Shane Olson is a Senior Character Artist who specializes in creating stylized characters. He's been working in the Game Industry for nearly 20 years! Boy, did he have a treasure trove's worth of wisdom to share with us. Of the many gems he doled out, something that really stood out is this: Define who you are and what you want to be. Then make that clear in your portfolio. If you want to do characters, do characters. If you want to do cars, do cars. Make it clear to everyone how you are positioning yourself in the industry. (Are you an illustrator? Do you work in games or in film? Do you sculpt collectibles?) If you are looking to work at an independent company, you have the luxury of being versatile. But, especially if you want to work at a bigger company, focus your work so that everyone who sees your portfolio knows exactly who you are. 
More about Game Art Institute: www.gameartinstitute.com 
More about Shane Olson: https://www.artstation.com/shaneolson 
Want to be a Character Artist or an Environment Artist in the Video Game Industry? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Artist Bootcamp here: http://www.vertexschool.com