 If you want to get hired as a service designer, you need to be able to effectively communicate your skills and who you are as a designer. In this video, I'll explain what I look for in portfolios when hiring new staff at our studio and what separates the people that do get hired from the ones that don't. Let the show begin! Hi, I'm Mark and welcome to the Service Design Show. This show is all about helping you to design and deliver services that have a positive impact on people and are good for business. In my work, I see a lot of resumes and design portfolios. These design portfolios are a way to show which skills you have as a designer and to prove that you have those skills. But what I found is that most design portfolios actually do a disservice to the person showing it and they don't help to get them the job they actually want. So big misconception I see in regards to design portfolios is that you need to show off your practical skills in them. Like that you're able to visualize concepts that you can do cardboard prototyping or that you can create customer journey maps. A lot of portfolios show that but don't show the proof that you actually can do that. Besides that, everybody can do that. That's not what differentiates you. And another big misconception in design portfolios is that they focus so much on deliverables, on the tangible outcomes of your work rather than the impact that you've created. Nobody talks about the impact of a project in a design portfolio. And often there's also a big disconnect between your vision as a designer. What do you want to bring to this world? And how that translated into actual practical applications. The reason why these portfolios don't really help you to get that service design jobs is because we're not looking for cogs, replaceable cogs in a service design factory. I'm looking for people who bring personality and really specific skills to the table. And these portfolios make it really hard for me to judge who you are and if you'll fit in into our studio, into the culture, into their team. But there are some people who are an exception and present something else that really works and helps them to actually get that service design job. Now before we continue I'm really interested what is your perspective on design portfolios. What do they need to contain to actually be useful? Let me know down below in the comments and I look forward to your perspective on this. So like I said, there are some people who actually manage to present a design portfolio that does get them their job. This is what they do. They first of all show me really clearly how they approach the challenge. So they make the process they went through really transparent. If they did interviews, they will show me pictures of them being on the streets, talking to people, being in the living room, being in the hospital, actually doing the work. They will show me evidence of the fact that they've worked for three days in a row with five people to create that cardboard prototype for designing that new waiting room experience in a hospital. They will show me that they've actually created 10 sketches before they came up with the perfect workshop canvas. So they do a really good job on making their approach and their process really transparent. Another thing they do really well is to show that they can quickly learn and adapt to new environments. And this is not just about learning new tools and methods, yes that's important but that's not what it's all about. They will for instance show me that if they were working on a new service concept for car mechanic or garage that they were able to have valuable conversations with the car mechanics but also of the shop managers. And they will show me what did they do to actually blend into that environment and to be part of that environment and learn what it takes to do that job really well. And the good portfolios also show that you know what it means to balance the different interests of different stakeholders. So for instance with the car mechanic you'll show me that you understand that there is a customer, that there is a car mechanic and that there is a store manager and that they all have different goals and for instance that you did a co-creation session to get out with all of them, to get them aligned and to create a shared vision. And if you're designed a service concept you'll explain to me how it helps to achieve the user goals but also how it helps to achieve the business goals. So a good portfolio really shows that you're not only thinking about the user or the customer but you also are able to think about the things you've designed from multiple perspectives. A thing I see missing in most design portfolios is that people don't show their ability for critical thinking and reflection. What would you do else the next time if this project would start over again? What is your biggest insight about how you've approached this challenge? I want to see that you're ambitious to learn as a designer and that you really want to grow and improve your practice. Most design portfolios just show the end result, just show the success. If you really want to create a good design portfolio make sure you also include your biggest lessons and what you would do differently the next time. Critical thinking is a key skill for any designer. Finally make sure that your portfolio shows how your personality has influenced the project. If you have a vision what you want to contribute to the world as a designer make it really clear how that vision has influenced the project and the approach and the tools and methods you've used and the more specific you are here the better. Really show me how your personality influences the design process. No not everybody needs a design portfolio but if you have one make sure it works to your advantage. So don't just show me the practical skills you have don't just show me the tangible deliverables you created show me your personality and how it influences your design process show me the impact you've created. So show me the photos of your road trip to China with all the victories all the struggles don't just show me the pictures of the Great Wall of China if I want to see them I'll just Google it. So the question again what is your perspective on design portfolios what do they need to contain to actually be effective. Leave a comment down below and your comment might just be the thing that actually helps someone to land that next service design job. I hope this was a helpful video and if you know someone who might benefit from what we've just discussed grab the link and share it with them. If this is your first time here on this channel I'd love to have you to subscribe so that we can keep bringing you more videos like this. Thanks so much for watching and I look forward to seeing you in the next video.