In tech, your portfolio speaks louder than your resume. Hiring managers want to see what you've built, how you think, and that you can actually code. A strong portfolio can open doors that a degree cannot.
What to Include in Your Portfolio
1. Hero Section
- Professional photo or avatar
- Clear title (e.g., "Full Stack Developer")
- Brief, compelling tagline
- Call-to-action buttons
2. About Section
- Your story and background
- What drives you
- Technologies you specialize in
- Personality (let it shine!)
3. Projects Section (Most Important!)
Include 3-5 of your best projects with:
- Screenshots or demo videos
- Problem you solved
- Technologies used
- Your role and contributions
- Live demo and GitHub links
4. Skills Section
- Programming languages
- Frameworks and libraries
- Tools and platforms
- Soft skills (optional)
5. Contact Section
- Email address
- LinkedIn profile
- GitHub profile
- Contact form
Portfolio Project Ideas
Frontend Developer
- E-commerce product page
- Weather or movie app
- Interactive dashboard
- Landing page clone
Full Stack Developer
- Task management app
- Social media clone
- E-commerce with checkout
- Blog with CMS
Data Scientist
- Exploratory data analysis
- Predictive model project
- Data visualization dashboard
- Kaggle competition entry
Portfolio Best Practices
- Quality over quantity: 3-5 excellent projects beat 10 mediocre ones
- Show your process: Include READMEs and documentation
- Make it personal: Let your personality come through
- Keep it updated: Add new projects, remove old ones
- Mobile-friendly: Recruiters browse on phones
- Fast loading: Optimize images and code
Where to Host Your Portfolio
- GitHub Pages: Free, connects to your repos
- Netlify: Free with continuous deployment
- Vercel: Great for React/Next.js
- Custom domain: yourname.dev looks professional
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Too many projects (overwhelms viewers)
- No live demos (people want to click and see)
- Broken links (test everything!)
- Tutorial projects only (create something unique)
- No contact information
Your portfolio is your professional identity online. Invest time in it, keep it updated, and watch opportunities come your way!