An online portfolio is perhaps the very best way to market yourself and introduce interested parties to the cool things you are capable of. They are more flexible than any social media platform and fully under your power to modify to suit your needs. As such, you have been briefed in class how to go about creating such a profile. The below guide is just to serve as a checklist of sorts for what you should have present in a minimally viable portfolio.
Please ensure that all the following is present somewhere or in some way in your portfolio:
Personal Info
While this should naturally include such things as your name, it should also go a bit beyond that. Provide a little background on how you have come to be in the position you are currently in, and what you interests and passions are. Visitors to your portfolio want to know what gets you excited and what type of work you are looking to do, so make sure they can find that information!
Resume Info
You should either include a clear link to a PDF copy of your most recent resume or include a digital version of your resume directly within your portfolio page. Normal best practices of resumes should apply: it should be recently updated, easy to read, and easy for an interested viewer to find on your page.
Evidence of Past Projects
Perhaps the most important role of an online portfolio is to showcase past work that you have done. There is often no substitute for experience, and past projects are your easiest way of showcasing that experience. While your Capstone project should obviously be included, it is currently a work in progress. So make sure you include at least 2 other projects on the page that showcase what you are capable of. Most importantly, do not just link to a project’s GitHub page or link code. You need to clearly communicate what these projects were, what you accomplished, how you did it, and what your results were. It is always good to include what new skills or concepts you learned along the way as well. If you already have all of that information written up elsewhere, then you are fine to link to it. But make sure it is just a click away from anyone interested.
Contact Info
Marketing yourself only works if an interested party can reach out and contact you. Make it easy and obvious. Include an email address where you can be reached. Include your LinkedIn profile, your Twitter profile, or anywhere else that you professionally communicate and interact.
Usability / Aesthetics
You more than likely used a template as a starting point for constructing your portfolio. Take the time to ensure that everything is working as expected, and that all the links, pages, etc. are related to you and not some generic template. Make sure there are no broken links on your pages, or content that is mangled. You want this to look professional, as it is a reflection of your professionalism.
Scoring
- (4pts) Personal Info
- (3pts) Resume Info
- (8pts) Past projects
- (2pts) Contact info
- (3pts) Usability / Aesthetics