Hellooo, welcome back to my blog💛

Did you take a break from coding as I advised in my Taking a break from Coding article? If you haven’t taken an intentional break before, then you should definitely check that article out.

So quick one, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who happens to be a #codenewbie, she is a wife and also a mother(👍 women are amazing creatures). I was asking her about her portfolio and she seem to be really lost, I get the feeling because I remember relating to it at a point in my tech journey. As a matter of fact, I didn’t really grasp the idea of a portfolio until my mentor showed me his.

What is a portfolio website and why do developers need one?

A portfolio website/ e-portfolio is an online website that showcases a representation of your professional information, your works, skills, and experiences. Oh, did I forget to say that you can even flaunt your personality or fun facts on your website? As a developer at whatever career level, you need your portfolio website to show people what you are capable of. It is one vital way through which you can introduce yourself to the world of employers.

13 crucial things for your portfolio

Design and Usability❗

The first thing people see as they visit your portfolio is the design. How does it look? So, it is important that your website design is appealing to the eyes and that it enhances easier navigation and increases usability.

Your Photo😀

Remember the saying, “put your money where your mouth is”? Well, we are going to twist it a bit here. How about we say, “put your face where your work is”. Give people something to relate to, give them a face to trust.

Your Skills👷

This is a good place to flaunt, list out skills that are relevant to the job you are hoping to get. Make sure to not include an excess of insignificant skills that do not appeal to the job and career opportunity you are looking out for.

A Bio/ “About you” page👌

This is a very good opportunity to tell your story. Here you can talk about yourself, your personality and chip in a few fun facts. It is your portfolio so engage your viewer with your story.

Previous Work Experiences💪

Do not forget to include your past experiences in your portfolio. Nevertheless, ensure you do not incorporate experiences that are not related to the job or career line you are shooting for.

Your Resume📝

The availability of a resume is quite required in several workplaces, so in light of that, it will be really thoughtful to have a part of your portfolio that accommodates your resume for viewing and downloading.

Your coding projects💼

Regardless of whether the project was a paid one, a personal project, or a school course project, as far as it showcases your skill, then you should most certainly have it in your portfolio

Your Contact Information📧📞

If someone takes their time to go through your portfolio, then there is a probability that they will love to reach out to you. Make life easy for your viewers by including your email address, telephone number, or any contact medium you are comfortable with.

Your Social Media Accounts🔓

If you would like to have people go through your social media accounts to know more about you, then you can include links to your accounts on your portfolio. For me, I included my Github, Linkedin, hashnode, and a few more other accounts. However, it is up to you to determine how much of your social media activities you want available on your portfolio website.

Your Blog📚

If you write and your articles or writings are relevant, then you should definitely have a link to your blog or your blog posts on your portfolio.

Open Source Contribution💻

If you contribute to open source, then you are doing an amazing job! You should have records of that on your portfolio.

Your Tech Groups or Communities👪

The tech industry is a very supportive one with several amazing groups and communities. If you belong to or hold a leadership position in any of these communities, then you can consider including it in your portfolio.

Your Speaking Engagements🎤

If you have spoken at any tech events, you can have that included with maybe a video of you speaking in your portfolio.

By and large, your portfolio is such an important tool for seeking out career opportunities. If you don’t have one, then start getting pumped up to kickstart building it🌟. If you currently have one, then you can grab one or two things from the above-stated points and revamp your portfolio to make it better💥.