A career change portfolio answers a question your resume cannot: what does your work look like when nobody is editing it? During a job switch the resume gets rewritten to match each posting, and the case studies on your employer's site stop being yours the day you leave. The page you host yourself is the only version that survives the move, and it is usually the first thing a hiring manager opens after the call.
The timing is where most people go wrong. Editing starts the week after resigning, when the header still carries the old title and three links point at a company that no longer employs you. This post covers what a pre-job switch portfolio should say before that week arrives, what to carry over from the old role, and what to delete.
## Why a career pivot page carries more weight than a resume
A resume is read to reject. A portfolio page is read to understand. During a pivot that difference matters, because a reviewer looking at someone switching fields is not comparing you against a list of requirements. They are trying to work out whether you can do the new thing.
That is a different question, and it needs different evidence. Three pieces that look like the target role beat ten that look like the job you are leaving. If you are moving from marketing into product design, the campaign deck is less useful than the one prototype you built on the side, even if the prototype is rougher.
## What to change before you hand in notice
Do this while you still have access and while you are not in a hurry.
- Take copies of anything you made. Screenshots, exports, links. Access disappears on your last day more often than people expect.
- Write the result lines while the numbers are still fresh. Six months later you will not remember that conversion moved from 1.8% to 3.4%.
- Ask for two quotes now. A sentence from a manager or a client is easier to get before you leave than after.
- Check what you can publish. Some contracts restrict this, and finding out after you publish is the bad order.
## What to keep, and what to drop
| Keep | Rewrite | Drop |
|---|---|---|
| Work shaped like the target role | Titles that only make sense inside the old company | Anything still under NDA |
| Process you can explain out loud | Descriptions written for an internal audience | Ten near-identical pieces |
| One measurable result per piece | "Contributed to" phrasing | The old job title in the header |
The middle column is where the work is. A page that still reads like an internal wiki tells the reader you have not made the move yet.
## A two-week schedule around a full-time job
| When | What | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Week one, two evenings | Export and screenshot everything you want to keep | You still have access |
| Week one, one evening | Write the positioning line for the new direction | Everything below it depends on this |
| Week two, two evenings | Rewrite three pieces in the new shape | Three is enough for a judgement |
| Week two, one evening | Strip the old title and links | First impression is the header |
Two weeks of evenings, not a weekend. Rushing this is how pages end up half updated, which reads worse than an obviously old one.
## FAQ
- Should the page say I am looking? One line on the first screen, naming the direction. A reviewer who knows what you want can hold you to the right standard.
- What if my best work belongs to my current employer? Describe the problem and your role, and link to the public version if one exists. Reviewers understand constraints better than vagueness.
- Do I need to change the domain? No. Keep the same address, since anyone who already has it should still find you.
- How recent should the top piece be? Within the last year if you can. If it is older, say what you have been doing since.
## The version you want live on day one
You want a page that reads as finished before anyone knows you are leaving: three pieces pointed at the new direction, one line saying what you are after, and no trace of the title you are giving up. Put it up on dynamic-profile.shop while you still have the luxury of a calm edit, then send it before anyone asks.
Start from the [home page](/) and swap the header first. If you are unsure how much to show, read [what a client needs before they trust you](/blog/portfolio-trust-homepage-first), and for the shape of the pieces themselves, [the five elements of a memorable homepage](/blog/5-key-elements-memorable-homepage).