A portfolio is one of the things that some employers look for when assessing a candidate for a web development role. While a resume contains your personal information, objectives, education, and employment history, a portfolio provides evidence of your work, performance, and competencies in web development. It gives potential employers a clear idea of what you can do and contribute to their organization.   

However, creating a portfolio is not always easy. It’s one thing to collate your works and another to curate and showcase them in the best way possible. For instance, fresh graduates may not know what to include in their portfolio due to a lack of experience or uncertainties over the qualifications of web developers.  

Below are some tips for creating a great portfolio that can attract potential employers and convince them to ring up an offer.

Create an online portfolio  

What better way to showcase your web development skills than to create an online portfolio? Having a website for your portfolio, especially today in the digital age, helps you demonstrate what you can do instead of just telling it. Hiring managers would be more attracted to you as a candidate if they could see proof of your knowledge and skills.  

An online portfolio also allows you to showcase your works creatively. It makes it easier for you to include a link or a QR code in your resume, allowing potential employees to check your work. 

Here are some web developer portfolio designs that we like that you can take inspiration from if you’re unsure how to craft your online portfolio.   

 

Share your live projects  

An essential element in your portfolio is your work experience. Including links to both your code and end products is a good idea. In addition, you may want to accompany your works with descriptions explaining their purpose, their goals, and the challenges you encountered throughout the process to show their significance.  

This tip is beneficial if you’ve taken on freelance work before taking on any full-time jobs. Freelance work can boost your credibility as it shows your competency in handling different projects for different clients. In some cases, freelancing also implies that you have good communication and time management skills that warrant the trust of your clients. Remember that soft skills are just as critical as hard skills.  

If you don’t have any work experience, personal projects are great at showing off your potential. You can create a basic landing page, an SEO-friendly website, and a JavaScript drawing—the possibilities are endless.    

It would also help to share your contributions to repositories like Github and Stack Overflow. Hiring managers often check these to see how proactive a candidate is in asking and sharing their learnings with other web developers. Whether you committed to a project’s default branch or gh-pages branch, opened an issue, or proposed a Pull Request on Github, list down your contributions.  

 

List your awards and recognition  

Don’t be scared to show off your awards, as these strengthen your credibility as a web developer. Potential employers will be attracted to the fact that award-giving bodies or renowned organizations in your field recognize your talent.   

It also pays to cite hackathons or competitions you may have participated in in the past. These can give potential employers the idea that you’re passionate about what you do and that you do your best to expand your knowledge and skills constantly. However, remember only to include awards and competitions worth noting. Potential employers may not spend more than one minute reading through a long list of your accomplishments. Curate and include those that genuinely up your credibility as a web developer.   

 

Provide a short bio and your contact information  

Add a section in your portfolio where you can briefly share your personality, career goals, and more. Keeping it short but compelling is key to gaining the attention of potential employers. Besides, you can share more about yourself when you get invited for an interview.  

In your portfolio, you can also list your contact information, such as your email address, phone number, and social media accounts. Suppose an employer has seen your portfolio and is ready to schedule an interview with you. In that case, they should be able to know how to contact you hassle-free.  

An organized and professional portfolio can significantly improve your image, help you land fulfilling jobs, and even advance your career journey. Landing a job is never a walk in the park. Still, by making yourself presentable through a well-rounded web developer portfolio, you stand a chance of making a good impression on potential employers and receiving invitations for interviews.   

---

Ready to join a tech workforce of driven and motivated professionals? Check the available tech jobs in your chosen track, register in training courses to upskill, or refer your friends and earn today.

MAY 30, 2022

RELATED ARTICLES