Crafting a Winning Portfolio

Since 2023, we’ve received thousands of applications for our product design openings.

We’re stoked by the interest—but with so many applicants, giving individual feedback to everyone who doesn’t make it to the interview stage just isn’t possible (we wish it were). We totally get how frustrating that can be.

This blog post is for all you talented product designers out there who want to join us at Cleo. We’re here to give you some insight on what we really value and what gets us excited when reviewing portfolios—so you can feel more confident about your application succeeding and getting that call.

Think of these as pointers to set you up for success, not a strict checklist you’ve got to tick off to even get considered.

Some of these tips carry more weight than others, but if you’ve applied before and didn’t make it to the next stage, this guide just might give you that extra edge next time around.

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How we roll: the Design Team at Cleo

Product Design is part of our Experience chapter along with Content Design, User Research and Brand Marketing Design. 

As the name suggests, these teams are responsible for helping to bring Cleo to life and create the best possible experience for our users.

As a Product Designer you’ll work in a cross-functional squad as part of one of our pillars. Learn more about how Cleo is organised and works here.

Product Designers work across all parts of the app experience from AI powered chat that coaches better financial health to engaging tools that help users save, spend and grow their money and subscription features from cash advance to credit building and card deposits.

Product Designers at Cleo embody our core values.

• They Make It Happen for our users on their journey towards better financial health
• They Learn At Speed using data - working fast, designing iteratively and experimenting to see what works...and what doesn’t
• And they always Bring Good Vibes - delivering creative ideas to how Cleo looks, feels and works, sharpening skills and growing through feedback at our weekly design crit, “Noodles” or making sure our features are safe and inclusive for all our users

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Work, Work, Work: What We Love to See

There are loads of blogs out there dishing out portfolio advice to designers. 

This guide is here to help you land your dream role at Cleo and not to add to the noise. 

But if it helps you nail other gigs too, well, that’s just a bonus!

What you worked on

• Designing successful, engaging consumer apps with real-world impact – show us what you can do.
• Projects where you’ve owned it, start to finish – from figuring out the problem to launch and beyond.
• Work that sparks positive habits, behaviors, or features that help users get stuff done (chat, transactions – you know the deal).

How you Made It Happen

• Tell us the problem you tackled and why it mattered to the business. Make it real.
• Be clear on what you owned versus the rest of the team.
• Show us how you truly got to know your users – empathy matters.
• We live and breathe data – let us in on how you used it to drive design decisions.
• Impact is everything. How did you measure success? What did it mean for users and the business?

Bringing it to life

• Top-tier visual/UI design craft – the little details make all the difference.
• Use animations or interactive prototypes to show how your work works.
• Cleo’s got personality – show us your work can be bold, fun, and packed with energy.
• Your process should tell a story – make it clear, engaging, and show how it informs your design decisions.

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‍Wait. What about fintech/banking experience?

This can be nice to have, but not essential.

Cleo is all about shaking up the status quo – we want our user’s relationship with their money to look and feel different than their relationship to traditional banks.

We want designers to push boundaries and bring bold ideas that engage and help our users.

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‍Go Get It: Your Cleo Journey Starts Here

We hope our guide helps you craft a kick-ass application that gets us excited to meet with you!

Stay tuned for more tips on crushing your interviews and hopefully joining us on our mission to transform people’s relationship with money.

Next stop: Your Dream Design Job
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Get your portfolio prepped and hit our careers page—plus, follow us on LinkedIn for all our latest design news and openings.