Pitfall quick-ref
Role in team work, visibility / NDA, leaked accounts, resolution, links-only — points that can't be circled on one spot, gathered as a read-only reference.
- Role in team work
- Don't write a team result as entirely your own — the easiest place a portfolio unravels. For team work, state your scope and how you collaborated; under interview scrutiny, a clear role boundary is actually a plus.
- Visibility / NDA
- Most internship, lab, and client projects can't have originals uploaded directly. Anonymizing (masking) is necessary but not sufficient: even after replacing client/lab names and data with codes and reproducing the method via flow diagrams and dummy data, whether you may show it externally is often bound by a contract or lab agreement — confirm with the company / lab / advisor first whether and to what extent it can be shown [please verify]. Never include NDA'd or unpublished research, and don't write details that reveal the client/project.
- Leaking accounts / API keys
- Trying to show results, it's easy to leak accounts, passwords, API keys, tokens, or personal info inside a screenshot. Before uploading, check each shot's corners, console, and env vars; never include internal screenshots or unpublished data.
- Resolution / file size
- Work images that are too blurry to read your decisions, or too large to open / over the submission limit, both hurt. Before exporting, check clarity and size, keep the PDF within submission limits; for online portfolios confirm links open on other devices and don't rot.
- Links without explanation
- Just pasting GitHub / Demo / Behance links with no explanation — the interviewer won't excavate for you. Give each work its background & task, your role, and key decisions; links are corroboration, not the content itself.