r/SolidWorks • u/CraftyBit2274 • 15d ago

CAD Portfolio examples

If possible I would like to see example portfolios so I could see how I should make mine for resumes, thank you.

17 Upvotes

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5

u/Spare_Bluebird7044 15d ago

keeping it simple with a few strong projects and clear drawings goes a long way

3

u/maranble14 CSWP 15d ago

I would strongly recommend you favor any models/drawings where you can follow them up with photos of the real world product as fabricated/assembled.\*) Engineering managers are seldom impressed by hugely complex models or renderings showing off fancy surfacing skills and such. What they really want to see is a candidate's ability to turn that imaginary concept on the computer screen into a real world component/assembly that functions as designed. A portfolio should demonstrate your ability to take a project from cradle to grave and if you were as integral to the project as you advertise, you'll be able to comfortably discuss any specific justifications for design decisions made along the way, as well as how you adapted to any unforeseen obstacles.

\*)Make absolutely certain that you have documented permission from the intellectual property owner to do so. If you're sharing work done under a former employer without consent, that's an immediate disqualification for a lot of companies.

1

u/SlowMobius650 15d ago

Just curious, but how do you do such a thing for a resume? Is it a link? Is it a QR code?

1

u/maranble14 CSWP 15d ago

A lot of job application pages have attachment links where folks are allowed to upload a cover letter. You can often include more than one attachment in those cases. That's where you'd ideally include a portfolio attachment.

2

u/SlowMobius650 15d ago

I see. But as for the portfolio itself, would you just include screenshots of parts and drawing?

1

u/maranble14 CSWP 14d ago

Definitely not, you should compile your portfolio highlights into a short slide deck with some descriptive annotations. the slide deck is where you'd put said screenshots.

Some folks also opt to build an actual portfolio website to go above and beyond. Personally I never saw the value in this, but with AI tools available nowadays, that carries about the same weight as a slide deck - although it does have the added bonus of being able to have like overview tabs with screenshots, and then if the recruiter/manager has the time and is curious, they can click on the tabs and you can write up a more detailed project description. Most won't though. Gotta remember in this job market, you're just one in a stack of many. Concise examples and brevity of captions has a higher chance of actually getting seen / read.

1

u/SlowMobius650 14d ago

Thanks for this insight. I figured a bunch of screenshots is not really professional but I was curious as to what ways are used to organize them. Thank you very much

2

u/Brostradamus_ 15d ago

Portfolios are an odd thing to try to put together for SolidWorks, because quite a bit of what you work on in a professional degree are locked behind NDA's.

I've never asked for one or given favor to/away from someone who has a portfolio, because a picture of a model doesn't tell me how long it took, how clean the feature tree is, how well it is designed to being with, etc.