Five mistakes you can fix now in your portfolio

First impressions count, time to make yours perfect.

I have been a web developer for way longer than I care to remember, and during that time I’ve seen hundreds upon hundreds of portfolios all over the web, some were good, but most of them needed a lot of work.

Let’s face it, in the hiring process, a portfolio does hold some weight, and if you’re missing a few of the key factors, or have some of the refactored garbage that everybody uses, your chances drop dramatically, compared to someone else, who covered all the bases.

At its core, a portfolio is a reflection of yourself, and of your skills, so it’s about time you give it the respect it deserves.

For the love of god stop using skill charts

Not only are they inaccurate, but they’re also childish and goofy. Why would anyone believe them, or think that they’re a good idea, is beyond me.

Clients will hire you for your ability to adapt and solve problems, technologies and frameworks change every few months, and your “90% skill” in React counts for jackshit.

If you want to convince clients you’re good at something, showcase your projects, not a bullshit counter.

Go an inch wide and a mile deep

Focus on one thing. Don’t be the guy who has web design, web development, magazine layouts, and landing pages in your portfolio.

What kind of clients are you trying to attract? Find one niche and dominate it, which will show any prospect how much you know your shit, and that’s just sexy.

Plus your portfolio won’t be a mess of half-backed mediocre garbage, it’ll be a few well done, and well thought of projects.

Generic tagline

• I create beautiful designs that make a difference
• Logical mind and creative heart
• I build meaningful experiences

Yeah, well you and a few hundred-thousand other people champ.

Tell the world who you are, why they should hire you, don’t give them a tagline, you’re not a soda, give them a story you pretentious prick.

Giant blocks of text

I know you spent a few hours crafting that amazing “About” page, you’ve poured your heart and soul into it, and you were so proud when you finished writing it, am I onto something here? Well, let me level with you, if it’s longer than a few hundred words, no one is going to read it.

Keep your text short, precise, and to the point, otherwise, you might as well use Lorem ipsum, no one will even notice the difference.

Substance over design

I’ve made the mistake of designing a highly sophisticated and intricate portfolio before, it gave me a huge ego boost, a slight erection, and zero leads.

The lesson I learned was that clients didn’t care how great my portfolio looked, I had project showcases to demonstrate my skills, what they wanted from my portfolio was simply an overlook of who I am. I believe that my new portfolio does a great job of doing that.

Focus on what people want to see, not on what your ego dictates.

I know that a portfolio is never perfect and that there are a lot of other more important factors when it comes to being hired. But the only way to succeed in life is to project success and practice perfection in everything you do.

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