A “portfolio” is required not only by designers but also by engineers, but many people may not know how to create one.
The portfolio is an important document for presenting your abilities to the other party, and the acquisition rate of projects varies greatly depending on the performance. Therefore, when creating a portfolio, it is necessary not only to describe your background and skills but also to make it easy to read by covering the projects you have worked on in the past and the scope of your responsibility.
Here, we will explain in detail how to create an easy-to-understand portfolio and its benefits.
What is an Engineer’s Portfolio?
A portfolio is a collection of your work that showcases your abilities and achievements. For example, if you’re a designer, it’s a collection of designs you’ve made in the past, and if you’re a photographer, it’s a collection of photos you’ve taken.
So, what do engineers post? An overview of the projects they have participated in so far, their coding skills, apps they have created, proposals, and so on.
Portfolio benefits
There are two main benefits for engineers in creating a portfolio.
– Demonstrate your technical skills
– Demonstrate a positive attitude
Creating a portfolio requires a certain amount of technical ability. The created portfolio is an easy-to-understand proof of your technical skills, and you can accurately convey the details of your skills. The point that companies emphasize in interviews with engineers is whether the engineer has the skills the company is looking for, so a portfolio is an effective tool.
Also, if you have practical experience, you can show off your abilities by posting the deliverables that you have worked on in your portfolio. In the case of inexperienced people, it is not possible to appeal based on work performance, but if you have an application or tool that you have created yourself, it will prove that you have the skills.
In this way, submitting a portfolio makes it easier for the company to visualize your technical capabilities, and it also makes it easier for companies to evaluate practical skills that cannot be understood from resumes and job histories alone. In addition, you can appeal to your positive attitude more than other applicants who do not have a portfolio, and it will be easier for you to work in the selection process.
Are engineers in trouble without a portfolio?
There are not many cases where companies ask engineers to submit their portfolios, but some companies may ask them to do so. At that time, if you rush to create a portfolio, you may end up with a half-finished portfolio.
It takes time to create a portfolio, so if you are thinking about changing jobs, first create a portfolio that also organizes what you can do.
Lack of judgment materials on the company side = Possibility of not getting a correct evaluation
To measure the ability of an engineer hired by a company, as many judgment materials as possible are required. Even if you have practical experience, it is difficult to know what you were doing at the site just by looking at your resume and job history.
It is better to prepare a portfolio so that the company can correctly evaluate your abilities.
If you have no experience, you may not even be able to get an interview without a portfolio.
The company preferentially hires people who can be immediately effective. Therefore, inexperienced people who have no practical experience and cannot read their abilities as engineers cannot pass the document screening, and there are many cases where they do not reach the interview. Precisely because you can’t measure your abilities based on your work history, it’s very important to prepare a portfolio that showcases your abilities.
No matter how much ability you have, if you don’t have something visible, you can’t get a proper evaluation.
Think of your portfolio as an important document to show recruiters that you have sufficient skills at the paperwork stage and that you are worthy of an interview for hiring.
How to make a portfolio?
There are four points to creating a high-quality portfolio that is easy to catch the eyes of recruiters.
1. Arrange not only the appearance but also the source code
2. Choose something that shows the background of the development
3. Be conscious of public order and morals
4. Show off your personality and avoid clichés
Let’s explain in detail which points should be made while being more conscious of each.
Point 1: Let’s prepare not only the appearance but also the source code
The uniformity and layout of the design are important, but the source code should be neatly arranged and readability should be considered. Unlike individual development, when working at a company, development is mostly done in teams. If the source code that you have written is not well organized, it often causes trouble for the members who are doing the same development, and it may be judged that you are unsuitable for working in a team.
Also, when creating your themes using a CMS, it is best to avoid using sample code or UI designs from well-known themes, or even slightly modifying the distributed sample code. Such a portfolio can give a negative impression that “there is only enough ability to modify the sample”.
Some engineers use development history and source code on GitHub instead of a portfolio, but we recommend that you create a solid portfolio and attach the URL as a document.
Point 2: Choose something that shows the background of the development
What is required of engineers is the ability to create products that accurately capture the needs of users. Therefore, even if it is a portfolio, it is important to consider the intention of the work and the user.
Let’s have a firm image of when the user will use it, and be able to explain the purpose of the development. If you can confidently answer the “why” from the interviewer who sees it, you will make a good impression.
Point ③ Be aware of public order and morals
As a matter of course, anything that goes against public order and morals will put your dignity as a business person into question rather than your ability, so never do it. For example, the act of submitting a confidential project as a portfolio or using someone else’s source code without permission is regarded as a high-risk human resource for the company.
All rights are owned by the company that requested it. Therefore, in principle, even if you made everything yourself, you cannot publish it as a product without permission. Also, even if it is open source, if someone submits something that does not comply with the license conditions, the company can foresee trouble after hiring, so even if the technology is high, they will not be hired.
Point 4: Avoid what everyone else is making
Portfolios are materials created to promote your uniqueness, originality, and technical capabilities. Therefore, unless you are very confident, it is better to avoid making something that anyone can make.
For example, you can use a famous template material to create it, or you can imitate the site that introduces how to write it. Also, engineers in charge of hiring know most of the famous sample codes, so you should especially avoid modifying the samples on the web.
In addition, it is safer to refrain from making copies of various sites while patching them together because there is no consistency and there is a high possibility that your ability will be seen through.
A portfolio is a way to convey your abilities, so be honest and put together what you can do. If you are conscious of your strengths, you should be able to create something unique to you. Instead of looking at a sample and making something that anyone can make, let’s make a work that is unique to you.
An attractive portfolio can appeal to your value as an engineer!
This time, I explained the necessity of the engineer’s portfolio and the points when making it. If you can create a high-quality portfolio by following the four points of how to create it, it will lead to a great appeal when applying for a job.
While it is very important to create a high-quality portfolio, it is also important to be conscious of accurately conveying your abilities to the other party. A well-crafted portfolio will be an effective document that conveys your strengths and personality. Create an attractive portfolio while being conscious of who you want to tell, what you want to convey, and with what intentions.
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