STARTING A TECHNICAL PORTFOLIO

Having a technical portfolio can go a long way if you aregunningforaroleasanengineerordeveloper.Not only is it a great way to showcase your skills via your past work, it also gives your prospective employers a taste of what you can offer them if they hire you.

If you have not started on it, or are looking to tweak your portfolio, what should you look out for? It can be daunting, especially if you are just getting started. Here are some practical tips on how you can make an effective portfolio.

Building the foundation

Although physical portfolios are still an option (and do have their benefits), digital ones are more commonly used due to their ease of access. It also means that you have more control over how it is designed.

While there are plenty of templates you can use and edit you can always choose to start from scratch if you are looking for a challenge. It will be a great way to show off your proficiency in coding, like in JavaScript or Python.

Oncedone,youwillalsoneedtonameyourdomain,ideally with your own name. But keep in mind that while you can pick a free one, you need to pay a yearly subscription if you really want to customise your domain address. It is not necessary now, but you can consider it as an investment down the line to give your portfolio a more professional polish.

Regardless of how you build it, your portfolio should not serve as some storehouse to toss in your past work haphazardly.

Showing off your best

If you have any projects that you are proud of, or that best exemplifies your skills, your portfolio is the best place to showcase them. These can even include school assignments, personal projects, or notable contributions you made on open-source projects.

However, do not just leave them there as is – it is also important to provide context on these projects, such as the objective and results you achieved. You can even provide supplementary materials, such as prototypes and draft sketches, since they can give a glimpse into your working process to employers.

In addition, if any projects were done for past clients or companies, you will need to check with them on whether you can display them publicly on your portfolio. While some may allow it under certain conditions, others may be confidential and thus cannot be used.

But what if you are currently in Term 1 and have nothing to show? You can consider starting up personal projects – whether it is creating a website for a mock client, or contributing to open-source projects online. Plus, your own portfolio could be its own project, if you choose to create it from the ground up!