A frank panel on using your portfolio to get a foot in the door, featuring an HR expert, a recruiter (or more accurately "THE recruiter" in ID), and three potential bosses. Some disagreement around the details, but the central message was the same across the board.

THE SHORT VERSION: If you're Shaq O'Neill, you don't need to know how to hit your free throws. But if you aren't a Shaq, you'd better master the basics.

THE HARD TRUTH: Desirable employers get 100 portfolios a month. More often than not they are looking for a reason to screen you out, not in. So don't make any easy mistakes.

STANDING OUT IN A DIGITAL WORLD: Use physical mail—a thank you card, a paper portfolio rather than email or cd.

OTHER POINTS THAT CAN"T BE STRESSED ENOUGH:
* Research the corporate culture of the company you are sending a resume/portfolio to. Ask about dress code, office size, etc. before you interview.
* Put your name on every page (digital or physical)
* Process, Process, Process. Sketching is the day-to-day lifeblood of ID, not flashy rendering.
* Persistence pays off.
* Energy, enthusiasm and passion should come through in your presentation. This is fun, folks!

Finally, a surprise (for me): Reviewers often like to sit back and let the student walk through the portfolio orally while they look at the images. Be prepared, concise and enthusiastic, then let the reviewer ask you follow-up questions.

left to right: Patrick Rae (Moderator), Chair of IDSA Philadelphia; Mario Turchi, Co-founder, Ion Design; Kevin Young, Principal, Continuum; RitaSue Siegel, President RitaSue Siegel Resources; Janet Villano, Industrial Designer, Rockwell Group; Sharon LaBella, Human Resources Manager, ChaseDesign

(Update 4/12- corrected order of names in photo. Thanks for the tip Arjun Joseph)