The Most Overlooked Interview Tactic

Nathan Alexander Lear
2 min readMay 30, 2020
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Leaving a work sample.

Two of the key components of what you offer an employer are what you do and how you do it. Why not leave something extra that helps emphasize what you’re capable of?

After attending a university that enabled us the opportunity to complete three internships before graduation, and emphasis was placed on preparing us for the real world. Something I was grateful for at the time and in reflecting after graduation appreciated even more.

But in all the preparation and training, courses for resume building and construction and tips for interview etiquette no one even mentioned the notion of creating a portfolio. It took over 40 interviews throughout college and after graduation for me to realize the value in showcasing a sample of your work.

Perhaps one of the reasons this concept often gets missed is because work samples and portfolios are often most associated with designers, artists, or photographers. While it may certainly be easier to showcase a work of art than a data science, engineering, or computer science project — it’s just as critical for your potential employer to see your quality of work.

At the end of the day, regardless of your profession or type of work it’s important to be able to summarize what you’ve accomplished and the…

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Nathan Alexander Lear
Nathan Alexander Lear

Written by Nathan Alexander Lear

Data scientist, husband, and father.

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