Portfolio Feedback Needed: What Am I Doing Wrong?

You’ve poured your heart and soul into your work, meticulously arranged it on your site, and hit publish, waiting for the flood of inquiries… only to be met with silence. It’s a frustratingly common scenario. If you're asking yourself, "What am I doing wrong with my portfolio?", you're already asking the right question. It means you're ready to improve.

Your portfolio is your single most important career tool. Let's diagnose the common issues that might be holding you back and, more importantly, discuss how to fix them.

Mistake #1: The ‘Everything but the Kitchen Sink’ Approach

You’re proud of your journey and every project that got you here. That's great! But a portfolio is not an archive; it's a highlight reel. Including every single thing you've ever made, from your first student project to a quick logo for a friend, is a classic mistake. It dilutes your best work and overwhelms potential clients or recruiters.

The problem: Too many projects, especially ones that are outdated or don't align with the work you want to do, force the viewer to do the hard work of finding your gems. Most won't bother.

How to Fix It: Curate Ruthlessly

• Quality over Quantity: Select your best 8-12 projects. A portfolio with 8 stellar case studies is infinitely more powerful than one with 30 mediocre examples.
• Focus on the Future: Showcase the type of work you want to be hired for, not just the work you've done in the past. If you're a UX designer trying to move away from graphic design, prioritize your UX projects.
• The "Heck Yes!" Test: Look at each project and ask, "Am I 'heck yes!' proud of this?" If the answer is anything less, consider cutting it.

Mistake #2: All Show and No Tell (Lack of Context)

A grid of beautiful images with one-line titles like "Website Redesign" or "Branding Project" is visually appealing but tells a potential client nothing about your value. They aren't just hiring your final product; they are hiring your brain, your process, and your problem-solving skills.

The problem: Without context, your work is just a pretty picture. The viewer has no idea what problem you were solving, what constraints you were under, or what impact your work had.

How to Fix It: Turn Projects into Case Studies

For your best 3-5 projects, write a brief case study. You don't need a 5,000-word dissertation. Just a clear, scannable story. A great structure to follow is:

1. The Problem: What was the client's challenge or the project's goal? (e.g., "An e-commerce startup saw a 50% cart abandonment rate on mobile.")
2. Your Role: What was your specific contribution? (e.g., "As the lead UX/UI designer...")
3. The Process: Briefly explain your steps. Did you do user research? Sketch wireframes? A/B test designs? Show, don't just tell. Include some behind-the-scenes visuals like sketches or user flow diagrams.
4. The Outcome: What was the result? Quantify it if you can. (e.g., "The redesigned checkout flow reduced cart abandonment by 30% and increased mobile conversions by 15% in the first quarter.")

Weak Project vs. Strong Case Study

Here’s how a little context transforms a project from forgettable to compelling:

Mistake #3: A Confusing User Experience

Your portfolio website is a project. If it’s slow to load, difficult to navigate, or looks broken on a mobile phone, you're communicating that you don't care about user experience—even if your case studies claim you do. This is a massive red flag, especially for web designers, developers, and UX professionals.

The problem: A clunky portfolio experience undermines your credibility and frustrates the user, causing them to leave before they even see your best work.

How to Fix It: Treat Your Site as Your #1 Project

• Simple Navigation: Stick to the essentials: Work, About, Contact. Make it painfully obvious how to see your projects and how to get in touch.
• Optimize for Speed: Compress your images! Nobody will wait 10 seconds for a high-resolution hero image to load. Use tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh.
• Mobile-First Design: Most recruiters and potential clients will view your site on their phones at some point. Test it thoroughly on a real device. Does it look and feel good?

Mistake #4: Hiding Your Personality

In a sea of portfolios built from the same popular template, a little personality goes a long way. People hire people, not robots. They want to know who you are, what you're passionate about, and whether you'd be a good fit for their team culture.

The problem: A generic, cookie-cutter portfolio makes you forgettable. It fails to build a human connection.

How to Fix It: Inject Yourself into Your Site

• Write a real 'About Me' page: Don't just list your skills. Tell a short story about what drives you. What got you into your field? What are you excited about?
• Use your own voice: Write your copy—from project descriptions to button text—in a way that sounds like you. Are you witty? Methodical? Energetic? Let it show.
• Show Your Face: Include a professional but approachable headshot. It builds trust and makes you more memorable.

Pro Tip: Your 'About' page is often the second most visited page after your work. Don't treat it as an afterthought.

Mistake #5: No Clear Call to Action (CTA)

A visitor has browsed your work, read your 'About' page, and is impressed. What do you want them to do next? If you don't guide them, they might just close the tab and move on. Your portfolio should have a goal.

The problem: Without a clear CTA, you're leaving the next step up to chance.

How to Fix It: Guide Your Visitor

• Place a clear 'Contact' or 'Get in Touch' button in your main navigation.
• At the end of each case study, add a prompt like, "Have a similar challenge? Let's talk."
• On your 'About' page, conclude with an invitation: "If you think I'd be a good fit for your team, I'd love to hear from you."

Mistake #6: Ignoring Your Target Audience

Are you trying to land a job at a funky, fast-paced startup or a formal, Fortune 500 corporation? The way you present your work should differ. A portfolio that tries to be everything to everyone often resonates with no one.

The problem: A generic presentation that doesn't speak the language of your desired employer or client will get lost in the noise.

How to Fix It: Define and Target

• Create a Persona: Who is your ideal hiring manager or client? What do they value? Professionalism and ROI? Cutting-edge creativity?
• Tailor Your Language: Use industry-specific terminology that your target audience will recognize and respect.
• Adjust Your Tone: A portfolio targeting ad agencies can be more experimental and bold. One targeting financial institutions should be more polished, professional, and data-driven.

The Unforced Errors: Typos & Tech Glitches

This is the easiest mistake to fix and the most damaging one to make. A portfolio riddled with spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or broken links screams a lack of attention to detail. It's the digital equivalent of showing up to an interview with a coffee stain on your shirt.

The problem: Simple mistakes signal carelessness and undermine your professionalism, regardless of how good your work is.

How to Fix It: Sweat the Small Stuff

• Proofread. Then proofread again. Read your text out loud to catch awkward phrasing. Use a tool like Grammarly.
• Ask a friend for help. A fresh pair of eyes will spot errors you've become blind to.
• Click every single link. Test your contact form. Ensure all images load correctly. Do a full audit of your site before sending it out.

Key Takeaways for a Stronger Portfolio

Feeling overwhelmed? Don't be. Start with these key actions:

• Curate: Remove your weakest 50% of projects.
• Contextualize: Add a 3-part story (Problem, Process, Result) to your top 3 projects.
• Clarify: Add a clear call-to-action on every page, guiding visitors to your contact form.
• Clean Up: Run a spell check and ask a friend to test your site for broken links.

Fixing your portfolio is an iterative process. Each small improvement you make increases your chances of landing that dream client or job. You've already done the hard work of creating the projects; now it's time to present them in a way that truly reflects their value. Good luck!