CV and Portfolio Guide

Why the CV and Portfolio Are Different for Designers

If you're a software engineer or accountant, a CV alone might be enough. But as a UX/UI designer, the CV is just one half of the story. The portfolio is the other half — and it's usually the more important one.

Companies hiring designers look at two things: the CV to understand your background and experience, and the portfolio to see your actual work and how you think. In a study by Google, 70% of hiring managers looked at the portfolio first before reading the CV.

In this article we'll cover both in detail: how to build a strong CV and a portfolio that opens doors.

The CV: Essentials You Need to Know

A designer's CV must be different from a traditional CV. It is itself a design product — if your CV isn't well-designed, how will anyone trust that you're a good designer?

Essential Information:

• Name and location (city is enough, you don't need a full address)
• Phone number and email
• Portfolio link (the most important link)
• LinkedIn link
• Additional links: Behance, Dribbble, GitHub if you have them

Professional Summary:

2–3 sentences summarizing who you are and what you bring. It must be specific and tailored to the job you're applying for. Instead of "UX/UI designer with 5 years of experience" say "UX/UI designer specializing in fintech applications with 5 years of experience, helped increase onboarding rates by 40% in the last project."

Work Experience:

• List from most recent to oldest
• For each role: title, company, duration
• Write 3–5 bullet points describing your achievements, not your responsibilities
• Use numbers: "designed 15 screens" is better than "designed interfaces"
• Focus on results: "the new checkout design reduced cart abandonment by 25%"

Skills:

• Divide into categories: design tools, UX skills, UI skills, technical skills
• Don't write "Photoshop" alone — specify: "Figma (Advanced), Framer (Intermediate)"
• Add important soft skills: user research, stakeholder management, design thinking

Common CV Mistakes

Excessive length: one page is sufficient for less than 10 years of experience. Two pages maximum for more.

Over-designed: a CV isn't a portfolio. A neat, clean design is far better than a design cluttered with colors and decorations. Remember that many ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) can't parse complex designs.

Lack of customization: don't send the same CV to every job. Edit the summary and skills according to the specific role. If the job requires experience with design systems, make that clear in your CV.

Forgetting numbers: designers forget to include numbers and results. Any number — even an approximation — is stronger than generic language.

Ignoring ATS: many large companies use automated systems to filter CVs. Make sure your CV includes important keywords from the job description, and send a simple PDF version alongside the designed version.

The Portfolio: Fundamentals and Structure

Your portfolio is where you show not just what you did, but how you think. Hiring managers are looking for design thinking, not just visual skills.

The Ideal Portfolio Structure:

• Home Page: a quick introduction + 4–6 featured projects. Make the first impression strong.
• About Page: who you are, your background, your design philosophy. Include a professional photo.
• Project Pages: each project should be a detailed case study.
• Contact Page: make it easy for people to get in touch.

Where to Build Your Portfolio:

• Personal website (best): Framer, Webflow, WordPress, or even HTML/CSS if you can. Gives you full control and room for creativity.
• Behance: important for visibility and discoverability. Put your projects here even if you have a website.
• Dribbble: for quick shots and visual designs. Not the place for long case studies.
• Notion: a quick and acceptable solution, especially if you're just starting out.

Writing Strong Case Studies

A Case Study is the heart of the portfolio. One project presented as a proper case study is stronger than 10 screenshots.

Case Study Structure:

Introduction: in two sentences, what the project is and what your role was. Include an eye-catching cover image.

The Problem: what problem were you solving? Write it from the perspective of both the user and the business. Use data if available.

Research: what did you do to understand the problem? User interviews, surveys, competitive analysis, data analysis. Include real insights, not generic statements.

Exploration: user flows, wireframes, sketches. Show that the process wasn't linear — there were experiments, mistakes, and lessons.

Design: the final solution in detail. Explain design decisions: why did you choose this color? Why this layout? What principle did you build on?

Results: numbers and outcomes. If there are no real numbers, write what feedback you received or what the next steps are.

Lessons Learned: what did you learn? What would you do differently? This shows you're continuously growing.

Variety in Your Portfolio Projects

Variety matters but not at the cost of quality. Better to have 4–6 strong, diverse projects than 10 average ones.

Types of Projects to Cover:

• Mobile project: a complete iOS or Android app design.
• Web project: a website or web application.
• UX-focused project: showing your research and strategy skills, not just visual design.
• Design system project: showing you think at the system level, not just screen by screen.
• Responsive project: showing you design for different screen sizes.

If You Don't Have Real Projects:

• Redesign concept: take an existing app or website and redesign it. Explain why the current design needs improvement.
• Design challenge: participate in challenges like Daily UI or hackathons.
• Volunteer project: design for a charity or early-stage startup.
• Personal project: design something that solves a problem you have yourself.

Behance and Dribbble: How to Use Them Right

Behance

Behance is the largest platform for showcasing design work, and it's part of the Adobe ecosystem. Visibility on it can be very high if you use it correctly.

Tips for Behance:

• The cover image is the most important thing. If it's not eye-catching, no one will open the project.
• Write a detailed description in both English and your native language if you're targeting both markets.
• Use appropriate tags so you appear in search results.
• Engage with other people's projects — the community reciprocates engagement.
• Post consistently. A project every month or two maintains visibility.

Dribbble

Dribbble is different from Behance. It's more for quick shots and visually striking designs. Not the ideal place for long case studies.

Tips for Dribbble:

• The first shot must be eye-catching — this is what attracts attention.
• Use strong colors and distinctive designs.
• The size is limited (800×600 for the main shot), so design your content to fit.
• Dribbble Pro gives you additional features important for job searching.

Continuously Improving Your Portfolio

The portfolio isn't something you do once and forget. You need to update it regularly.

Every 3 Months:

• Review existing projects. If a project doesn't represent you well, remove it.
• Add new projects if you have them.
• Update the About section and skills.

Every 6 Months:

• Review the overall design of the portfolio. Is it still current and appropriate?
• Look at other designers' portfolios for inspiration.
• Ask for feedback from colleagues or mentors.

Before Applying for a Job:

• Customize the order of projects for the role. If it's a fintech job, put your fintech projects first.
• Make sure all links are working.
• Read the case studies with fresh eyes. Are there typos or outdated information?

Tips for Portfolio-Based Interviews

In most design interviews, they'll ask you to present one or two projects from your portfolio. This isn't just a presentation — it's a test of how you think and communicate.

Preparation:

• Prepare a presentation for each project of 10–15 minutes.
• Focus on the process and decisions, not just the result.
• Prepare answers to expected questions: why did you choose this solution? What alternatives did you reject? What were the challenges?
• Practice in front of someone before the interview.

During the Presentation:

• Start with context: the problem, the team, and the timeline.
• Talk about challenges honestly — no project runs without problems.
• If you worked in a team, clarify your specific role.
• If there's something you would have done differently, say it. This shows professional maturity.

Expected Questions:

• How did you make these design decisions?
• What was the feedback from users?
• If you had more time, what would you change?
• How did you handle disagreements with stakeholders?

The CV and portfolio are your first ticket to professional opportunities. Invest the time and effort they deserve in them, and keep them updated regularly. The difference between a designer who receives job offers and one who goes looking for work is usually in the quality of the portfolio.