Product Designer Portfolio Reviews: Tips from a Miro Recruiter and Head of Design

Summary

In this detailed video from Miro's 'Life at Miro' YouTube channel, lead product design recruiters Lena and Robert delve into the nuances of creating standout design portfolios. They review real examples from recently hired designers, emphasizing the importance of first impressions, accessibility, and effective presentation of case studies. The video offers invaluable tips for prospective designers on how to package their work, optimize content density, and incorporate visual and strategic elements to enhance their portfolios. The discussion also highlights the role-specific expectations and the benefits of integrating dynamic elements like motion design into their presentations.

Takeaways

• 🎯 Define success before starting a design project and connect it back at the end for a comprehensive review.
• 🔗 Ensure your portfolio is easily accessible and avoid roadblocks that might hinder quick access to your work.
• 📦 Package your material effectively; first impressions matter and clarity in finding the portfolio is crucial.
• 📈 Showcase an overview of case studies, allowing reviewers to pick the ones that interest them the most.
• 🌟 Highlight creativity and passion for the domain in your portfolio to stand out from the crowd.
• 🚀 Present your case studies concisely; dense information and excessive text can be overwhelming.
• 🎨 Use visual communication to convey your ideas effectively, as it can enhance understanding and engagement.
• 🛠️ Include evidence of end-to-end design process, from identifying problem spaces to user research and execution.
• 💡 Showcase your strategic thinking and how it translates into actionable design principles.
• 📊 Include metrics and business impact where possible to demonstrate the effectiveness of your design solutions.
• 📋 Tailor your portfolio to the specific role you're applying for, ensuring relevance and alignment with job expectations.

Q & A

What is the significance of defining success before starting a design project?

Defining success before starting a design project is crucial as it sets clear goals and expectations. It allows designers to measure the effectiveness of their work against predefined criteria, ensuring that the final product aligns with the intended outcomes and objectives.

How does accessibility in a portfolio showcase a product designer's UX skills?

Accessibility in a portfolio demonstrates a product designer's understanding of user experience (UX) principles. It shows that the designer considers the needs of all users, including those with disabilities, and incorporates features that make the portfolio easy to navigate and understand for everyone.

What are the key aspects of first impressions in a portfolio review?

First impressions in a portfolio review include the ease of finding and accessing the portfolio, the packaging of the material, and the clarity of the presentation. These aspects are important as they reflect the designer's ability to communicate effectively and make a strong initial impact on the reviewer.

What format preferences do Miro recruiters have for portfolios?

Miro recruiters do not have specific format preferences for portfolios. They can be in the form of a PDF file, a framework website, a pitch deck, or a Miro board. The key is that the portfolio should be easy to use and navigate, allowing reviewers to quickly access and understand the content.

Why is it important to provide an overview of multiple case studies in a portfolio?

Providing an overview of multiple case studies allows reviewers to quickly grasp the breadth of a designer's experience and skills. It enables them to select cases that are most relevant to the role they are applying for, thus facilitating a more targeted and efficient review process.

What role does visual communication play in a designer's portfolio?

Visual communication is essential in a designer's portfolio as it showcases the designer's ability to convey information effectively through visuals. It helps the reviewer understand the designer's thought process, problem-solving approach, and aesthetic sensibilities without getting overwhelmed by excessive text.

How does a designer demonstrate their passion for the domain in their portfolio?

A designer can demonstrate their passion for the domain by selecting case studies that align with their interests and showcasing projects that reflect a deep understanding of the subject matter. This can be seen through the creativity, detail, and the narrative around the projects they choose to include.

What is the significance of including both the 'before' and 'after' versions of a redesign project in a portfolio?

Including both the 'before' and 'after' versions of a redesign project in a portfolio allows reviewers to see the impact of the designer's work. It provides context for the challenges faced and the solutions implemented, demonstrating the designer's ability to identify problems and create effective solutions.

Why is it beneficial for a portfolio to include interactive elements like videos or原型?

Interactive elements like videos or prototypes in a portfolio provide a more engaging and dynamic experience for the reviewer. They allow the reviewer to interact with the designer's work, which can lead to a better understanding of the design process and the final product's functionality and usability.

What should a design leader focus on including in their portfolio?

A design leader should focus on including a balance of product work they've been involved in, team building and growth initiatives, and evidence of their strategic thinking and impact on the business. The portfolio should reflect their leadership skills, strategic contributions, and continued involvement in the craft.

What is the value of having a portfolio, even for design leaders?

Having a portfolio is valuable for design leaders as it provides a concise overview of their experience, accomplishments, and design philosophy. It helps potential employers understand the leader's approach to design, their strategic thinking, and their ability to contribute to the company's product development and team growth.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Miro's Design Hiring Process

The video begins with Lena and Robert, from Miro's Product Design Recruitment and Core Product Design teams, introducing the topic of the day: tips and tricks for job applicants to stand out in their portfolios and interviews. They emphasize the importance of defining success upfront and connecting the end results back to this definition. Lena and Robert review portfolios of successful candidates to provide examples of effective work and creativity. They stress the importance of accessibility and first impressions in a portfolio, highlighting the need for clear navigation and presentation of case studies.

05:04

🎨 Portfolio Best Practices and Visual Communication

In this segment, Lena and Robert discuss the significance of visual communication in a portfolio. They highlight the need for concise and clear presentation of information, avoiding overwhelming text and focusing on the storytelling aspect. They appreciate when candidates show their understanding of the domain and express their creativity, such as Daniel's unique presentation of a whiteboard design. The discussion also touches on the importance of showing the problem space and user research, as well as the advantage of having hands-on experience in coding and design.

10:04

🔍 In-Depth Case Study Review and Customer Focus

Lena and Robert delve into the specifics of reviewing case studies, emphasizing the need to understand the customer's context and focus on their needs. They discuss the importance of strategic thinking and the ability to connect specific design problems with the broader product context. The segment also covers the value of design principles that can be applied across the product and the ability to communicate these principles effectively to other designers. They appreciate portfolios that show the development stage and the end results, including feedback from developers and leadership.

15:08

📈 Portfolio Insights for Leadership Roles

This part of the discussion shifts towards portfolios for leadership roles, where Robert shares his personal experience and insights. They emphasize the importance of having a portfolio even for leadership positions, as it allows for self-reflection and showcasing one's accomplishments. The focus is on visual communication, packaging, and the ability to convey ideas effectively through writing. Robert's portfolio is used as an example, highlighting the significance of showing a timeline of work, the impact on the business, and the balance between product work and leadership achievements.

20:10

🚀 Conclusion and Call to Action

The video concludes with a summary of the key takeaways and a call to action for viewers. Lena and Robert reiterate the importance of having a well-structured and visually appealing portfolio that showcases strategic thinking, customer focus, and effective communication. They encourage viewers to subscribe to Miro's YouTube channel for more job tips and insights into the company culture. The aim is to support job seekers in their application process and to invite potential candidates to join the Miro team.

Keywords

💡Success Definition

The term 'Success Definition' refers to the process of establishing clear criteria or goals that determine whether a project or endeavor is considered successful. In the context of the video, it emphasizes the importance of setting measurable objectives at the outset of a design project and then evaluating the outcomes against these objectives. An example from the script is the discussion about connecting the design's final impact back to the initial success criteria, which provides a comprehensive assessment of the design's effectiveness.

💡Portfolio Accessibility

Portfolio Accessibility refers to how easily a recruiter or hiring manager can access and navigate through a candidate's portfolio. It is crucial in the hiring process as it reflects the candidate's UX skills and their ability to present their work effectively. In the video, the speakers stress the importance of a user-friendly and easily accessible portfolio, which can be a deciding factor in the selection process.

💡First Impressions

First Impressions are the initial perceptions formed when encountering something or someone for the first time. In the context of the video, it relates to the candidate's portfolio and how the way it is presented can significantly impact the recruiter's or hiring manager's initial judgment. A strong first impression can lead to a more favorable evaluation and increase the chances of being selected for an interview.

💡Case Studies

Case Studies are in-depth analyses of specific instances or projects that demonstrate a candidate's skills, thought processes, and outcomes in real-world scenarios. In the video, case studies are used as a critical component of a portfolio, showcasing the candidate's ability to tackle design challenges, apply user research, and achieve measurable results.

💡Visual Communication

Visual Communication refers to the use of visual elements to convey information effectively. In the context of the video, it highlights the candidate's ability to present their work in a visually appealing and understandable manner, which is a key aspect of a successful portfolio. The clarity and impact of visual communication can greatly influence how a candidate's work is perceived by recruiters.

💡User Research

User Research is the process of gathering insights about users' needs, behaviors, and preferences to inform product design decisions. In the video, it is considered a key skill for product designers, as it demonstrates an understanding of the user-centric design process and the ability to create solutions that address real user problems.

💡Design Strategy

Design Strategy refers to the overarching approach and planning that guides the design of a product or service. It involves making decisions about the direction and goals of the design work in alignment with broader business objectives. In the video, design strategy is crucial for senior roles, as it reflects the candidate's ability to think beyond immediate design tasks and contribute to the larger vision of the product or company.

💡Craftsmanship

Craftsmanship refers to the skill, care, and attention to detail that a designer puts into their work. It reflects a commitment to quality and excellence in the design process and the final product. In the video, craftsmanship is valued as it shows the designer's dedication to creating high-quality work and their ability to execute design ideas effectively.

💡Leadership Portfolio

A Leadership Portfolio is a collection of work and accomplishments that demonstrate a candidate's ability to lead and manage design teams, contribute to strategic decision-making, and drive business impact. Unlike individual contributor (IC) portfolios, which focus on specific design projects, leadership portfolios highlight the candidate's broader influence on product development, team growth, and company success.

💡Business Impact

Business Impact refers to the tangible effects that a project, product, or design solution has on a company's success, such as increased revenue, market share, or customer satisfaction. In the context of the video, demonstrating business impact is crucial as it shows the candidate's ability to create work that not only looks good but also contributes to the company's goals and objectives.

Highlights

The importance of defining success before starting a design project and connecting it back at the end.

The significance of first impressions in portfolios, including ease of access and clear presentation of material.

The expectation of a clear link to the portfolio in the CV and the avoidance of roadblocks in the reviewer's journey.

The format of the portfolio should be easy to use, regardless of whether it's a PDF, website, pitch deck, or Miro board.

The preference for an overview of all case studies in a portfolio to allow selection of the most interesting ones.

The importance of tailoring the portfolio to the specific role applied for, including relevant case studies and presentation.

The advantage of showcasing creativity and passion for the domain in the portfolio.

The need for a balance between the amount of information and visual communication in the portfolio.

The value of using tools and platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow to effectively convey information visually.

The expectation to see the end-to-end process of a designer's work, including problem identification and user research.

The advantage of having a dynamic element, such as motion design, especially for roles requiring strong UI skills.

The importance of providing a comprehensive yet concise case study that still leaves room for deeper discussion during an interview.

The preference for a portfolio that showcases strategic thinking and the ability to create actionable design principles.

The value of demonstrating the impact of design work on the business and product, especially for leadership roles.

The expectation of seeing a mix of product work, team building, and leadership achievements in a design leader's portfolio.

The importance of having a portfolio even for leadership roles to provide a quick snapshot of one's experience and strategic thinking.

The advice to keep the portfolio brief and focused on the overall impression rather than detailed design craft for leadership roles.

The recommendation to include a timeline in a portfolio to provide a visual snapshot of one's career journey.

The significance of showcasing the craft aspect and skill in design work, even for design leaders.

Transcripts

And that's something we also really look for is how do

you define success before you start designing something

and then connecting this at the end back to that.

That's a double win, I would say.

Definitely.

Hi!

In today's video, we're going to look into some of the products and portfolios

and give you a little bit of the perspective on

tips and tricks from recruiter and hiring manager

in how to get into Miro and what are the best practices to stand out of the crowd.

We're also going to review some of the portfolios of

the actual product designers that have been hired at Miro

and show you the good examples of the work that they've done.

Welcome to the Life at Miro YouTube channel. Let's get started.

Hi, my name is Lena. I'm Lead in Product Design

Recruitment here at Miro in Berlin and Amsterdam.

Hi, I'm Robert. I'm the head of Product Design for our

core product experience stream here in Berlin and Amsterdam.

And I'm here today to help Lena look at some

portfolios and provide some tips and tricks.

I guess every time we get an application, there

is a CV and a portfolio that we want to look at.

Both are equally important and kind of give us a comprehensive

a picture of what the person has done, what they bring.

For me, what's very important is definitely

that I can click and get into portfolio, right?

We talk a lot about accessibility of work as one of the indicators of how great the

UX skills of yours as a product designer.

What could be else quite important for us on

the high level when we look in the portfolio?

Yeah, I think first impressions are everything. So

we obviously look at how you package the material.

Is it clear where to find the portfolio? If

you look at the CV, is there a link included?

So make the journey as easy and quick as possible for us and avoid any roadblocks

that might come up to help us quickly get to what we want to see and learn about.

I think the format of the portfolio is also quite important.

Honestly, we don't have any preferences and it can be easily like a PDF file or a

framework website or a pitch deck or a Miro board.

It doesn't really matter.

But it needs something that is easy to use.

And if you have five case studies, I want to see an overview of all of them and

potentially pick up the one that is truly interesting for me.

When I need to go into like a Dropbox file and then move another link and through

another link and through another link, that's a disappointing experience simply

right of me as a user of your portfolio as a product.

Today, we want to just dive into some of the portfolios that we have reviewed as

reviewers and succeeded in bringing those amazing designers on board.

So those are our new team members.

And we want to just show them as an example of some outstanding work and creativity

that they have done and how they stood out

potentially to share those tips with all of you.

All right. Well, let's start first with the portfolio of Daniel.

Daniel is our designer on the platform product stream, and that's basically the

first flow that we're going to go through.

Before we even start looking at this, the context is really important.

So what role are you applying for?

So that's we go in with that context in mind.

So if you're applying for, in this case, a platform role, we would expect you to

specifically highlight that and also consider, obviously, which case studies you

choose to share with us and present here.

So the first things we see should ideally connect with what we're hoping to see.

I think it's also a great point to highlight just how

fun and awesome it looks like that definitely stands out.

It's kind of like a whiteboard and a grid.

He actually highlights that and says, hey, don't you

want to kind of know play a little bit with this website?

You can change even the modes, right, and see it in a dark and a light mode.

And it's just something that I've never seen before, right?

So that just shows us the level of creativity and talent there it brings.

Yeah, and it obviously shows a passion for the domain and topic.

Absolutely.

In this case, whiteboards.

Well, let's go into the first case study.

Let's kind of give a scroll.

I definitely think like one of the biggest pluses here is

that we have three case studies, but it's all on one page.

Super easy to see.

We can choose right away what we want to kind

of dive deeper and what makes more sense for us.

And if we were to hire for developer experience,

obviously the first case study comes right away

when he gives a little bit of the overview.

Yeah, and generally, I think really important points

here is density of the amount of information and text.

Be very mindful about that.

I have seen so many portfolios where it's endless pages of text.

I don't have the time to read all of that.

So really think about how you present it.

And I think that also connects with the other

point, which is the visual communication aspect of it.

Now, we don't expect everyone to be a graphic designer,

but there's so many tools and platforms out there today.

There's the Wix, the Squarespaces, Webflows.

There's the Wix, the Squarespaces, Webflows.

It's really easy to take a basic template and really convey the information you

want to get across in an effective visual way.

And I also feel like the more text you put, the

more chances you have to confuse your audience.

This is my first time actually reading about this super complicated context.

Am I able to understand that even by reading your 20 or 30 or 50 slides?

That's a good question to ask.

We at Miro love to see the designers actually end-to-end.

So they can actually identify the problem space, conduct some user research.

Daniel obviously has a huge advantage.

He's even coded himself right on the front end side.

Absolutely excellent.

Very much a huge advantage for the platform hiring.

Some of the screens, we definitely want to see

a little bit of the craft and the final screens.

Or potentially if you've been redesigning something, we

want to see what was the old version, the new version as well.

Yeah, and in general, I would say also looking at this

example, the more condensed you can make the case study, the better.

We love videos, by the way, because we're looking at a website here, right?

It's not a PDF, so you're not limited by the medium.

So leverage these opportunities.

Put something dynamic in there.

Motion design, especially if you're

applying for a role that requires strong UI skills,

we definitely look for these kind of things in the way you present it.

Especially if you design systems or something like that, right?

We can definitely remember that candidate who stood

out, who had an absolutely outstanding motion design.

I've never seen anything like that visual.

Super brave colors and things.

And definitely she just showed so much character as well as a designer.

Definitely, you know, very simple, yet we understand what the case study is about.

The context is there, the role is there, the

practices is there, the final outcome is there.

So that's exactly kind of what we would be looking for.

I also really love that the payment case study is given here in the short version.

Yet there is also a very easy to find link to the comprehensive case study.

And as we click on that, we can go into the whole new page

and see the media on basically page with the whole description of the case study,

where he gives just more context on that.

That's very cool.

So one thing I would also highlight on, be

very mindful about the amount of information

you want to share upfront, because there will be

an opportunity for you to present your portfolio

to us as well.

When I sometimes see candidates presenting

the same material again during the portfolio

presentation, you want to still keep in a

little bit of that surprise element and just give it

enough in at this stage of the process to say,

like, hey, this is a really interesting candidate,

but at the same time, leave enough to also

go in depth during the portfolio interview.

And I don't think there's a golden rule in terms

of the amount of case studies, but I would say two

to three high level case studies, and maybe

one where we can click and go a bit deeper,

like this example we have here.

That's a great approach to take, really.

Shall we have a look at one of the case studies that Elvis has given to us?

Elvis has joined us as a senior growth

product designer and our growth product stream.

We're happy to have him.

He's an excellent, excellent designer.

And definitely he stood out.

I think those case studies were just so clean.

It was a pitch deck, two pitch decks for different cases.

Let's have a look and see what's been great in it, shall we?

So I think the first page gives us already a great overview.

So that's the content kind of page.

And I'd love the progress indicator at the

bottom because it tells me what I can expect.

The progress.

What do you think about this amount of information?

Do you feel like that's enough for us to kind of see what's been done?

I think so.

I think looking, and we'll probably see that

as we go through the rest of the slides here,

but you can tell Elvis really took the time to

also think about the visual communication aspect,

the storytelling side of things.

So it's really easy for us to digest the

information and quickly scan what's important

for me to look at.

So you can tell a designer put time into this

to consider their audience and see us as their

customer in this case.

And there are also lots of modules, but it doesn't look too much.

It looks fun.

He puts a lot of character in it as well.

I absolutely love that.

Yeah.

And these days, especially with platforms like we see a lot of Notion portfolios,

for instance, and it's just ingrained into the platform.

So it's actually a very common thing to see.

Business goals.

We'll have to see that as well.

And once again, I mean that small star, right?

It tells a little bit like he's a playful designer.

He thinks about big, high level and impactful

things, but he still brings that playfulness

into the product that he delivers to the user, which is us in this case.

And again, the layering of information here really helps us, right?

I can quickly scan across.

If I want to dive in, I can choose to do so.

But even just reading the headlines, I have

already contacts going into the rest of the

presentation.

All right.

We start with Discover.

How do you feel about those kind of hire me's that quite nice?

Yeah, I think there's obviously a limit to

obviously we know what a double diamond is

and what your design process is.

It's good to see it reflected in the way the work is structured.

Yeah.

And that's actually something I'm much

more keen on seeing than an actual visual that

shows the double diamond because we all know what that is about.

But we want to see how you actually apply that in your day-to-day work.

So yeah, and I think important here, there's a lot of talk about the customer.

And if there's one specific dimension we really look at in portfolios is how is the

customer represented, how much focus is

there on the customer, trying to understand their

context, because that for us is a key skill and piece of experience we look for.

And I also kind of feel, especially lately,

we're saying that customer focus may be even

more important than excellent visual skills

or something like that, because you can learn

how to design beautiful design, but who is

your ad kind of customer and how much care

you give to them.

This is something that we expect is a more natural flow.

So it gives us some user observations.

I definitely like so little text.

Yes, and it gives you such a good idea of what he's been doing.

That's very, very strong.

And then he's defining us.

So he's leading us through the double diamond process.

Yeah, and I think also seeing the reference to

HotGR, for instance, I think really important.

We're not interested in the tools, but we're

interested in what you use these tools for.

So in the case of HotGR, we'd like to see,

I did some click analysis on a web page or

on a product screen, and I used this tool to support me in that.

Design strategy.

Yeah, a really important point, because one

thing we definitely look for as the seniority

bar goes up, can you support execution and deliver?

But can you also think strategically?

And I think oftentimes when we hear the word

strategy, we're like strategy, scary words.

But strategy means a lot of different things.

It's obviously working closely with your

product counterparts to understand what direction are

we going in with the product overall.

But strategy can also be zooming out to look at the bigger picture.

So when you look at a specific design problem,

how well are you able to connect that specific

design problem with similar related problems elsewhere in the product?

Yeah, and I see maybe one more point to add here.

I see design principles, and that's a great example of strategic thinking.

How are you able to actually take your

thinking and turn it into something actionable that

other designs can benefit from?

That's actually a question we sometimes ask our candidates, okay?

If you had to brief another designer on

this, how would you actually help them to do the

same as what you did here?

And I think that's also a great example here with the principles.

All right, cool.

So we're at the develop stage.

And I also love that, do you see that progress bar on this double diamond?

He kind of leads us through.

And that's exactly what we talked about, right?

This connection between the process and the work

that you've actually done to help us understand,

okay, what are we looking at?

Let's see what he shows here.

Okay, excellent.

Inconsistent messaging UX

Honestly, everyone thinks that when we talk

about examples of work, we get very different

things, right?

Sent to us, screens and wireframes, low file,

high file, but sometimes even just screenshots

of what you've been having and what happened

afterwards, just more than enough for us as well.

It doesn't have to be anything crazy complicated.

Yeah, I think as long as there's, just like

this example, there's some supporting context

to understand.

I also love that he's speaking about also

feedback from developers and leadership that Elvis can

pitch to leaders his new ideas and actually

get the feedback back and potentially also

incorporate that in the new design.

So that's very great for the seniority level that we are assessing.

Perhaps one more point to highlight also here is writing and the way it's written.

That's something that I always look at when it also when it comes to seniority,

like how do you communicate?

How do you convey your ideas?

We look at that, of course, in terms of verbal

communication skills, but written communication

skills are equally essential.

And I think here we see a good example of

seeing that somebody has taken the time to

really invest in that and craft the wording and the messaging.

And here are our Hi-Fis as well.

Cool, this is like a prototype also.

So simple yet so impactful, right?

We love to see prototypes.

I mentioned videos earlier about equally prototypes.

Give us something to play with and make it real.

And I think that's just in your ambition.

Obviously, there's only so much time you have to prepare that portfolio.

But sometimes it can be really straightforward.

And just this little example here, it just adds so much.

It gives us a much better impression of

what was actually the end result he delivered.

And bringing it to life.

And then he shows us what's been changed as well, pretty cool as well.

And now we are in the delivery space.

I love photography, by the way.

I think this is such an underrated aspect of good portfolios.

Even if it's just like this, a little divider site, it just drives it home.

We're actually talking about people here.

You're designing for people.

And I think also teams probably get to that

when we talk more about leadership candidates.

But equally for IC roles, take some pictures of you working with the team.

Obviously, you get their consent that it's OK to share the picture.

But it really adds a lot to our experience.

OK, well, that's cool.

We'll love to see some metrics, right?

Absolutely.

It's a balance, of course.

Sometimes we see portfolios that are plastered with metrics.

Every other page is a number of metrics.

So it's obviously you need to balance that with the rest of the work.

But it's always great to close with that.

It's also great to lead with that, of course.

And that's something we also really look for is how do you define success

before you start designing something?

And then connecting this at the end back to that.

That's a double win, I would say.

Definitely.

Yeah.

Well, so now we see some also inspiration screens, which is pretty great.

We'd love to see where people kind of grab their inspirations completely fine.

I think there's also an overarching point

because we've obviously been going through

quite a few of these sites now and the content.

But something drew our attention at the

start and caused us to spend more time on this.

But in reality, of course, when you and I are sitting down and we look at

20 of these within the space of an hour, we don't obviously always go through this

in this level of detail.

And it's first very important to quickly decide, is this a good candidate?

And do we want to have a more in-depth conversation with you as a candidate?

So I think in this case also, we probably wouldn't even make it to this stage.

We might just skim through it and highlight a few things,

especially those dimensions we talked about.

I think that's very important.

I think it's a very good point.

Because actually, the deck is 37 slides, which is quite a lot.

But just because how clean and smooth, right?

And the quality of the insights that Elvis has given us,

it doesn't feel overwhelming to go through

almost 40 kind of, you know, pages of off-slide deck.

Very good point.

Cool.

Well, I guess we just end up at some of the final metrics.

Love it once again.

He gives us some reflection points as well.

I think this is something that we expect from all the senior candidates.

Next steps, learnings, reflections, right?

This is great.

Just like closing.

That's exactly what Daniel had as well in his case study.

So do we want to summarize some of the things

that we saw from Daniel's and then Elvis' portfolios?

Obviously, visual communication, packaging,

what gets our attention and causes us to jump in.

I think we saw a few good examples of how you can effectively do that.

Writing skills.

So how you communicate the wording you use.

How you layer the information to make it easy for us to quickly scan through.

Now that we've looked in the ICs portfolios,

I think it's great to look into the leadership

portfolio, right?

Because there are definitely some of the differences.

And Robert has been so nice that he agreed to share his ones.

Because once Robert has been a candidate here as well.

And so now we can also have a look and see

some of the major points for leaders to showcase

when they try to go into the new role.

Because as you said, there's a stereotype that leaders don't need the portfolio.

But there is definitely a huge contribution and advantage to having one.

And probably reflecting back on myself

doing these kind of portfolios over the years.

Like every couple of years, you maybe look around, you apply for a different job.

Doesn't mean you actually even switch jobs.

I for a long time have gone through the

practice with just applying for jobs occasionally.

Just to reflect on myself and use it as a point

in time to say, "Okay, I'm ready for a change."

But it's also a great opportunity to actually take a step back,

look at your accomplishments over the past years.

And that's for me where doing a little sample

portfolio case study overview really helps to

do that self-reflection.

Yeah, and I can probably say, but what we're looking at here is actually,

you probably see it's from 2018.

This is one of the many portfolio iterations.

And this for me, in my case, started 23 years ago.

I still remember my very first portfolio in Flash.

I did that in Flash.

And I got the job actually, so it did a trick.

But I've gone back and forth also on doing interactive experiences.

First, I was doing a simple PDF.

And it's also really for yourself trying to assess

what's the kind of job company I'm applying to,

what would they be looking for again?

That empathizing with your audience on their side,

and tailoring your messaging and your packaging according to that.

Well, I think even looking at the first page, as you said,

like you say, portfolio samples 2018, I feel like it's such a strong point.

So many people would say, we would give the feedback and say,

well, not necessarily the work at the level that we would be looking for.

And they would say, oh, sorry, it's like five years old.

But this is the point to put there and tell us,

because that's your one-time chance to impress.

Why not to put that piece of information,

which does speak a lot about how recent work is,

or maybe not recent.

So I think that's just great starting point right away.

Yeah, and I think also an important point here to highlight,

there's actually a subtitle here.

How do you think about yourself?

And what would be that one-liner that defines what you are?

I probably look at this today and I'm like,

would I still write the same thing?

Maybe not.

But it's good for yourself to really think about who am I.

And that could actually be the way you position your case study.

Maybe the focal point of it is not so much the work you've done,

but who am I?

And who is this leader, Robert Kortenoeven in this case,

who we're talking to?

That's what we like to understand as a company.

Yeah, and then there's the big overarching statement

that tries to summarize a point of view.

And probably, again, if I look at this today,

I might not agree with what I've written here.

But at that point in time,

it just felt like the way I look at design

and what it means for, in this case,

the company I was applying to and having a point of view.

I think very important.

And again, that's something, especially as design leaders,

we look for in-design leadership candidates.

Because I also feel like there are so many different companies

that define design leadership in very different ways.

Some of them are very much in this strategy.

Some of them are very much hands-on.

Some of them are very much hybrid.

Some of them are just there to really nurture the team.

Some of them are there to really build that product.

There are so many things about it.

And so just by giving the definition who you are

and what truly drives you in your role,

it just makes it so much easier to see

whether there is a connection with our needs

and your aspirations as well.

And I really love, I think, like,

majority of the roles now would expect you

to be involved in strategy, product development,

and leadership.

And you highlight in those also shows that, you know,

you have experience in all of those tiers, right,

that we would expect.

But also, it's great that you see it as an important thing, right?

And I really love designing and development.

I see right away the craftsmanship kind of, you know,

worth it.

And like, you know, we're focusing on craft.

We have to focus on the product itself, right?

And you bring lots of experience as well

that you highlight in here.

So that's definitely just in a few words,

given a lot of context here too.

Yeah, and I think that's probably also touching upon

something we look very specifically at for Miro

is in design leaders, we still want you to bring

that craft and the skill.

And not all companies do that.

I mean, there's a lot of companies

that just hire pure design managers

that don't actually have that one foot still

in the product side.

We obviously don't expect you to sit down,

open Figma and start doing detailed design.

Although it's great if you can actually do it

and convey your ideas and share your point of view.

So I think that craft aspect is definitely very important

still for us.

For sure.

Yeah, timelines are always great, right?

That actually leadership roles, I see roles at all levels

that always work.

Just give us a quick snapshot of where did you start

and make it visual.

In this case, you can even make it interactive.

I think I have an interactive version of this

where you can actually click through,

but this is a PDF.

So in this case, it doesn't do much.

But timelines are always very helpful.

So what would be then the best kind of practices

for design leaders to put into their portfolios?

And what do we see as the major mistakes

that we can as well?

I think first and foremost, think about having a portfolio.

Okay, so let's start with that.

I think that's important.

Keep it brief, keep it short, very digestible.

This is something you'd share for us to get an overall impression, right?

And like we said, sometimes you could potentially combine with your CV.

So maybe you just have one single document

that gives us that quick snapshot.

I think things to avoid, obviously, you're applying for a leadership role.

So we don't necessarily want to see extreme detail on design craft.

Like we said, it's great.

If you had that design craft, it's great to see some evidence of it.

But we don't.

Obviously, if we see a portfolio that's 90% design case studies,

you're probably not the right kind of for the role.

But if we see one that's a good balance between some product work

that you've been involved in versus some team building,

how you see yourself as a leader,

how you build teams and grow teams and scale teams,

those are the kind of things we'd be looking for.

And also, I definitely love to see in design leadership work

for some of the impact on the business that,

like, you know, the projects that they've led had, right?

Because we don't necessarily want to see what kind of user research

has been conducted there and why, right?

We could ask that, but that wouldn't be the key kind of takeaway

that I would need to see at the first glance.

But what has happened in the company and with the product

after the project has been finished,

that's definitely something for us to dive deeper.

That would be great to know, like, what they as the leader

to bring to the table.

And that brings us to the end of our session.

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