How to Add Portfolio Links to Your Resume So Recruiters Actually Click
How to add portfolio links that go straight to specific work (deep links), where to place them, how to label them and checking access before you send.
You put a Google Drive link under your name and labelled it "Portfolio". The recruiter clicks and finds a folder of 47 files named final_v3, final_really, IMG_2034, and some ask for access permission. She closes the tab within 10 seconds. Your work may be excellent, but nobody gets to see it.
What a deep link on a resume is
A deep link takes the reader directly to the relevant piece of work instead of a home page or a shared folder. For example, instead of linking to your portfolio's home page, link to the case study page for the campaign you describe in that bullet. The reader sees proof of your claim in a single click.
Why these links work better
- They save the reader time: recruiters and hiring managers have limited time per resume. One click to exactly what they need keeps them looking
- They connect claims to evidence: a bullet saying "redesigned the landing page" with a link to that page carries more weight than description alone
- You control what people see: you choose which piece they look at first
Where to place links
Resume header
Add one main link, such as your portfolio site or GitHub, next to your email and phone. Use a short, readable URL such as yourname.com/work.
In Experience or Projects
Add deep links at the end of your 2 to 4 most important bullets. Not every line needs one.
Example: Designed a Looker Studio dashboard tracking sales by branch, used by 12 branch managers in weekly meetings (view sample dashboard)
"View sample dashboard" is the text with the link embedded. No need to paste a long URL.
The best link answers "really?" the moment someone clicks it.
Label links so people click
- Say what they will find: "View 2-page case study", "See code on GitHub", "Watch 30-second sample"
- Avoid vague labels like "click here" or "Portfolio"
- If your resume might be printed, include a short URL in the header too, because embedded links cannot be clicked on paper
Prepare the destination
- Set access to anyone with the link can view: test it in an Incognito window where you are not logged in
- One page per piece of work: with brief context on the brief, your part and the outcome
- Make it mobile-friendly: many people open resumes on their phones. Large files or slow pages get closed
- Use professional file names: e.g. Somchai_Landing-Page-Redesign.pdf
If you do not have a portfolio website yet
You do not need your own website to start. Use a PDF case study uploaded to the cloud with view access, a LinkedIn post describing the work, GitHub for code or Behance for design. What matters is that each link leads to one clear piece of work, not a folder of everything, and that the page or file name matches the text on your resume so the reader knows they are in the right place.
Confidentiality of past work
Do not include internal documents, client data or figures your company has not made public. If the work is confidential, create a new case study with the brand name removed and sample data, noting "data adjusted for confidentiality", or show personal work that uses the same skills instead.
Which resume file keeps links working
Send a PDF exported directly from your editor, so embedded links stay clickable. If you scan it or convert it to an image, all links are lost. Some application systems also read the file and show only plain text, so always keep a readable main URL in your header.
Where to start
- Pick the 2 to 4 pieces of work most relevant to the role
- Give each its own page or file with brief context
- Embed links in the related bullets with text that says what they will find
- Export to PDF and test every link in Incognito and on a phone
- Recheck monthly for broken or expired links
If you are not in a creative field, read portfolios for non-creative jobs and sending your resume as PDF or Word, then let Resume Lab check whether your resume is ready to send.