Hi, hello!
Sometimes I review game art portfolios with the aim of hiring environment artists or contract prop modelers. Here's a short list of things to consider if you're planning to submit a game art portfolio to a studio. This is just from my own experience, and the kind of art I'm looking for may not be quite what other projects require, but there may be something here that applies to you. I’ve absolutely been sent to the Void Of Not Knowing after submitting my portfolio, so I understand the feeling and thought some insight might help.
Send portfolios related to the job you're applying for. If I'm looking for an environment or prop modeler, please hold off on sending character animation, concept art portfolios, lighting reels, etc. If you want to include multiple disciplines on your ArtStation account or personal site, consider dividing them into two collections and send the one that applies.
Have your contact info readily available. I don't use Facebook or LinkedIn, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this, so if your information is gated behind one of those it makes it difficult to contact you.
Some portfolios I’ve been given have only one or two assets, and that's not quite enough for me to make a judgement call. 5-8 edited, nice pieces (even just single assets) is ideal, 30 or 40 is quite a lot, and perhaps could benefit from some editing. Trim away the work you feel is no longer representational of your skills.
A free ArtStation portfolio is just fine. Actually, ArtStation is really helpful because much of your work is on display without clicking into deep sub menus or running into broken links, as is sometimes the case with personal sites. Also, it presents the work on a level playing field. All ArtStation portfolios have the same bones, it's only the work within that changes. That said, you’re viewing this page on my personal site, so I’m not super fussy about this suggestion.
I know they can be popular in art schools for learning compositing software, but modeling reels are a hard sell when you're going through potentially dozens of portfolios. Long modeling reels, anything over a minute, are an even harder sell. Post some nice renders or screenshots and the wires and maps. If you'd like to have a reel on your site, by all means, but don't make it the primary way to view your work, or you may be passed up for someone else.
Sometimes when looking for a prop artist I'd be sent portfolios of solely Substance Designer mats. The mats may be wonderful, stunning pieces, but without a model I'm not able to know how you, er, model.
As always, light your work well and be thoughtful about bounce light. A moody, foreboding scene is great, but if it's lit darkly and there's no way to view the models, it can make it frustrating to understand your geometry. This is a very common one among portfolios I've been sent over the years. When it doubt, ask someone if it feels too dark!
Including your name in your resume filename helps! If multiple people submit resume.pdf it can get a bit confusing to wrangle them. (Something like resume_katecraig.pdf for example)
A lot of environment art portfolios touch on the same themes and aesthetics, and there’s often an emphasis on the idea of ‘cool’. Sometimes I'd be presented with a number of really impressively made portfolios with no major difference in skill or experience between them. When that happens I'd always check the ‘about’ page to learn more about the artist (I really do recommend filling this in), but I also start looking for creativity in approach and subject matter. A different kind of environment, something apart from the typical space hallway, witch house, warehouse, or alley will honestly help you stand out. (If you’ve done one of these I’m not calling you out, I love a witch house! I’m just mentioning them because they come up often and it’s something you may like to know.)
Consider presenting different approaches to lighting, maybe a day scene and a night scene. Maybe a golden hour piece with long cool shadows that define the shapes you’ve worked so hard to build. Depth of field, fog volumes and particles also add polish and show you’re invested in the whole piece.
Thanks for reading, I hope this helps a little. It’s just one person’s take on it, and I know just how difficult it can be - stay persistent and positive, and do be kind to your work.