down to your oldest

work or you can talk about your best and

most relevant project and then work your

way down it really just comes down to

what you prefer i've personally always

done the most relevant projects first as

long as they're not like too too old

finally i'll save the top heading at the

end adding things like my name major

university and contact information i'll

also just add a link to my linkedin

profile here for easy access afterwards

i'll look through my portfolio and see

where else i can add useful links for

example for my happy project i added a

hyperlink to a video i made about the

project in case you want to learn more

you don't have to use my layout by the

way for your engineering portfolios it's

just a template so if you decide to go a

different way here are a few things that

you need to make sure not to include

first really old projects where you

don't really remember its details second

projects you didn't actually work on

obviously third projects that are bad or

boring or even projects that you hate oh

and please don't share irrelevant work

experience for example if you're

applying to an engineering job and you

worked at a fast food restaurant in the

past don't include that in your

portfolio

and also make sure not to include like

random hobbies because sadly no one

really cares now if you're a young

engineer one thing that you should focus

on and that will actually help you stand

out with being compared to more senior

experienced engineers is your

theoretical knowledge because if you're

still in school or you're just fresh out

of school you most likely remember the

theoretical stuff you learned in class

better than the senior engineers do so

use that to your advantage anyways i

hope this video brought you value if it

did check out this video where i share

with you my experience working as a

tesla engineer or check out that video

where i share with you a detailed

step-by-step process on how to get

engineering internships anyways i'll see

you the next one peace