"Would You Hire Me?" Our HR Manager Reviews 3 Real Marketing Portfolios
Picking the brain of an HR manager who’s reviewed, not joking, thousands of portfolios in the last couple of years, is priceless when you’re working on yours. And since we have a brilliant colleague who’s hired hundreds of people and has seen more portfolios than you could ever imagine… We thought we’d do the brain picking for you.
Our marketer and portfolio expert Dorka sat down with Bia, our HR manager, to stalk a couple of marketing portfolios and spill the tea on what would instantly put them in the reject pile or get them hired.
Watch the video for the detailed insights, or keep scrolling for the highlights.
The 3 reviewed marketing portfolios
The pretend situation was this: we’re looking to hire a marketing generalist for one of our SaaS brands, and the applicants sent in their portfolios in the first round.
Reviewed portfolio #1: Ryan Mitchell
The strengths:
- A straightforward tagline that shows he might be a good fit
- Projects in relevant areas of marketing (yay versatility)
- Easy-to-scan case study pages
The weaknesses:
- Way too many projects, hiring managers won’t have this much time
- Project names and thumbnails are too generic and repetitive
- There’s no info about Ryan beyond the projects he showcased
Bottom line:
Don’t include so many projects that recruiters won’t be able to check them all. Pick 3-6 of your best pieces that still show enough versatility.
Reviewed portfolio #2: Niamh Gallagher
The strengths:
- An eye-catching aesthetic (bonus points for matching her outfit to her site’s color palette)
- Accessible social links and embedded videos make the portfolio super easy to navigate and use
- The breakdown section showing the process of working with her gives a sneak peek into a potential collab and makes the page more engaging
The weaknesses:
- It feels more like a freelancer’s pitch than an applicant’s portfolio
- The videos she showcased lack the explanation (the “why” and the results)
- Not the best fit for the specific position (niche + specialization)
Bottom line:
Interesting portfolio website that’d get her invited for an interview, but was missing the strategic explanations, so she probably wouldn’t be the final hire.
"In today's AI world, the unique selling point is what you can do."
Reviewed portfolio #3: Linnea Lindberg
The strengths:
- The personalized intro paired with the nice photo make for a great first impression
- Had the golden number of projects (three), which show enough but are still realistic to go through
- Really strong case studies, outlining the business problem, objective, process, and results (including the hard numbers)
The weaknesses:
- Missing the visuals in the case studies, making them less engaging and distinctive
Bottom line:
Linnea’s marketing portfolio makes a really case for her being the final hire.
6 tips for your marketing portfolio from our HR manager
After reviewing all three marketing portfolios, Bia shared her overall tips and best practices for marketing applications.
- Add the numbers: Analytics are non-negotiable. You need to be able to show how your creative work translates into actual business success and revenue.
- Show your personality: HR isn't just hiring skills, they’re hiring a team member. Introduce yourself, show your face (if you’re comfortable with that), and let your unique personality shine.
- Perfect your case study structure: Aim for 3-4 highly relevant projects. Always explain the task, the goal, the strategy, the process, and add the performance numbers.
- Soft skills > knowing all the tools: Don't stress if you don't know a specific software. Hard skills and tools can be taught on the job, but soft skills and a good attitude cannot.
- Consistency is everything: Your CV, questionnaire answers, and portfolio must align perfectly. Inconsistencies show a lack of attention to detail, which is a major red flag for marketers.
- Read the job description: Applying for roles where you don't meet the basic, non-negotiable requirements (like location or language) is a massive pet peeve and wastes everyone's time.
If you’re currently applying for marketing positions and working on your portfolio, here are a few blog posts to check:
- 27 Marketing Portfolio Examples (And Why They Work in 2026)
- Marketing Portfolio Guide: How to Showcase Marketing Work Online
- How to Show Analytics in Your Social Media Portfolio
- The Best Tools to Build Your Personal Brand in 2026
Or if you just need quick guidance on how to create your marketing portfolio quickly, hear us out. We’ve been building, optimizing, and reviewing hundreds (if not thousands) of marketing portfolios for the past 6 years, and our best tip is: use Copyfolio.
With Copyfolio, building and launching a professional portfolio website takes no more than 30 minutes.
You can add any sort of marketing projects super easily (think videos galleries, case study pages, external links, and more) and figure out an on-brand design quickly, even if you’ve never done it before.
It’s completely free to get started, so you have nothing to lose. Give it a try!
