Hello,
I was in your position twenty or so years ago. I got conflicting advice from people at my university.
I will try to give you benefit of my experience of when I have gone for past design interviews.
In your portfolio put about ten to fourteen pieces of your best work in.
Don't take sketch books or notes or testimonials. People can always check things on the internet now or phone people or email people.
With your portfolio pick 4 pieces of work you like of which you can talk briefly at the interview about
and how you came to the final design. It might be inspiration or something you saw one day or the thought process
or how you came to the final design. And bear in mind the employer might ask you questions about other pieces in your portfolio
so be prepared.
This is important. Make a PDF version of your portfolio to email to prospective employers alongside your CV.
A lot of people send their portfolio to employers now by email in the form of a PDF document.
Make a single PDF document containing multiple A4 pages with one piece of work on each page.
In the bottom right hand corner of each page put a small text description of the piece and who it was done for.
For example:
Branding or Brochure or Logo design
Client: Yorkshire Tea Client: Post Office Client: High Street Supplies
(Does that make sense?)
Indesign and Quarkxpress can export multiple page PDF documents in a jiffy.
The next bit is optional but it would get your CV noticed above others.
Think about putting an eye catching front page on your CV.
The easiest way would be to make your CV into a PDF file and put a cover page on it.
Most employers will be getting a standard Microsoft Word CV and portfolio.
How about if your CV had a distinctive eye catching front page to it.??
Click this link and have a look and have a look at what this guy in America did.
See how he has done his experience and skills and software experience all laid out
for people to see using infographics?.
I know you have just come out of uni so experience will be short but you could put your skills
and software experience in some form like that. You could include your schooling, university and degree in it
to make up for professional experience.
Or maybe if you do not like that maybe just give the cover page a bit of a distinctive look.
Something to make it stand out. As I said it is optional but it would get your CV noticed above others.
I know this is a lot to take in.
If I can be of help I will in any replies.