Top 10 struggles of creating your portfolio

Building your creative book is an everlasting task. Advertising is on constant change, and your book needs to be updated constantly. These are some of the problems you may encounter when making your first book.

1- Checking spelling mistakes.
This would come as a no brainer, but it is key to check everything is perfectly written (especially if you are a copywriter). Any misspelled word can cost you a job.

2- Matching the book with your personality.This is not an easy task, but you want your book to speak about you. Your resume should say a lot about how you are as a creative and as a person. They always tell you that interviewers are looking for people who are fun to work with.

3- Selecting your best work.
Your projects are like your babies: you love them all (OK, maybe not all – sometimes you just hate everything). You want to show your best work but also you need to show that you can think in diverse mediums, forcing you to pick that Direct Marketing campaign over the Print ad you spent a week working on.

4- How much is too much?
Now that you´ve selected your best work, how many pieces should you include? 8 is a good number, but 6 solid campaigns may work even better. You need to ask yourself how long would it take a Creative Director to understand your way of thinking.

5- Hunting down your Art Director.
You have this great idea but you need someone to execute it perfectly. The problem is that the AD you´ve worked with is struggling with his own book so…good luck with that.

6- Format issues.
As a copywriter this is one the things that get me on my nerves. You need to upload your print ad on the perfect size and format. After the tenth try, you finally realize what was the problem, but the print still looks pixelated. If you are an AD reading this, you´re probably laughing. Please don’t. It´s frustrating.

7- Highlighting what YOU did in a team.
This is tricky, because although it was a team effort, you know what you actually contributed with. You want to enhance that without undermining your teammates.

8- Locating the original files.
Sometimes you need to go back to a pice and you simply can´t find the original picture (usually it´s on the paper basket).

9- Attracting the agency you want to work in.
How do I get in the agency of your dreams? You just need to be yourself.  They say there´s always a place where you´ll fit right in.

10- Your thoughts.
When seeing all your work you start asking “am I good enough?” or “how did I ever thought this was any good”. It happens. But when in doubt check point 9.