#13: 4 steps to find portfolio project ideas (and super charge your credibility)

As an academic pivoting to industry, you must convince the hiring manager that you can do the actual job.

Not just that you could learn to do the job. But that you can already do it. Right now.

Luckily, there’s a powerful tool to build your credibility:

Your portfolio.

Portfolios are not relevant for every field, but they can be game changers. They turn your abstract academic skill set into a concrete “Ooo, nice.”

But there’s just one problem.

How the heck do you come up with portfolio project ideas?!

The portfolio advice out there often has good strategic tips, but it can be broad and vague.

You need practical ideas.

I’ve broken into two different fields after academia and I’ve reviewed successful and unsuccessful portfolios as part of actual industry hiring.

Here’s 4-step approach to portfolio projects that I’d like to share with you…

1. Basic sleuthing

As a first step, just search for portfolio websites using your favorite search engine. This is hit and miss, but you’ll start to get a general sense of the types of projects out there.

However, public online portfolios can be hard to find in some fields.

Next, go to LinkedIn.

You know all the cool people in your future field that you’re connected to? (You are connected to them or at least following them, right?)

Check their “contact info” and see if they link to a personal website or portfolio. Many won’t have an easily findable portfolio, but you will find at least some golden examples. Bookmark these.

Now search for “[field] porftolio” on LinkedIn itself and filter by posts.

Ah ha! There will be noise here, but you will find good posts and articles.

Make sure to balance the examples you’ve found with the advice that you’re reading (and your own common sense). This is because sometimes you’ll find portfolios that shouldn’t be an inspiration.

Now start to reflect.

What types of projects are you finding in these portfolios?

Which ones capture your attention and seem effective to you?

Which projects do you remember the next day? Why?

Start a document where you dump project ideas and notes.

2. Use your network to uncover what your field values and expects

In your coffee chats and informational interviews, ask about portfolios and the hiring process for your future field.

What format do the portfolios take? When and how are they considered?

Then ask if they know of any good online examples.

THEN ask if they can share briefly out loud (not the actual files) what was in their own most recent portfolio.

Finally, ask what they think are the most impactful or convincing types of projects.

This can be an amazing shortcut.

Instead of sifting through questionable online advice and bad search results, just go straight to the source.

Note: Don’t get discouraged if they have projects and point you to examples that are more impressive or advanced than what you can do right now. You’re learning the direction to set your compass, not the destination you should already be at.

Pay particular attention to storytelling.

What is the structure of the examples that you have now?

3. Identify key gaps by taking a self inventory

What are the bread and butter skills, methods, and projects of your future industry field?

Take a self inventory and identify which ones you do and don’t have examples of.

Do you have examples of all of them?

If yes, make sure that you’re making them clear in your portfolio.

If no… well, now you know what to go build.

For instance, when I was moving to UX Research, I felt very comfortable with user interviews and analyzing piles of qualitative data. But one of the most basic methods of the field is a usability study.

I had never done one. Even if it wouldn’t be a “wow” centerpiece in a portfolio, I needed to have a project that included it. So I made sure to do a side project that had a usability study component.

Similarly, when I was moving into instructional design, I had lots of curriculum development experience. But I had never created an eLearning course that solved a soft skills problem (a very common challenge in ID work). So I made sure to fill that gap with my portfolio.

4. Focus on the value that your role delivers

What value does your new field deliver? What problems does your field solve?

Do you have examples of that?

For instance, one of the things that UX Researchers do is provide recommendations to designers and product managers to enable their decision making.

So someone aspiring to UXR might want to have an example of impacting a design decision and/or an example of impacting a strategic decision. (Note: these can be hypothetical!)

Really ground yourself in the business problems that your field solves.

Your portfolio should ideally have projects that tackle the types of business problems that are recognizable to your future team.

If you don’t have examples of this yet, you need to consider the possible connections with your existing work — they may be there under the surface! But you may also need to branch out with some fresh side projects.

Make business problems your north star as you think about portfolio projects.

Bringing it all together:

• Find examples if and where you can online
• Use your network to clarify the formats and types of projects that your field values
• Identify the skills that you most need to demonstrate
• Focus on the problems that your field solves

Now, work backwards.

What projects can you come up with that tackle a relevant problem, using relevant skills, with an overall approach valued by your future field?

It’s not an easy task, but the time you spend on it will be rewarded.