What Makes A Good Portfolio?

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It is universally known that when applying for any position, a CV, a portfolio of work or a showreel is almost always required. Why? Because it helps to show who you are and what you’ve done that can make you stand out from the crowd.

For being a web developer, it’s all about having the necessary skills for the industry. That being said, it is all very good going up to people methodically saying “I’m a web developer and I’m very good at HTML and CSS and not too bad at JavaScript and jQuery” however, it is another thing to prove it. Otherwise, everyone would embellish their accomplishments!

You may claim, for example, that you love nothing better than to sit and use the Firebase Console to link your databases to your website when in fact you struggle with the concepts and detest coding greatly.

Lying about what you’re good at is not advisable, but people still do it. In fact, OfficeTeam, an administrative support service, issued a survey in 2017 to 1,314 workers. It was revealed just under half (46%) the number of staff asked knew someone who had lied in their resumé (of course, this presupposes that those responding were themselves telling the truth!). 

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That is not the ideal way to go.

The moment employers find out you are not who you say you are, whether you are in their job or not, you’ll be no longer considered for being employed and will be shown the door.

Now, what better way to show off your skills – the real skills you actually know – than to demonstrate what you know through your own website?

Indeed, many web developers take the chance silently to brag about their success by projecting their unique personalities and coding styles on their websites created especially for this purpose. As Nick Babich, Editor-in-chief of UX Planet and software developer, stated in one of his blogs on building a web developer portfolio:

“For web developers, your website is more than just a description of your work—it is your work. It’s a place where you can demonstrate what you’re capable of.”

How do they do this? Time and patience, really.

But what makes their portfolio so good?

1. Keeping it straightforward

The most common mistake of portfolios is that people put in too much information that it either looks hectic or there are too many words on the page to process. It only takes 50 milliseconds for someone to form an opinion of you, so you’d best make them count. 

Having a simple consistent website is an absolute must as it not only looks professional but it also means people can get the gist of you without needing to read paragraphs about yourself! This does not limit you to what you can do: you can still have an attractive page without things needing to look overdone.

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2. Interaction

Everyone likes to feel included, everyone loves to be involved. That’s what makes things fun! JavaScript is the backbone of websites, it’s what makes them so interactive so you might as well fire things in, even if it’s just a quick animation.

Front-end development engineer Matthew Williams chose a simple home page which, when you run the mouse over the shooting star-like tails, turns the line from a dull grey into a white.

Robby Leonardi, a multidisciplinary designer, has made his portfolio website as though you were playing a video game. At each level, the visitor can learn more about him. This quirky design immediately exhibits what he is capable of coding and consequently is very impressive.

3. Including relevant skills and experience

There is no point in including information about your education or work experience that does not apply to what you are doing. For example, working part-time as a sales assistant does not have anything to do with web developing. It only makes sense to discuss the relatable points about yourself, such as which programming language is your forté or if you did a work placement involving web development.

4. Ensuring people can contact you easily

This might sound like an obvious one, but it really helps to have an obvious place for people who are interested in your work or potential business partners to contact you. Having a contacts page tucked away among other pages is no good for anyone! You could incorporate not only the standard form, but also a mobile or email address so they can get immediate priority.

In a post for HubSpot, Lindsay Kolowich emphasises:

“If your visitor or customer needs help, they want it now. They don't want to fill out a form and wait to see when, if ever, they get a response.” 

5. Other projects

Showcasing what projects you are working on at the moment or have already made is what makes it a portfolio. It gives people a chance to look at your work and style before they have even got the chance to speak to you. Displaying your work on your website can help companies narrow down their search for who they want to hire if you have enough examples to match the requirements they want.

It lets people know what your attitude to work is, what sort of style you have, and if it’s projects you have been working on for prestigious companies, it adds to the value of the work and may help you come forward and be recommended more!

It can be concluded that portfolios are important in any industry. For web development, it is all about reflecting your skills and personality into the website itself – that is the driving force! Keep everything clear and concise, from the content to the contacts. Show off your work, relative achievements and, above all, make a good first impression to your viewers. Good luck!

YOU CAN VIEW MY OWN PORTFOLIO WEBSITE HERE.