A portfolio is a self built tool designed to showcase your completed projects. It is not focused on educational titles, jobs, or previous experience but on providing evidence of what you can do as a developer.
Do not confuse the portfolio with the resume: The full stack developer resume (or CV) is the place to list academic achievements, certifications and diplomas that prove your qualifications, experience in previous companies, etc.
The format and layout of a developer portfolio
There are professionals who choose to develop a personal website, others create a repository in the cloud or make infographics. There are even professionals who create a YouTube channel to exhibit their projects and share their knowledge and skills. Your imagination is the limit and the format is up to you.
If you want to be a front end developer, the layout and UI/UX of your portfolio must be great!
A good piece of advice for your portfolio is that it must speak for itself. When the potential employer visits your page they should immediately get a sense of your level of capability and knowledge. Your portfolio is your letter of introduction. In the world of coding, it doesn't matter if you have or don't have a great academic background; you need to be a good coder and be able to show it.
Elements of a Strong Full Stack Developer Portfolio
Here is a list of elements that are essential to include in a strong portfolio, plus a few extra tips.
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Personal projects: Publish one slide for each project, explaining what the project is about and how it works. Include screenshots, explain the architecture and engineering challenges, etc. Make sure to provide a link to a live demo (recommended) or github repository.
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Resume: Although in the world of technology, titles and formal experience are not the most important thing, it is always a good idea to have a solid and well-presented resume that will speak for a high level of professionalism.
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Contact information: Ensure your contact details are included and easy to find. They are essential for the employer to be able to reach you.
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Github or Gitlab repository URL's: Although it may sound a bit technical, in the world of technology working with a Github or Gitlab repository is a daily occurrence. A repository is an online storage space that allows people to work on projects colaboratively.
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Training certificates: Just like those offered by 4Geeks Academy, any training or courses you have taken provides evidence of a certain grade of knowledge and instruction. Although they do not reveal your real abilities, they are an important part of your background and should definitely be included in your portfolio.
Important skills to show on a Full Stack Developer Portfolio
Because full stack development includes both, front-end and back-end, it is necessary for a portfolio to demonstrate proficiency in both areas. If you do not have experience, you can still expose the languages and tools that you learned in the course(s) that you have taken in your learning, whether they are paid or free.
Mention which frameworks you are familiar with, which ones you use and what you managed to do with that knowledge. This with both disciplines (front and back). The largest frameworks and tools for developers are easy to find in the study plans of certain coding academies built to cover the entire Full Stack spectrum like this full stack coding bootcamp program.
Tips for Building an Effective Full Stack Developer Portfolio
We already know what should go in a good portfolio, characteristics that it should have, and where to acquire those skills that all employers around the world are looking for in their future workers. Now, when putting your hands on the keyboard, we give you some tips that will be very useful:
Focus on your main projects
It is not good to fill with content, put unimportant projects that do not make you proud. It is always better to expose well finished projects paying special attention to the quality and elegance of the code. The content must have a good presence and be very professional, which is why it is counterproductive to expose too many projects that are unfinished or have bad practices.
Quality is better than quantity
Your portfolio should reflect your level of knowledge and be consistent with your professional profile. For example, if you are looking for a job and you have some experience in projects using some programming language, like JavaScript, focus on putting in this type of experience and don't enlarge your range of knowledge.
Inexperience in not is a limiting factor
If you do not have experience, you can also have a portfolio. In it may be practices of your formative period, personal projects, including participating in the improvement of projects such as OpenSource, contributing your improvements through Pull Request in the repository.
Examples of Great Full Stack Developer Portfolios
Here we leave you links to amazing full stack developers portfolios that can serve as inspiration to create your own. All of them apply all the techniques mentioned above in addition to a very well worked aesthetic finish.
He introduces himself and where he resides, talks shortly about himself and his passions. It shows his skills and languages that he uses, projects and links to the pages already developed and your contact information.
It can be a good idea to put a self photo of you on the landing page, it shows confidence in yourself and if it is a well taken photo with a good finish it also speaks of your professionalism and ability to do a good job.
Websites and tools for building a portfolio
If at this point you have felt overwhelmed with everything a portfolio should have and how it should be presented, don't worry, the internet exists for this. On the web there are many pages and platforms that help you create a portfolio in a creative, beautiful and professional way that will make you look like a great developer with enormous potential.
Allows you to create a customizable website with an all-in.one solution. You can choose a website template developed by great designers that will make your portfolio look fancy, professional and estetic.
Portfoliobox is a “create a site” webpage very inspirational because of all the ideas settled in it. You have templates and a lot of tools that will allow you to create a very good looking website that, with your talent, will help you to get your first full stack developer job.
Using platforms like this (and not doing it "from scratch") does not show low ability, on the contrary, it shows that when a certain tool is not your strong skill, you are able to handle it searching on your own for the tools to deal with problems that cost you more. A good developer knows how to search for information and has the ability to find the necessary help so that no project is out of reach.
I hope this article guides you in applying for full stack developer roles. Learn key aspects that companies value and enhance your presentation. Understanding the full stack developer job description is essential for effective job applications.
In this changing tech world, it's crucial to stay updated on new tools. Whether you're exploring emerging tech or prepping for full stack developer interview questions, ongoing learning is key.
Full Stack Developer vs Software Engineer portfolio
While full stack developers excel in versatility, software engineers are often perceived as possessing superior architectural and abstraction skills. If you're a software engineer, consider tailoring your strategy accordingly. Explore the nuances of "full stack developer vs. software engineer" to make informed career decisions.
If you are looking for a software engineer portfolio, make sure to checkout this article.
If you can certify yourself as a software engineer, we recommend enrolling in our software engineer bootcamps.