Step by Step, A Guide to Creating an Impressive Portfolio

Before you even consider why you should create a portfolio, you might want to familiarize yourself with what a portfolio is and the benefits it can bring. A portfolio is a collection of works, projects, achievements, and other relevant examples that showcase an individual's skills, knowledge, and experience. It's a visually rich and informative document, often available online, that allows employers, clients, or collaborators to gain a clear understanding of the competencies and working styles of the person presenting it. Unlike a CV or biography, which primarily list work experience, education, and basic information, and can be seen as a list of achievements, a portfolio provides concrete evidence of what a person can accomplish.

Many employers want to see examples of work, as this demonstrates practical abilities, not just theoretical knowledge. A portfolio allows individuals to directly show how they apply their knowledge in practice. Just as a designer showcases and describes their designs, and a photographer their photographs, a programmer can describe selected projects that are not under non-disclosure agreements. You can present, for example, what you are currently working on primarily for personal use or close friends, then select a few that you have worked on before and that have made the greatest impression on you.

Manuel Radovanović, Portfolio

Portfolios for programmers can offer numerous benefits depending on your specific field. Here are some key advantages:

Showcasing Skills and Projects

• Allows potential employers or clients to see concrete examples of your work.

• Highlights your technical skills and abilities.

Professional Branding

• Builds a personal brand through a professional presentation of your work.

• Helps create recognition within the industry.

Attracting Employers and Clients

• Increases chances of employment or acquiring projects.

• Demonstrates your initiative and dedication. 

Organization and Documentation

• Systematically organizes and documents your work in one place.

• Provides easy access to your work for reference or further development.

Showcasing Progress and Development

• Illustrates your professional growth and progress over time.

• Demonstrates continuous improvement and acquisition of new skills.

Networking

• Enables connections with other professionals in the industry.

• Can be shared on social media and professional platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, etc.

Feedback and Validation

• Provides an opportunity to receive feedback on your work.

• Validation from peers and professionals can improve your portfolio.

Motivation and Self-Confidence

• Helps boost self-confidence through visualization of achievements.

• Can motivate you to set and achieve new goals.

SEO Benefits

• If online, it can improve your personal SEO - Search Engine Optimization and make it easier for people to find you.

Education and Mentorship

• Can be used as a tool for educating others and mentoring junior developers.

• Enables sharing knowledge and experience

A Simple and Effective Guide to Creating Your Portfolio

Believe it or not, your first step is to not hesitate. While reading this post, take your first step: start creating your portfolio. Assuming you're using a Gmail email address, simply sign up for Google Sites, an absolutely safe and free hosting platform for your portfolio or even small websites. Google Sites used to be part of Google Apps, but since September 1, 2021, it's no longer part of Google Apps, but you can easily find it on the first page of Google search. Click on the link, and when Google Sites opens, choose a portfolio template or any other you prefer by clicking on the Templates Gallery. Press the Publish button, name your portfolio with your full name, and publish it.

Google Sites, Dashboard for Creating Sites

Great job! You've successfully created the foundation of your portfolio. Now, it's time to personalize it. Go to your browser and enter the link you generated. Your chosen template will be there, waiting for your creative touch. Feel free to take your time customizing it. Add high-quality images, videos, and text to showcase your skills and projects. Remember, your portfolio is a reflection of you, so make it unique and engaging. And don't worry about finishing it all at once. You can come back and make changes whenever you want.

Pay attention to the right-side menu with three tabs in Google Sites. It provides all the basic tools needed to create, structure, and visually design your site. The Insert, Pages, and  Themes tabs make it easy for users to create sites that are functional, organized, and visually appealing, even without experience in design or programming. First, start searching for specific materials, such as a background image and a couple of your professional, high-quality photos that reflect your personality and professionalism. Your title or profession, as well as a brief description of your role or field of work. Your portfolio headings should be clear and engaging. Highlight your first and last name, preferably in a large, easy-to-read font. After the introductory selection on the home page, use the Social Links tool to add small icon links following a brief introduction, allowing visitors to follow you on social media.

Social links created using the Social Links tool in Google Site

Following the introduction and social media links, you can customize your homepage to showcase your preferred content. Typically, homepage sections serve as gateways to other pages or external resources. Our homepage features the following sections:

• Our current projects

• Top Three Institutions I've Worked For

• A dedicated area for blog posts

• A showcase of completed projects

• A section highlighting our YouTube channel

• My Technical Proficiencies

• Explore Some Code

Current Personal Projects Section

The projects page in a portfolio should go beyond a simple list of projects. Its goal is to provide a clear insight into your abilities and work process. Given that developers today often host their projects on GitHub or in blog tutorials, we've chosen to explain our projects in more detail in a concise and informative manner.

Projects Page

Due to the limitations of Google Sites, which do not allow for creating HTML anchors to enable direct jumps from a button on the homepage to a specific paragraph on the Projects page, we've implemented a different approach for our 9 projects. Each project now has its own dedicated page. While these pages are hidden from the site's navigation, they are directly accessible via buttons on the homepage. Clicking on a project's brief description will open a new page containing a comprehensive overview of that specific project. For convenience, each project page includes a link back to the homepage. To enhance user experience, it's highly recommended to include prominent Return to Top buttons or links on lengthy pages, allowing users to quickly navigate back to the beginning and reduce scrolling time.

Hidden Page: Construction Engineering System

Instead of a sparse timeline, a more common approach to creating a portfolio, we've opted to showcase the three most significant institutions we've worked for, including the positions held and the years we were employed there. These three institutions are highlighted in our portfolio because each represents a crucial part of our professional evolution and brings a unique experience that has shaped us. While a timeline could display a chronological sequence of positions, this approach allows for an in-depth presentation of specific skills and knowledge acquired in the places where we achieved the most significant professional development. Here, it's not just about the sequence but about the value and contribution of each work experience. Each segment provides insight into our diversity as professionals while emphasizing our ability to adapt to different industries and teams.

Top three institution I've wrorked for

On our Home page, after listing the institutions we've worked for and the positions we've held, we showcase nine projects, each linked to a more detailed description. This approach highlights our completed projects and provides potential employers with a broader view of our capabilities. However, we avoid mentioning any monetary gains, benefits, or awards received for our work as this could be perceived as bragging. While GitHub is a popular platform for many creators, as creators of programming tutorials, we prefer to highlight our YouTube channels in addition to our listed blogs. Following this, we inform visitors of all the skills we possess, including programming languages, frameworks, databases, operating systems, Linux distributions, servers, platforms, and even other software packages and tools. Again, we do this using small icons, similar to social media icons, but link them to specific blog posts. In this way, we create a significant impact on both our portfolio visitors and our blog readers.

Manuel's technical proficiencies

To conclude your homepage, consider adding a video, code sample, or other captivating content related to your work. We've chosen to feature a video tutorial demonstrating game development in Python. Accompanied by a concise description, this engaging project is sure to impress portfolio viewers.

Explore some code section on the bottom of home page

The About page serves as your personal and professional introduction. It should offer visitors a glimpse into your skills, values, and career journey, creating a deeper connection. A professional photo is essential to complement your written biography. The Contact page, on the other hand, should provide a simple and effective way for visitors to get in touch. You can achieve this by embedding a contact form generated by a free online service, similar to the contact form on our blog.

About Page