Mentoring is learning
I started mentoring two young professionals who want to switch to or specialize more in digital user experience design.
After an initial introduction meeting I have now reviewed their respective portfolios.
What I try to do is show them what they actually already can do. Identify the existing expertise and skills and connect those to skills and capabilities that are relevant in a design context as well.
Persona development has become very hand-wavy. Beware the too professional looking persona headshot.
As junior designers they present portfolio projects (self initiated, or based on courses, trainings) where they work through all parts of the design process. From research through concept, from low fidelity to high fidelity sketching and prototyping, from moodboard to detailed user interface design. Which is good to practice, but unrealistic. All design work is collaborative work.
Also,
- Label your screens, sketches, flows. Help people understand what you are showing them
- Make a distinction between expertise/skills and deliverables. You have expertise in UI design. Which shows through moodboards, design tiles, high-fidelity mockups and style guides. You are a skilled user researcher because you have experience in interviewing, user shadowing, persona development, survey design and analysis, etc.
- Connecting back to the bit about collaboration: clearly identify the parts of the project you were responsible for. Beware not to present the project as if you did all of it.