The goal is to show them that you are confident in your work and that you have the ability to speak to your work. This will be an important skill to showcase in the event the position is client-facing.

When you build your portfolio, include information about the goal goal of the project, your role in it and the final outcome. Frame each portfolio piece as a story. This will also make it easier to talk about your work. You should spend a considerable amount of time practicing the way you present your portfolio.

Avoid make excuses such as "we didn't really have any budget" or "this would have been better, but I ran out of time."

The first piece in my portfolio presented a great challenge. I was hired by a start-up to build a pitch deck for potential investors. I spent a lot of time with the owner of the start-up to truly understand their vision and the impact the company would make in the marketplace. Based on those conversations, I chose to use stock imagery that was bold and colorful. Using that as my foundation, I chose fonts that were understated because it best complimented the imagery. I'm proud to say that the pitch deck was directly responsible for the company receiving first round funding from an angel investor.