Creative application guide

Contact details should be near the top of your CV. Include name, mobile, email address, and external links to your work.

Including links to a portfolio or website in your CV is a great way to direct potential placement hosts or employers to examples of your work and to demonstrate your skillset.

You can include links under your contact details or they can be added as individual projects as part of your work history or employment e.g.,

• Freelance Photographer, Project Title (dates)
• Description of Content

A portfolio doesn't just have to be in the form of a website. You can use alternative or additional ways of demonstrating your work:

• Personal blog: A personal blog can be a good approach for journalism or publishing students to demonstrate writing style and interests without needing to have work professionally published.
• Social media: Platforms including Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) are useful ways to craft brief, engaging posts of your creative work. Ensure you set up a professional account so potential employers are viewing appropriate content.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn can help you connect with other creative professionals or alumni, engage with industry groups, and share your projects via images, videos or other content.
• Video hosting platforms: Vimeo or YouTube are accessible options for hosting content for film, TV and photography students as well as those interested in motion graphics.

This can also be called 'About Me' or 'Professional Summary'. It is not mandatory, but an engaging introduction can encourage the employer to read more. Highlight one or two key skills relevant to the role and your career aspirations.

Example:

BA Hons Film graduate with a passion for post-production and visual storytelling. Skilled in Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, with hands-on editing experience from an internship at ABC Productions, contributing to short-form content and promotional videos. Seeking assistant editing position in documentary film industry.

Add this in reverse chronological history. Include course, institution and dates. Show relevant modules and projects. If you are short on space, do not include high school subjects.

Example:

BDes (Hons) Product Design, Edinburgh Napier University, 2021-2025
Award 2:1
Key modules include: Module A, Module B, Module C
Final project details

Granton High School 2015-2021
3 x Highers (A, B, B)

Most creative industries require a prominent skills section. If you have limited relevant industry experience, you can still include the skills you have developed in your degree or elsewhere.

Separating your skills into three separate categories can be a good way of presenting this:

• Technical skills: Add specialist skills developed as part of your degree work. These could highlight industry software, knowledge of practical skills, or use of specialist equipment.
• Creative skills: Event planning, copywriting and brand development are all examples of more general skills that are desirable in a creative field.
• Transferable skills: These are things like teamwork, communication and time management and are valued by employers in any industry. Provide evidence on your CV on where or how you developed these transferable skills.

Include paid and voluntary experience related to your industry. Any relevant work experience should be in a prominent position on your CV.

Use the job description or brief for your placement or job role to see what skills to evidence.

If you don't have experience working in the field your degree is based in, consider any other areas in which you've used the creative skills from your degree, such as for university projects, clubs or societies, or self-initiated projects.

Interested in gaining relevant experience? Visit your course page to find out if your programme has a placement.

This can include previous part or full-time roles or volunteering that are outside of the creative industries. Focus on the transferable skills developed rather than the duties or details of the role.

For example, you might have a part-time role in retail or hospitality that demonstrates your communication, teamwork and time management skills.

If you have worked in lots of similar roles, for example summer jobs, it can be useful to group them together to save space, e.g.:

Various temporary summer bar tender positions (June - Aug, 2022–2024)
Developed skills in x, y, z

Your portfolio can be in non-chronological order. It's important to both start and end with strong images, to create a lasting impression with whoever views it.

Whether sending your portfolio online or presenting it in person, it needs to be ordered in a way which makes sense to the viewer. This could be demonstrating the progression of a project or a collection of images which show a body of work. However, make sure there is a clear narrative through each project.

You might find it useful to talk through your portfolio with someone, to create an order which is logical and effective.

When presenting your portfolio in person, the order becomes especially important.

Being able to tell a story about how you solved a problem, developed a concept, adapted your designs, and arrived at a final outcome will make your presentation more engaging and bring your work to life.

This guide acts as a general overview of how to put together a sample of your work, and it's important to be aware of the nuances of your discipline.

For example, a photography portfolio would focus more on single shots and collections of work; showreels are the standard for film and TV; and mass communications might demonstrate creating a campaign and the impact.

Make sure that work is well photographed, placed and sized.

Online portfolios shown via a website or social media will allow you to use larger-sized images. Be aware that some free sites may have restrictions on image size.

Some application processes may require you to bring in a printed portfolio. If this is the case, ensure your work is presented well and images are sharp and clear.

Digital documents are also a common method of sending a potential host or client a sample of work. Ensure that documents are sent in an easily accessed format, such as PDFs, so formatting cannot be altered.

Job descriptions might give restrictions to file size, format or the number of images to include, so make sure to check this when tailoring a portfolio.

Showcasing the process of a project can be just as important and impactful as showing the final images. Including the development of an outcome or idea may give you the opportunity to talk through your decision-making process or how you adapted to feedback in an interview. It might also be an opportunity to show the different styles of work that you're capable of producing, or software that you're able to work with competently.

If presenting your work through an online portfolio, think about the images you use for the thumbnails for each project. Not only should they be a good representation of the project, but also be eye-catching and bold.

Remember, it doesn't have to be just projects created for assessment or as paid work; including self-initiated projects can be just as valuable to show your skills and interests.

How long your portfolio should be depends on your audience, the role you're applying to and how you'll be presenting it.

When sending a speculative application or sample of work, you'll want to showcase a smaller, more concise selection which focuses more on outcomes rather than processes.

If you're applying to a placement or graduate role, be sure to tailor your portfolio in the same way you would your CV and cover letter. Read the job description and make sure that you select work that demonstrates the skills they are looking for. You might be able to select projects that align with the organisation's house-style, mission statement or their specialism.

Presenting your portfolio in-person at interview means you'll have an opportunity to talk through your projects and process. This portfolio should be longer, allowing you to showcase your work through storytelling and demonstrate your skills as a designer.

There's no one-size-fits-all for the length of your portfolio, but when starting to put together your first portfolio selecting 4-6 projects and expanding two of them into case studies to show process or development is a good place to start. Also include some projects that show variety and examples that showcase your unique personal brand or point of view as designer.

Informative and concise captions are essential for providing context to work and for a potential employer or placement host to understand your role in creating work. This is especially important for group projects or collaborations.

Using a standard structure throughout your portfolio will make information clear and easy to access for viewers. For example:

[Project Title] Date, [Client Name (Or self-initiated project etc)]: Brief

Remember, captions should be short. Let your work do the talking.

As well as the work itself, the design and look of your portfolio demonstrates your skills as a designer. The design of your portfolio might be linked to the types of role, industry or organisation you're applying to, however, regardless of the specifics of your design you should consider:

• Function: Make sure your portfolio is functional as a document by captioning and ordering work clearly. The design shouldn't be busy or confusing but should guide the viewer through each page.
• Quality over quantity: You don't need to include everything from every project. Select specific pieces of work and projects to demonstrate your skills.
• Full bleed images: Having your best images or pieces as full-page spreads will maximise their impact.
• Variety: Be sure to show a variety of work and skills to demonstrate the breadth of your abilities; especially for work placements or graduates.

Standards for portfolios can vary between industries and even from organisation to organisation; what one individual looks for in a portfolio might be quite different to another! It may take a few tries to work out what works for you and the industry area you want to work in, so keep asking for feedback and looking at your colleagues' and mentors' portfolios.

When attending an interview that requires you to present your portfolio, you should always consider the practicalities of how you'll physically bring and show your work.

Digital

When presenting your work digitally, check for any specific instructions. For example: do you need to send it ahead of time via a particular site or in a specific file type? Always ensure you have a means to present your work if this isn’t the case and make sure you have a charged laptop or tablet with you - don't just bring a USB stick!

Print

Bringing along a printed version of your portfolio is more straightforward to present and transport, but make sure your printing is high quality and clear. A con of this is the cost of printing, so this may be something you decide to invest in later in your graduate career search.

Using social media sites to display your work is a good method to keep in touch with clients, connect with other practitioners and provide regular updates on projects and work.

Sites like Instagram unfortunately lack the capability to re-order work, to easily update images and add your own personal branding to the display of work, making them not ideal as a main portfolio. However, using social media can drive potential clients and organisations to your portfolio.