Resumes list skills and titles. Portfolios show proof. For developers, designers, and technical roles, a focused portfolio can be the difference between "let's talk" and "pass."
What to Include
- Projects that match the roles you want. If you're applying for game dev, show games or interactive work. For web roles, show web apps or tools.
- Your role and the outcome. "I built the backend and API" or "I designed the onboarding flow and improved sign-up by 20%."
- Links: live site, repo, or demo. One working link beats three broken ones.
- Only your best work. Three strong projects beat ten mediocre ones.
How to Present It
- One page or a simple site. Recruiters and hiring managers skim. Make it easy to see project → role → result.
- Short descriptions. A few sentences per project. Save deep dives for the interview.
- Keep it current. Remove very old or irrelevant work. Add new projects as you ship.
For Developers
- GitHub with clear READMEs. Explain what the project does, how to run it, and what you contributed.
- Live demos when possible. A deployed app or a playable build is more convincing than "trust me, it works."
For Designers
- Case studies for 2–3 projects: problem, approach, outcome. Screens or links to the final work.
- Show process if it's a strength: sketches, iterations, or research that led to the solution.
Your portfolio doesn't need to be huge. It needs to be relevant, honest, and easy to scan. Update it as you grow.