What makes an outstanding portfolio? Like many architecture firm owners and hiring managers, you likely have busy days, especially if you want to add or replace someone on your team. In addition to everything else on your plate, you have to review applications — and the resumes and portfolios that come with them. Candidates wanting to interview with your firm have likely put significant effort into writing and designing their architecture resumes and portfolios. In putting their best foot forward, candidates have distilled their work into the essence of their abilities and achievements.

All you have to do is find the resume and portfolio that fits your firm’s brand, culture, and needs.

What Makes an Outstanding Portfolio

When reviewing resumes and portfolios, appearance matters. You can expect error-free cover letters and resumes, and the portfolio should be as visually appealing as it is informative. It should also be cohesive. As an owner or hiring manager, you need to understand the design voice of the candidate you are evaluating. The portfolio is the only tool you have to do this. You must look past the images to assess if the portfolio tells the story of the designer’s background and potential.

However, there’s much more to what makes an outstanding portfolio.

It’s all about experience.

The brief cover letter, resume, and portfolio go hand-in-hand, and applicants should include all three in their applications. However, the portfolio is the most essential of these three components. The portfolio shows you the candidate’s breadth of experience. When you are reviewing the portfolio, keep in mind that three things are what make an outstanding portfolio. The first is images. This should be a blend of rendering and final product images. If they are blurry, it could be a red flag. Pages and pages of PDF images are not what makes an outstanding portfolio. If you see this, it may be a red flag.

The second component is information about the project. What is it? How big is it? Who was the client? Where is it located? All of these data points offer insight into the project that is critical in evaluating the candidate. Lastly, the portfolio should outline what the candidate’s responsibility was on the project. Were they the Project Manager or Project Architect? It is important to know what parts of the overall project the candidate was part of.

Content may be king, but presentation persuades.

The candidate who puts effort into graphic design when presenting is more likely to understand how to design and structure project presentations for your firm’s clients. But it should not distract from the work. Themed is part of what makes an outstanding portfolio. Choosing colors, fonts, borders, etc., should enhance the overall portfolio, but it should not be the first thing that draws your attention.

Look for distinctiveness.

Expect the candidate to keep their personal life private, but do look for expressiveness in the presentation. A candidate may include a personable theme or an infographic summarizing their body of work. The best candidates will make themselves stand out — in their resumes and portfolios. It is also common for portfolios to share design influences and favorite architects or designers. This personal touch is a big part of what makes an outstanding portfolio.

Less is more.

Look for candidates who understand how to showcase their work in a few designs and are confident. Consider quality over quantity; a few terrific designs outweigh endless pages of mediocrity. Theoretical projects might be interesting. Avoid the temptation to pass over academic work or speculative projects. These efforts are often grounded in research and the fundamentals of design. As such, they provide invaluable insight into how candidates combine investigation and innovation.

The Technical Stuff.

Additionally, candidates should be respectful of their time and everyone’s bandwidth. Knowledgeable candidates attach PDFs of no more than 15 MB of data. They don’t expect you to review a digital portfolio online.