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For software engineers and developers applying for jobs, their portfolio is perhaps the most critical part of the application. Much like artist or designer portfolios, it’s an opportunity to show talent and skills to recruiters. So this article focuses on how to create a tech portfolio. Unfortunately, only 2 percent of applicants make it to the interview stage, according to one expert. In other words, it’s all about standing out from the pool of applicants.
One surefire way to do that is to present a wholesome portfolio that suits the applicant’s strengths and shows recruiters different projects they have undertaken. The best tech portfolio offers the professional background, interests, and tech stack without having an overwhelming amount of work to view. For front-end developers, how the portfolio is present may matter as well. While there are platforms for portfolios, it’s best to have a website as a portfolio as a developer. This is beneficial for two reasons. First, it looks professional, and secondly, it would be much easier to share the portfolio with recruiters.
With that said, we can divide making a solid and impressive tech portfolio into three steps:
When it comes to creating a website for a tech portfolio, there are two options. Either you can use a website builder or create your own from scratch. Of course, the latter option is time-consuming, but it can be a great way to showcase some technical skills, especially if you’re a web developer.
There’s no harm in going with a website builder and using a template because most recruiters would be interested in the projects.
Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and Duda are reliable portfolio website builder options.
Alternatively, you can download a free template from HTML 5UP and play with it to meet your needs.
If you decide to build the portfolio website from scratch, you can use any language you’re good at, such as JavaScript, Python, or Ruby.
Pro Tip: If you’re building the website from scratch and need some design inspiration, check out the templates from the website builders.
Portfolio websites for web developers should have seamless navigation. Even if you’re a different type of developer, pay attention to the navigation and overall design of the website.
A website with poor navigation may be a red flag for a recruiter, especially one who may not be so tech-savvy.
The best practice would be to have a moving navigation bar at the top of the website. That way, the visitor has all the options available and doesn’t get lost. Also, if there are several linked pages within the portfolio, make sure to use breadcrumbs so that the visitor can trace their way back to the homepage.
With your website coding and design out of the way, it’s time to publish it, and for that, you need a domain name.
Ideally, it would help if you went for a domain name that’s your name with an extension such as .com, .co, or .dev. However, if the domain name you’re after (your name) is not available, get something close to it.
Don’t use aliases or something that sounds unprofessional.
The design and the projects may highlight the tech portfolio, but many recruiters are also interested in knowing who you are as a person and professional. The bio on your website is for that!
There should be an ‘About’ section with your bio. This is something you should write yourself, but if you’re not great with words, you can also seek help from a copywriter.
What should the bio/profile include?
The bio should be brief and sound professional but, at the same time, not sound too technical (your work will cover that).
Another important aspect of your profile is social media profiles. Adding links to social media accounts, mainly LinkedIn, is essential. According to a CareerBuilder survey, 70 percent of recruiters use social media to screen applicants. So an employer might also be interested in seeing your LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter profile.
It’s OK if you share or post memes on your social media; you should still include the links on your portfolio website. Again, the website footer is the best place to have these embedded into the icons.
Developers with an active presence and work on GitHub should also link their GitHub profiles.
Anyone visiting your website should be able to contact you. Make sure to add your email or contact number, either at the bottom or on a separate ‘Contact’ page.
As a developer, you’re likely proud of all your projects and want to show them. However, the truth is that most recruiters don’t spend a lot of time on applications. Therefore, you need to add your best work.
Now, this varies according to the applicant’s focus area and expertise. For instance, you should showcase applications you have built or contributed to if you’re an app developer.
Here’s what you can consider adding:
If you don’t have much professional experience, developing your own projects or contributing to open source projects is a viable way to develop and show your skills. Any such projects can be included on the portfolio website.
If you have taken coding boot camps at a coding school, you can also add those projects to the projects part of the website.
The way you present these projects depends on the projects. Whitepapers, screenshots, descriptions, or links to code can be used.
You can present projects you have contributed to professionally, whether as an employee or freelancer. Please talk about the project and describe your role in it. You can also add links to the actual project, for example, a website or mobile application.
You don’t need to attach or link the code for such projects.
Any group projects, personal or professional, should also be included. Many recruiters are interested in how applicants fare working in teams. Including a project that you collaborated on with others is a way to emphasize your teamwork skills.
Include those in the portfolio if you’ve written blogs or articles or any other technical write-up. While this isn’t necessary, adding something like a technical blog article can impress recruiters and show them your knowledge and involvement in the tech community.
What Makes a Strong Technical Portfolio?
To sum it up, a strong tech portfolio should:
Recruitment for tech talent is at an all-time high, which means there are loads of opportunities for developers and designers. However, competition is also challenging, with many applicants vying for suitable positions in tech firms and startups. A comprehensive and robust portfolio can be the key to landing your dream job or project.
No matter how great you present your work, for most recruiters, skills matter the most.
If you want to build up your technical portfolio, join LEARN academy for our next Build Your First Website webinar, where you will leave with a newly built website you can use as a start to your portfolio.
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There isn’t really a typical student at LEARN academy. Most have not taken computer science classes in college, although some have. Some have not gone to college at all, but many have undergraduate degrees in something other than computer science. Past graduates have been in the entertainment industry, waitresses, massage therapists, in the military, and just about anything else you can think of.
Students who are accepted and enrolled in the 4 month bootcamp are required to attend and participate in a workshop, called Jumpstart, offered by LEARN academy prior to the first day of the program. These workshops are free for students and included in the price of the tuition for the bootcamp. LEARN academy offers multiple workshops leading up to the start of class that students can sign up for.
One of the things we look for in an application is – did we get to know you? It’s almost impossible for us to get to know a candidate if each of the essay answers is only two sentences long. It doesn’t need to be a novel, but before you submit, check to make sure your personality is coming out in your writing.
Once you have submitted your application, the team at LEARN academy will review it and be in touch within a week of your submission date. If we feel it is a good fit we will ask you in for an interview. It is an informal interview. A chance for us to get to know you and for you to ask any questions you might have about the coding course. We know that it is vital to your success to find the course that is best for you and your learning needs. We use the interview to find out if we are the best fit for you! If at that point we both agree that it is a good fit we will invite you to secure a seat in the class of your choice.
There isn’t really a typical student at LEARN academy. Most have not taken computer science classes in college, although some have. Some have not gone to college at all, but many have undergraduate degrees in something other than computer science. Past graduates have been in the entertainment industry, waitresses, massage therapists, in the military, and just about anything else you can think of.
There isn’t really a typical student at LEARN academy. Most have not taken computer science classes in college, although some have. Some have not gone to college at all, but many have undergraduate degrees in something other than computer science. Past graduates have been in the entertainment industry, waitresses, massage therapists, in the military, and just about anything else you can think of.
Students who are accepted and enrolled in the 4 month bootcamp are required to attend and participate in a workshop, called Jumpstart, offered by LEARN academy prior to the first day of the program. These workshops are free for students and included in the price of the tuition for the bootcamp. LEARN academy offers multiple workshops leading up to the start of class that students can sign up for.
One of the things we look for in an application is – did we get to know you? It’s almost impossible for us to get to know a candidate if each of the essay answers is only two sentences long. It doesn’t need to be a novel, but before you submit, check to make sure your personality is coming out in your writing.
Once you have submitted your application, the team at LEARN academy will review it and be in touch within a week of your submission date. If we feel it is a good fit we will ask you in for an interview. It is an informal interview. A chance for us to get to know you and for you to ask any questions you might have about the coding course. We know that it is vital to your success to find the course that is best for you and your learning needs. We use the interview to find out if we are the best fit for you! If at that point we both agree that it is a good fit we will invite you to secure a seat in the class of your choice.
