Latest / The Marketing Career Podcast with Fexingo: Marketing Jobs, Skills, and Career Growth / How Marketers Use a Career Portfolio Website
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna, I was looking at a job posting for a senior brand role the other day, and the application asked for a link to a portfolio. And I thought, do marketers actually have those? Luna: Honestly, most don't. We'll send a resume and maybe a link to our LinkedIn, but a real portfolio site? That's rare. Lucas: Right, and that's exactly why it works. When you're one of fifty applicants who all look similar on paper, a portfolio is the difference between being a name on a page and being the person who showed their work. Luna: So what does a good marketing portfolio actually include? I feel like it's not just a list of campaigns, right? Lucas: No, it's not. And I think that's the mistake most people make. They treat it like an online resume, a list of jobs and duties. But a portfolio is about outcomes. It's about showing the problem you were given, what you did about it, and the result. That's the formula. Luna: Okay, so give me a concrete example. What does that look like in practice? Lucas: There's a brand manager I know, let's call her Priya. She was at a mid-sized consumer goods company, and she wanted to move from brand manager to a director role. She built a simple site with three case studies. Her best one was a relaunch of a struggling product line. She wrote it up in three short paragraphs: the challenge, her approach, and the result — organic engagement up forty percent and a fifteen percent lift in repeat purchase within two quarters. Luna: That's exactly the kind of thing that would make a hiring manager stop and go, okay, this person actually thinks in terms of impact. Lucas: Exactly. And she got the director job. She told me the hiring manager mentioned the portfolio in the final round, said it was the first time they'd seen a marketer present their work that cleanly. Luna: So what's the best way to structure a portfolio site? Because I think people get overwhelmed by the tools and the design. Lucas: The structure is pretty simple. You need a homepage that says who you are and what you do in one line, almost like a headline. Then a section for case studies — three or four is plenty. Then a short about page that gives some personality, and a way to contact you. That's it. Luna: One line, like a headline? Can you give me an example? Lucas: Sure. Instead of 'Marketing professional with ten years of experience,' you write something like 'I help consumer brands turn casual buyers into loyal fans.' That's specific. It tells me what you do and who you do it for. Luna: I like that. It's like a positioning statement, which is literally what we teach marketers to do for their brands. Why don't we do it for ourselves? Lucas: Because we're so used to hiding behind corporate-speak. But your portfolio is the one place you get to speak in your own voice. And that's actually a big part of what makes it memorable. Luna: So what about the case studies? How many is the right number, and how long should they be? Lucas: Three or four is the sweet spot. You want to show range, but you don't want to overwhelm. Each case study should be a three-hundred-word story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Use the challenge, approach, result framework. And include numbers wherever you can, even if they're not perfect. Luna: What if you don't have hard numbers? Some marketers work in brand awareness or content, where it's harder to show direct revenue impact. Lucas: That's a fair point. You can still use metrics like engagement rate, share of voice, or even qualitative feedback from customers. The key is to show that you measured something. If you ran a campaign and you can say 'we saw a twenty percent increase in brand recall' or 'we got fifty pieces of user-generated content,' that's a number. Luna: I think people also worry about the design. They think they need a fancy site or they'll look unprofessional. Lucas: Honestly, the design matters far less than the content. A clean, simple site built on a template like Squarespace or Carrd is fine. The important thing is that it loads fast and looks professional. You're not trying to win an award for web design. You're trying to make your work easy to absorb. Luna: And what do you do if you've been at the same company for a while and you don't have a lot of variety? Lucas: You can still create case studies from those experiences. Break down one campaign or project you led in detail. You can also include work you did outside your day job, like a side project or pro bono work. The point is to show how you think, not just what your job title was. Luna: That's a good point. I've seen portfolios that include a personal project like a newsletter or a small e-commerce experiment, and it shows initiative and curiosity. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the kind of thing that makes a hiring manager think, this person could bring that energy to our team. So, as we're recording this in August of 2026, with the job market still pretty competitive, a portfolio is a way to stand out without having to network harder or send more applications. Luna: Let's talk about the common mistakes. I feel like there are a few that everyone makes. Lucas: The first is treating it like a resume, just listing job duties. The second is hiding your personality. A portfolio should feel like a human made it. It's okay to have a photo of you, to write in the first person, to share a bit about your approach to marketing. That's what makes you memorable. Luna: What about the temptation to include every single project you've ever done? Lucas: That's a mistake too. You're not trying to be comprehensive. You're trying to curate. Pick your three best pieces of work, the ones that are most relevant to the job you want. If you're going for a growth role, show growth campaigns. If you're going for a brand role, show brand storytelling. Tailor it. Luna: And what about keeping it updated? I feel like people build it once and forget about it. Lucas: That's the trap. But here's the thing: you should update it every time you finish a significant project, not just when you're job hunting. That way it's always ready, and you don't have to scramble to remember details from two years ago. Luna: That's such a good habit. It also forces you to reflect on your impact, which is a useful career exercise in itself. Lucas: Totally. And speaking of habits, you know what else is a good habit? Supporting the shows you actually get value from. It's funny, we spend all this time talking about how to invest in your career, and a few dollars a month for the podcasts that help you think differently is a pretty easy investment. If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used, buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo is the place. It's literally the cost of a coffee, and it keeps these shows ad-free and going. Luna: Yeah, and it genuinely makes a difference. We hear from listeners who say they've landed jobs after applying what we discuss. That's the whole point. Lucas: Right. So back to portfolios. One more thing I want to mention is the 'about' page. This is your chance to show who you are beyond the work. It can be a short paragraph about what drives you as a marketer, maybe a personal story about how you got into the field. It makes you a person, not just a list of deliverables. Luna: And maybe a section with testimonials? Like a quote from a manager or a client? Lucas: Yes, absolutely. If you can get a one-line recommendation from a former boss or a client, that adds a lot of credibility. Just make sure you ask permission first, and it's okay to ask them to write something specific, like 'Priya led the relaunch with clarity and creativity.' Luna: So if someone's listening and thinking, okay, I want to do this, what's the first step they should take this week? Lucas: Start by picking one project you're proud of, the one with the clearest numbers. Write the three-paragraph case study: challenge, approach, result. That's your first piece. Then set up a simple one-page site using any template you like, put that case study on it, and add a headline that describes what you do. You can add the other pieces later. The most important thing is to start, not to wait until it's perfect. Luna: That's a really concrete action. And it's something you can do in an evening. Lucas: Exactly. And if you're worried about the technical side, there are a ton of straightforward tools that handle hosting and design for you. You don't need to know code. You just need to know your story. Luna: I love that. Your story, not your job description. Lucas: So if you're a marketer looking to make a move, consider building a portfolio. It's one of the few things you can control in a search, and it pays off even when you're not applying. Who knows, it might just be the thing that tips the decision in your favor.