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Employers in all industries want to hire the best person for each job, including developer roles. A coding portfolio can help you compete as the best person for a developer role. Use a coding portfolio to display your expertise and express your personality and values.
To give yourself the best chance of landing a coding job, it’s critical to learn how to build a portfolio that stands out against the competition.
What Is a Coding Portfolio?
A coding portfolio goes beyond a simple resume to showcase your skills. Coding portfolios are often interactive websites that detail your previous projects (including their code), express who you are as a programmer and provide contact information. A coding portfolio is a must-have for landing a programming job, whether you specialize in user experience (UX), full-stack development, game design or any other field.
Why Is a Coding Portfolio Important?
Employers ultimately want to know if you are a competent candidate, and your portfolio should display your knowledge and skills. Building a portfolio allows you to differentiate yourself from other programmers by creating a brand out of who you are and what you can do. A portfolio is a one-stop shop housing your work, credentials and contact information.
Your portfolio should show that you are just the person an employer needs. For example, if you are a front-end web developer, your portfolio should exhibit your work on various web pages. Keep in mind that employers will also want to see that your work keeps up with current industry trends.
How to Build a Portfolio
Building a coding portfolio is pretty straightforward. Logistical aspects include buying a domain name, finding a web hosting provider and making the site live for the internet to see.
A portfolio’s main purpose is to market yourself to potential employers and clients. It is also a blank slate for you to creatively display who you are as a professional and a person. Keep your audience in mind as you design your portfolio.
Write an ‘About Me’ Section
An “about me” section allows you to elaborate on your professional experience and tell a story about who you are and what you do. Employers often look for the most skilled person for the job, but they also care about soft skills that can impact day-to-day operations. The “about me” section is your chance to display your soft skills and separate yourself from other coders.
Start by describing the kind of work you do, including the roles you have held and for how long. Frequently update this information, especially if you are new to the field. You can also include personal interests, values and strengths to give a better sense of who you are. Finally, include your education credentials, including any coding bootcamps you may have completed.
Feature Your Previous Projects
A “previous projects” section is your chance to impress clients and prospective employers. Here, you can display the breadth and depth of your coding skills and knowledge through various projects.
When considering whom to hire, employers spend lots of time evaluating candidates’ projects. In your portfolio’s “previous projects” section, include your absolute best, most up-to-date work. Screenshots of your work are a great start, but adding live links is even better.
Tailor your projects based on your desired role. For example, a front-end developer should display their proficiency through projects like cloned websites; create, read, update and delete (CRUD) applications; and application programming interface (API)-connected websites. Back-end developers should include projects that demonstrate their abilities in server-side languages (e.g., C#, Java and Python) and database technologies.
Share Your Contact Information
When it comes to contact information, what you include and how you include it depends on your layout and personal style. Most coding portfolios include a dedicated contact page, but some are single-paged.
You can create a submission form or keep it simple by listing your email address, links to any social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter and links to sites like GitHub or Stack Overflow that house your projects.
How to Make Your Portfolio Stand Out
Coding and web development bring intense competition, so it’s essential to do everything you can to make your portfolio stand out among the crowd. While employers are likely to focus on your code, you can refine a few other details of your portfolio to make the experience seamless for potential employers and leave them with a good impression of who you are.
Clean Up Your Code
Employers are likely to prioritize your coding skills, so make sure your code is highly readable and efficient. Spend time revising your code to make it consistent with naming conventions, indentation, single and double quotes and other elements. Simplify the code as much as possible to show employers that you can work efficiently and effectively, including in team environments.
Add Explainers
Context is key. Attaching a short explainer to each project can give employers insight into your thinking process and design decisions, even if the projects were completed in teams. Your descriptions should be simple and limited in technical language when explaining each project.
These explainers allow you to demonstrate the challenges you overcame and the specific goals you aimed to accomplish. You may elaborate on your role in team-completed projects. Consider including the coding languages used, where the source code can be found and a link to the project if it is publicly accessible.
Choose a Strong Domain Name
Strong doesn’t always mean you must spend hours trying to find the perfect name. Sometimes strong can also be simple, with many coders naming their domains after themselves. If you plan to use a common name and the .com top-level domain (TLD), your planned domain name might not be available. In this case, you can use an alternative TLD, such as .me, .io or .dev.
When creating a domain name, there are a few things to avoid. Try not to use numbers or special characters, as these may make your domain name difficult to type and could even reduce your site’s credibility. Do not use funny spellings of words that may make your site hard to find or less accessible. Lastly, avoid misspellings, which may make your site seem suspicious and potentially dangerous.
Make it Look Good
Your portfolio is your digital first impression, so you should make it count by creating an attractive, functional site. Unattractive design and poor functionality can leave potential clients or employers disinterested or frustrated, damaging your credibility as a candidate in the process.
A coding employer probably cares more about your coding skills than your portfolio’s design, but your portfolio should look good enough to keep their attention. Your website’s design can even create subconscious emotional connections to give you an edge on the job market.
Consider sticking to a color scheme and using an interface that is simple and efficient, highlighting the most essential information. Lastly, limit large files and images to increase the webpage’s performance.
As for functionality, you should first make sure your portfolio is easy to navigate. Include a navigation bar with only a few options. Simplicity is key. Many portfolios only include “about me,” “portfolio,” and “contact” sections or pages.
You should also ensure that your portfolio looks good and works well on a computer, tablet and smartphone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Coding Portfolios
What are good projects for a programming portfolio?
The best projects for your programming portfolio depend on the role you are applying for. If you are looking for a job in front-end development, consider including cloned websites, CRUD applications, notes apps, and API-connected websites. For back-end developing roles, display projects like proxy servers, user authentication systems and web-crawling applications that index or gather data.
How do I make a portfolio for a website programmer?
First, purchase a domain from a domain provider and choose a hosting platform that meets your needs. You can then connect your domain to your hosting platform and design the portfolio website. When it is ready for publication, make your portfolio live.
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