How Do I Make My Portfolio Better?

How do I make my portfolio more attractive? What do employers want to see in a portfolio? What if I am building desktop applications? How do I show off what I can do? What if my employer does not allow me to put anything in my portfolio? These are the questions we will cover in this episode of Dev Questions.
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[@andergarcia1115]

Thank you Master for taking the time to give us such thoughtful advice. I feel much more confident. Your guidance means a lot to me.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are very welcome.

[@OnoderaMyGirl]

T.Y I'm still far to apply for a real job since I'm still first year but I'm happy since there's a channel like this.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@christiankimbi]

Good advices Tim

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks!

[@VonKosmos]

Sound advice 👍

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks!

[@abdulquddusnuhu7719]

Thanks for the advice. I have a question though. What if the projects in my portfolio are api based projects cause I am backend focused, like for example I am currently working on a backend for a multitenant (saas) small school management system. What do you think? Or should I use blazor to make the apps in my portfolio fullstack?

[@IAmTimCorey]

Not unless you want a full stack job. Otherwise, just make sure the readme in the repo is clear about what the API does.

[@Kotz_en]

Hey, Tim. I created a repository that centralizes all my portfolio in a single README with a brief summary for each project (what it is about, what problem it solves, what technologies it uses, etc), and I always link this repo in my CV. Do you think this is a good idea? I'm concerned that most recruiters consider clicking on a link to be too much of a burden and will simply discard my CV if the projects I showcase in it are not good enough for their tastes.

[@IAmTimCorey]

I think you have a great setup. For those who want more, they can get it. Just curate the main repo. Trim out the projects that no longer represent you. Now your resume still needs to be really good.

[@andywalter7426]

If a person has created class libraries, can that be included in the portfolio? Class libraries are designed to be used in other projects. They are like apps but used within other apps.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Yep. You just need to have a VERY clear readme file in your GitHub repo. It should give a clear overview of the library and then explain some of the important parts and why you would use them.

[@dreddy5187]

What unit testing framework do you recommend? MSTest, xUnit or NUnit

[@IAmTimCorey]

They are all great. It depends on your preferences. I personally prefer xunit.

[@antoniusivan8767]

Hi tim. What is your opinion about Devin? It's just a hype? Or game changing like chatGPT

[@IAmTimCorey]

It is mostly hype. It absolutely won’t be a replacement for a developer. If it actually works, it will be another option like GitHub Copilot.

[@antoniusivan8767]

@@IAmTimCorey thanks for your opinion Tim 🙏

[@higherpurpose1212]

I've created Rest/Web Apis in an intranet setting, the domain is not exposed publicly. So how can I show the potential employer the links? I know how to make APIs, sure, but showing them is another tricky thing. Also, I've added features mostly on systems that have already been built by third party vendors, that's what we did most of the time, the company didn't want us building a system from the ground up so they've employed contractors from third party software companies to do just that, then we maintained and added new critical components to it. How do I put it eloquently in my CV just to tell employers that I contributed heavily on the projects?

[@IAmTimCorey]

First, to show off something in a portfolio, you will probably need to build something independent of your job. You can build an API and put it in a portfolio. Just document it well in the readme. As for talking about what you did at work, that is something you talk about rather than show. So, you talk about the problems you solved or the impact you had.

[@mose3805]

😣 *promosm*