The Portfolio Killed the Resume
Actions speak louder than words
You can’t argue with results
I don’t know how we let those concepts get overshadowed by the education system, guidance councillors and resume services.
When you’re in school they tell you a few things about finding a job or internship
- It’s all about your education (don’t apply for anything that’s not directly related to your program)
- Your resume is all employers care about
- Your resume has to look just like everyone else’s, follow their two page black and white template
- You can not accomplish anything without relevant work experience, no one cares about your side projects unless you’re in CS or engineering
When you start looking for employment you realize this is all bullshit. The older you get the more you realize that a lot of the things that you were taught in school are bullshit. I think school (not education) is for the most part bullshit, but I digress.
I’m not an employer, I’m a 20 year old that just had an ‘aha moment’ that no one cares that you say that you can do something, they want proof that you can do it.
Your résumé is a fancy piece of paper that says “I can do X, Y and Z because I worked at Company A, volunteered at B and go to school at C”.
It’s important to be able to say you can do that, but having tangible proof means so much more in this world.
This is where the portfolio comes in.
Your portfolio is a collection of what you are really capable. It’s a show of initiaitve
I applied for a lot of UX internships this summer and got no response because I had no portfolio. This makes perfect sense to me now because as a hiring manager what proof does this piece of paper have that I know anything about wireframing, using Axure RP or Invision or that I actually know how to code in HTML/CSS/JS/PHP. People care about tangible evidence, they care about proof.
I learned a lot through failing to get what I wanted career wise this summer, but it was a necessary learning experience. I need evidence that I’m capable.
I think the most important trait to have in this world is thick skin. Knowing that rejection does not mean you should forfeit and give up on what it is that you want, but instead to reassess, reevaluate and plan for next time.
Always reminding myself, the end game always comes down to a marathon not a sprint. Consistency is 🔑
Thanks for reading
-Kyle
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