It's been a few years since I've had to go through the job seeking process and I'm curious, is it still the norm to have a portfolio site as a front end developer?
Some of us, myself included, work on a single web app over the course of a few years so a portfolio of recent work is going to be pretty sparse. Of course a lot of work has gone in to the site so different aspects could be featured, but is it overkill to have a portfolio for this?
None of the job postings I've seen for front end developers make any mention of sending your portfolio, which is why I wonder if it's still a necessity.
Edit: Thanks for the feedback everyone. It seems the consensus is that having a personal site is worthwhile and a great place to gather your past experience, experiments, and just general thoughts. All very useful for obtaining potential employment opportunities.
Top comments (14)
The more you’re trying to sell your design skills the more likely a showcase portfolio would probably help IMO. If you’re looking to get hired more on the more codey side I think a solid track record and a well-communicates skill set are probably more important than a literal project portfolio.
Thanks for the reply Ben, your point of view makes sense. Being strictly a developer, I suppose having a portfolio which visually isn't actually showing off my work, but instead someone else's design work could also have the negative effect of distracting from my own skillset.
It's not a necessity for sure, but it does help us work on our "brand image". Plus, it's a great playground for your creativity.
A great way to solve that problem for me was to basically merge my blog & my portfolio 🙂
I worked as a contractor for almost 6 years in Dublin, Ireland and I noticed that it helps to be able to show a body of work. It doesn't have to be a portfolio though. Blog, guest articles, open source contribution, personal projects, community events, and meetups activity can count as proof of your experience.
They might not ask for a portfolio, but it will always put you in a better light to have one. And yes, tests will still happen because there are many people who fake their LinkedIn profiles or other similar things. I've won contracts where I haven't got to write a single line of code for a test. And I've found some tests obnoxious enough to convince me I would not fit well in that team.
For example, if I come to you as an HTML/CSS specialist, with 15 years of experience, published articles, lots of contracting experience and testimonials to prove it, and you start your test by asking me to tell the difference between a
spanand adiv, then I'm not working with you.Job stability, especially in IT-related industry, is generally a thing of the past. You should always be prepared for a case where you have to go job hunting again. Start with having a personal website. Mention there anything that can help you be seen in a better light. There's no such thing as overkill.
I'm a frontend developer (strictly developer) and I do have a portfolio website. I find it easier both for me and for the potential employer to check the website instead of CV. For me, it's easier to add more info about projects I've been working with and I'm not limited to 3-5 lines for each one (otherwise CV would take several pages). For employer it would also be easier to understand what I've been doing in a "big picture" . This case might not work all the time and this is exactly the reason why there should be a link to download your CV.
My first reflex was to click on your profile to check it out. Don't forget to add it to your DEV profile if you'd like ! 😄
Oh, forgot to do so, thank you! :)
Meanwhile you can check it here: dmbaranov.io
This is easier & conveys much more than a resume.
When I switched careers a year ago, I decided to talk/write about what I'd learn instead of just showing off pictures and blurbs about the products I'd work on.
Also, I love writing, so it was a more natural move for me (and let's not forget a more motivational one). I consider my blog to be a portfolio though, just not a picture-ish one.
A killer site is a killer site.
I don't do resumes, or tests both ways.
Even if you work on a single project, you can have your own things built over time. It's good for a number of things (jobs/earnings/learning/rankings/traffic/revenue etc).
In the long term, your site is a place you own, almost everything else is rented, think way beyond portfolio.
I was thinking about this issue today actually and discussing it with my friend/mentor. I do think it is a way to show your potential and have a strong personal brand.
It helps, although it doesn't do all the job. Nowadays degrees do not mean much.
For instance, I have never obtained a degree or certification on English. Never needed it. The companies I attended for an interview just run the interview in English.
Later on, when I had to interview people myself to hire them, did the same.
So, the coding test is like a second stage, and the portfolio a tool that helps you to go through the first one.
In my opinion:
It is not necessary to have a "portfolio" website as such, but I still think it is beneficial to HAVE a personal website.
As you say, as a developer its tough to showcase work if you have constantly been working on a project, but you are still able to showcase your knowledge with articles and code snippets that you have written.
You look at a lot of the big names on Twitter, and their personal websites (are more often than not) really simple. Just a paragraph about who they are / what they do and then some articles. Doesn't have to be anything professional or even particularly serious, however, it is a nice touch.
I have just recently really cut mine down to just one paragraph, some links to my articles and my social links. No scrolling required and its all on one page.
Thanks for the feedback. I too have done implementation tests when I last went through job prospects (as I said, a few years ago now). Definitely my preferred choice as well and I think much more beneficial to employers as it helps simulate real working conditions far better than a whiteboard ever could.
Thanks for the reply. This seems like a more logical approach as an employer - testing skillset competence. Out of curiosity, what kind of tests did you have to go through? Whiteboard? Formal school type tests? Or more practical implementation tests such as a mini project?