How to Build a Coding Portfolio Hiring Managers Will Notice.

Coding portfolio websites are where software engineers can demonstrate their skills and expertise.

It enables them to present this work in a way that is personal to them.

Showcasing projects they’ve designed and developed can impress potential employers and help them stand out from other candidates.

Building a coding portfolio is especially important when just starting a career in tech.

It provides a competitive edge when trying to get a job.

We’ve created a simple guide that reviews the best practices for building a coding portfolio website.

What is a coding portfolio website?

A coding portfolio website shows, and links, to your previous web development projects. This includes code, databases, screenshots, and a demo.

Although you’re likely to describe your prior coding experience to a potential employer or client in an interview, they’ll want proof that you’ve got prior experience required for the job position they’re trying to fill.

The projects you present during an interview may differ from job to job.

Review the projects that best display the skills required for that specific role.

Be ready to talk in detail about the projects. Why you made the design decisions you did. Why you chose a specific language or database.

You can also include a brief biographical summary or About-me page, links to relevant social media channels, and a contact form for users to connect with you about future opportunities.

Why are coding portfolios important?

Coding portfolio websites provide real-life examples of your coding experience, and let you share your knowledge in a way that is unique to you.

Marketing may not be top-of-mind for you as a web developer, but your coding portfolio website offers you the chance to build a personal brand.

This includes your personality, and reflections on how this prior work makes you unique.

In an era where work culture is top-of-mind for many employers, personality can make you stand out.

How to start a coding portfolio website?

Buy a domain name and choose a URL that is professional and speaks to who you are.

It’s a marketing tool to show off your skills.

What to put in a coding portfolio website.

1. Create a good user experience, and a nice look and feel that speaks to your personal style. A poorly designed portfolio website can turn off potential employers.
2. An ‘About Me” section to specify not only your technical skills but your interpersonal and soft skills.
3. Contact info and/or a contact form.
4. Don’t forget links: This website should include individual samples of your work, featuring images, description text, and links off to live projects that users can see on their own. Remember that screenshots, although a useful visual to include, shouldn’t be the extent of how you show your work - including actual links to the work is important so that employers and clients can really explore what you’ve done.
5. Get specific: In the descriptions of these projects, specify which coding languages and problem-solving skills were involved. Was this project completed as a part of a collaborative team? Say it! Good collaboration, communication, and time management skills are also key to showing your expertise. Coding bootcamps such as Nucamp that incorporate weekly in-person workshops give you the tools to problem-solve alongside others.
6. Include testimonials: Where possible, consider including positive testimonials from the clients you completed these projects for. In the crowded digital space that we live in, customer/employer reviews can help shed light on the positive experience people have working directly with you. This can help your work samples feel more authentic and place you in a more positive light.
7. Balance your best work with your most recent work: Aim to include your recent work samples to avoid having large timeline gaps in your projects. Major holes in time can raise unnecessary questions of what you were doing during that gap and if your skills/experience lapsed during that time. That being said, you also want to balance your most recent projects with those that are your best. Your work samples should be strategic, chosen specifically for their strength in defining your prior experience and skills. So, although you want them to be recent, you should not include a work sample solely because it is recent; it should also show a unique part of your skillset or expertise that your other samples don’t.
8. Keep it updated and have multiple projects: Like most websites, your portfolio shouldn’t be static - you should frequently be checking it to add refreshed work examples or swap out samples that you feel are more timely with where you are in your career path. If you use analytics tracking, you can also see your portfolio’s most-viewed pages and traffic flow, which can hint at what works best on your site - and what might need to be refined.

Read our blog on coding portfolio project ideas.

What if I have questions?

Unsure about how a part of your coding portfolio looks or functions? Reach out to your peers and instructors! Coding bootcamps like Nucamp encourage interaction within this community to help you solve the challenges that arise from project-based learning.

Peers can help critique your coding portfolio, suggesting edits that make work samples stronger and more clearly communicated. As a web developer, you already know the importance of quality assurance testing. Even if it’s just a friend merely clicking around your site to check links, that’s important for confirming your coding portfolio is ready to be seen by the world.

Ready to see if coding is right for you?

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