Let’s try to answer this question first: Does your portfolio have to be perfect?
With all the UX portfolio and UX Case study reviews, and given the amount of feedback I give, I also get a lot of questions if I’d consider any of them for the interview process. The short answer to this is always a yes, but there is one MASSIVE factor you as a UX designer or researcher must consider.
In fact, I’ve never met a designer who has even talked about it. As with everything, the answer is simple, but the complexity comes in with the approach to improve on it.