{"id":5025,"date":"2021-01-05T11:19:08","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T11:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/?p=5025"},"modified":"2022-03-16T08:05:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T08:05:14","slug":"10-top-tips-for-impressing-on-an-interview-with-a-portfolio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/design-school\/10-top-tips-for-impressing-on-an-interview-with-a-portfolio\/","title":{"rendered":"Top portfolio and interview tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m Lewis, a second-year student studying BSc Product Design & Technology here at Loughborough University. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My course is based in the school of design & creative arts and, as with many other design related courses, I had to create a portfolio of work for my application. Creating a portfolio was an exciting opportunity to present my best work in order to show Loughborough University that I was suitable for a place on the programme<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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That’s me!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

However, t<\/span><\/span>he portfolio <\/span><\/span>only tells part of your personal story. In order to get to know you better, you may also be invited to attend an interview. My interview was a fantastic opportunity to speak with an academic member of staff about my work and get to know more about the course too. Here I\u2019ll cover some top tips for an effective design portfolio and how to<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>impress your interviewer.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

1. Do your research<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n

Befor<\/span>e anything else, it is vital that you do some initial research.<\/span> For subjects such as design and engineering, there are multiple different disciplines that you can study. <\/span>You may have a <\/span>specific <\/span>d<\/span>iscipline you want to study<\/span> <\/span>or a<\/span> general i<\/span>dea of some of the courses <\/span>that are appropriate to you. <\/span>I<\/span>t is vital that you do your research to ensure that you <\/span>have applied for a course that is relevant to your skill set and you will enjoy. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Once you have decided <\/span>on a discipline, do some more detailed research to inform your application and portfolio. <\/span>A good starting point <\/span>is <\/span>the course information on the university website \u2013 this will give you an idea of <\/span>the sorts of things you will study. You can <\/span>use this as a prompt look at <\/span>current <\/span>industry trends, <\/span>publications, <\/span>videos and exhibits that are relevant to your chosen course area.<\/span> By understanding the <\/span>industry that<\/span> you <\/span>aspire to be part of<\/span>, <\/span>you can tailor your application<\/span> and <\/span>portfolio<\/span> so that they are relevant<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

2. Create a strong portfolio<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n

Creating a portfolio at an early stage in your career can be\u00a0<\/span>a challenge. Hopefully, your initial research will have given you some idea as to what other people in industry are doing and how they present their work.<\/span>\u00a0GCSE and A Level work that you are proud of is always good to include.\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>ake opportunities to work on projects<\/span>\u00a0outside of school to enhance your skills<\/span>\u00a0– y<\/span>ou could\u00a0<\/span>create a personal project or do some work for local companies<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>ncluding extra work in your portfolio that you have done in your own time\u00a0<\/span>will showcase your skills even more and make your passion for the subject clear.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A strong portfolio should contain around\u00a0<\/span>4\u00a0<\/span>projects that showcase a variety of skills<\/span>\u00a0– m<\/span>y portfolio included\u00a0<\/span>a GCSE project, 2 A Level projects and\u00a0<\/span>some designs that<\/span> I worked on with an external client<\/span>. <\/span>The focus of your portfolio should be the quality of work that you include, make sure that\u00a0<\/span>you are proud of what you put in it! Try\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>o showcase a variety\u00a0<\/span>of skills in the work you include. For example, in a product design portfolio<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>you may wish to\u00a0<\/span>showcase<\/span>\u00a0evidence of<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n