Stop Guessing: Build a Design Portfolio That Proves Your Value
Justine Montgomery
Founder Storyline Design
Stop guessing what hiring teams want. Be the strongest fit for the role.
Recently laid off? Use code FRESHSTART20 to save $100.
Stop rebuilding your portfolio and start improving what matters.
You've spent weeks updating your portfolio, rewriting case studies and following generic advice. But how do you know you're focusing on the right things?
Hiring teams evaluate your thinking, decisions, contributions and relevance to the role, not just what you've designed.
Most portfolio advice starts with your portfolio. We start with the role you're targeting.
In this hands-on intensive, you'll use real job descriptions and your own projects to identify what hiring teams value and improve your portfolio.
You'll leave with:
🛠️ Hands-on, not theory-heavy: Spend most of the intensive working on your portfolio and case study.
🎯 A role-specific system: Build a repeatable method you can apply to future career moves.
✏️ A developed case study: Different way to approach case studies to match what hiring team want to see and tell the stories that actually matter.
🔐 An NDA approach: Showcase your thinking without revealing confidential information.
💬 Personalised 1:1 review: Review your portfolio, refine your case study and identify improvements for your target roles.
What you’ll learn
Learn what hiring teams look for and how to make your existing experience more relevant to the roles you want.
Decode real job descriptions to uncover the signals hiring teams are looking for.
Map those signals to evidence from your experience and build a role-specific portfolio strategy.
Find relevant skills, contributions and experiences in your existing work, even when changing roles or specialisations.
Reframe your experience to demonstrate your suitability for the opportunities you're targeting.
Develop a case study using your own project, highlighting your decisions, trade-offs, collaboration and impact.
Build a compelling narrative around your work, including projects under NDA or without clear metrics.
Audit your existing portfolio and identify where your experience and value aren't coming through clearly.
Make targeted improvements to your content, structure and presentation to support your storytelling.
Learn directly from Justine
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Who this course is for
Product & Design Systems Designers who want to better showcase their experience and strengthen their portfolios for their next career move.
Designers preparing for a career move who want to improve their portfolios and highlight the skills that matter for their target roles.
Designers changing roles or specialisations who want to reframe their experience and demonstrate transferable skills for their next role.
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Justine Montgomery in a real-time, interactive format.
1:1 portfolio review
30-minute personalised portfolio review - Work with me individually to review your case study, refine your storytelling and identify improvements for your target roles.
Portfolio strategy toolkit
Role decoder and hiring signals map - Decode your target roles and map the required skills to evidence from your experience.
Portfolio + case study audit
Portfolio evidence audit - Evaluate your existing work against the roles you're targeting and uncover strengths, hidden evidence and gaps.
NDA storytelling framework
NDA storytelling toolkit - Develop ways to communicate your thinking and contributions without disclosing confidential information.
Guided exercises using your own work
Hands-on activities - Build a case study narrative around your decisions, trade-offs, contributions and impact.
Your portfolio positioning plan
Portfolio improvement roadmap - Leave with a prioritised set of improvements based on your target roles and the work you've developed during the intensive.
Maven Guarantee
Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.
Course syllabus
3 live sessions • 3 lessons
Live sessions
6 hrs
Three interactive sessions covering portfolio strategy, case study storytelling and building your portfolio with intent.
Apply your strategy
2-3 hrs
Work through the exercises and frameworks using your own target roles, projects and portfolio between sessions.
Week 1
Nov
24
🧭 Session 1: Position yourself for your next role
Nov
26
🔎 Session 2: Turn your work into evidence
Week 2
Dec
1
🛠️ Session 3: Build your portfolio with intent
Testimonials
Justine is one of the best people I've worked with when it comes to portfolio reviews and helping me sharpen how I present my work. She can quickly spot what is unclear, what is missing, and what needs to be reframed to better match what a company is actually looking for.
Alexander Fandén
Staff Product Designer @ Deel
Frequently asked questions
Maven for Teams
Reimbursement
Get your company to pay
Everything L&D needs: email template, receipts, and certificate of completion.
Get reimbursedTeam discount
Learn with your teammates
Save 20%+ when 2 or more teammates enroll in the same cohort.
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Run a cohort for your org
A dedicated cohort with a custom schedule and curriculum, tailored to your team.
Book a private cohort$399
USD