"My issue with that is wouldn't they be less likely to hire someone with purely product and no agency experience?"
That's a good question. IMO, if you find the right agency, they'll focus on making things right, not making things only look good. An agency winning the brand aspect of a project could easily be asked to consult, even champion the product side of the project. That means your expertise could come into play! Nurun are known for this... They do brand, strategy and product.
"In your experience, when it comes to portfolio reviews what's the most important content or processes you expect to see/would like to see?"
That really depends what role you're applying to. I hired people who were really good at translating strategy into bespoke interfaces, but also hired people who focused on product decisions and strategy—more UX driven.
It all comes down to your T shape personality. You can be good at many things, but find what you're very special at. Build a portfolio so you can tell the story on how your approach projects and can effectively build strategies or/and translate strategies into nicely branded digital products.
I'd be curious to hear what other people from DN have to say about this, but I believe product companies look for the journey when hiring people (process, design mindset), whereas agencies will focus on the result.
That's a good question. IMO, if you find the right agency, they'll focus on making things right, not making things only look good. An agency winning the brand aspect of a project could easily be asked to consult, even champion the product side of the project. That means your expertise could come into play! Nurun are known for this... They do brand, strategy and product.
That really depends what role you're applying to. I hired people who were really good at translating strategy into bespoke interfaces, but also hired people who focused on product decisions and strategy—more UX driven.
It all comes down to your T shape personality. You can be good at many things, but find what you're very special at. Build a portfolio so you can tell the story on how your approach projects and can effectively build strategies or/and translate strategies into nicely branded digital products.
I'd be curious to hear what other people from DN have to say about this, but I believe product companies look for the journey when hiring people (process, design mindset), whereas agencies will focus on the result.