When assessing a candidate for the first time, what do you rely on most to determine if they’re a good fit?
78% rely on the portfolio to judge role fit. It outweighs the CV, industry experience, and the name of any past employer.
When assessing a candidate for the first time, what do you rely on most to determine if they’re a good fit?
72% prefer a portfolio website. Not a PDF, not a Drive folder, not a raw Figma file.
Which portfolio formats do you prefer to review?
71% say their organization doesn't use AI to review portfolios. The AI-screening panic is mostly a myth; a person is still reading.
Does your organization use AI tools to review portfolios?
“I view the portfolio as an example of the work a candidate would deliver to clients.”
“If a portfolio is shared as a Google Drive folder, I tend to move it to the back of the pile.”
“If I cannot find the projects within the first 30 seconds, I reject it immediately.”
“AI doesn't reduce the value of portfolios — it raises the bar for them.”
How much time you really get, what reviewers check first, and who is actually reading.
Which format wins, what ends a review before it starts, and why templates matter less than you think.
How reviewers choose which case study to open, how many projects they want, and what a project card has to say.
What makes a case study strong, the weakness reviewers cite most, and what to do with NDA work.
How reviewers spot it, where they draw the line, and how to disclose it without losing trust.
The eight things most likely to make a reviewer stop, ranked, and the advice reviewers most want you to hear, in their own words.
People involved in UX and product design hiring, mostly design leads and directors, nearly all of them reviewing portfolios themselves.
Coming soon