Portfolio Review + Coaching
Transform your portfolio in a focused 1‑to‑1 consultation designed exclusively for architects, designers and design leaders who want their portfolio to act like a real asset, driving interviews, offers and choice, not just documenting past work.
This session is for ambitious talent targeting leading studios across the Middle East and Europe, helping shift interviews from “Can you do this?” to “How do we work together and when can you start?”
As a specialist architectural and design recruitment consultancy, AE Recruitment receives daily, first‑hand insight from hiring managers and design directors. You get direct access to how decision‑makers actually read, compare and evaluate portfolios, so you are not guessing – you are working with the same intelligence that shapes shortlists, offers and promotions at world‑class architecture and design practices.
In a live video session, you receive a strategic, line‑by‑line review of your portfolio, clear insight into how design directors and hiring managers assess it, and precise recommendations to strengthen both the content and its presentation. The session is structured for impact which is direct and results‑driven for fast movers, yet calm and collaborative for those who prefer to explore ideas and ask in‑depth questions.
Projects.
We have placed Architects, Interior Designers, Landscape Architects, Masterplanners and Urban Designers on some of the Middle East’s most exciting, challenging and creative projects.
This Portfolio Masterclass is built from the exact portfolio standards those Tier 1 studios use when deciding who to interview and who to ignore.
Below are just some of the projects and studios we have recruited for, the masterclass trains you to meet that same standard.
We’re here to help you raise the bar so you too, can work on some of the best and most exciting projects the Middle East has to offer.
A strong portfolio should open doors.
Your portfolio should do more than show past work. It should make hiring managers quickly understand your level, your thinking, your role, and why you are worth interviewing.
Too often, talented architects and designers get overlooked because their work is not being presented clearly enough. This review helps you fix that with direct feedback based on how portfolios are actually assessed by studios.
- Focused portfolio audit: A live screen‑share highlights which pages work, which get skipped, and the specific edits that make your portfolio interview‑ready for top studios.
- Project selection and narrative: Guidance to choose the right mix of projects and frame them with a clear beginning, middle and end so your story feels both compelling and commercially relevant.
- Layout, hierarchy and flow: Practical advice on page composition, image hierarchy, typography and pacing, so reviewers can navigate your work quickly without missing the most important details.
- Role clarity and impact: Support to clearly communicate your role, responsibilities and measurable impact on each project, whether you are an individual contributor or leading multi‑disciplinary teams.
- Region‑specific expectations: Tailored insight into how portfolios are evaluated in the Middle East and Europe, including format, length, file type and what senior decision‑makers expect at each level.
- Actionable takeaways: You leave with a refined portfolio structure, a clear framework for future updates and a practical checklist you can apply to every new project you add.
- Results: Typical outcomes include: more interview invites from target studios and more confident, focused interviews.
Who is this for?
This Portfolio Review is designed for architects, interior designers, urban designers, landscape architects and design leaders who want their work to stand out in a competitive international market and open doors to higher‑calibre roles.
It is equally suited to confident presenters who need sharper, more strategic messaging – and to quieter personalities who want a structured, supportive environment to strengthen their visual story and feel in control in interviews.
AE Recruitment is in constant dialogue with hiring managers, partners and design directors, hearing daily why portfolios are advanced, rejected or fast‑tracked. By translating that feedback directly into your portfolio, this review helps you shift interviews from proving you can do the job to exploring how best to collaborate and what progression could look like for you.
Work with Hayley, a Recruitment Director with over 27 years’ experience collaborating with top‑tier architectural and design studios. She has reviewed hundreds of thousands of portfolios from emerging talent to global design leaders, and understands why even strong designers are sometimes overlooked. Hayley knows exactly how to align your portfolio with what hiring partners are looking for, from the first thumbnail to the final page.
You will see how your portfolio performs through the eyes of decision‑makers, receive step‑by‑step suggestions to elevate it, and leave with a clear, confident strategy for presenting your work in applications and interviews.
Portfolio Review
- Get swift, expert advice and book a minimum 30‑minute slot with Hayley immediately.
- Apply live insight from world‑leading architectural and design studios to increase your application‑to‑interview ratio.
- Receive real‑time guidance and leave with a clear, prioritised edit plan you can implement straight away.
Investment
From £150/750 AED per 30 minutes
Due to popular demand, choose the level of review that matches the stage you are at. Whether you need a focused professional opinion or a deeper critique. Each booking is built around direct access to Hayley’s expert eye, time scaled according to the depth of feedback you’re looking for.
1 x Quantity = 30 minutes
Upon payment completion, you will receive a booking link corresponding to the timeframe you require.
Informed by live hiring feedback
AE Recruitment has placed architects and designers into Foster + Partners, Kettle Collective, Killa Design and other leading studios across the Middle East and Europe. This Masterclass is built from decades of direct client feedback.. not theory.
You can keep guessing what employers want from your portfolio.
You can keep tweaking pages in spare evenings, hoping something lands.
Or you can learn, in a few focused hours, exactly what hiring directors on the other side of the table are looking at when they decide who to interview, from someone who speaks to them every day.
27+ years.
In international architectural and design recruitment
Tier 1 studios.
Direct client partnerships across the Middle East & Europe
Stand out.
Make sure your work is never overlooked again.