Need advice on Portfolio

I am a pharmacy graduate hoping to switch careers to software engineering. I have applied to 100+ companies but only got one interivew.

Please find my portfolio website below. Any feedback is welcomed.

Portfolio

Hi @nathanlam :wave: Welcome to the freeCodeCamp forum!

I took a quick look at your portfolio site and here are some suggestions:

  • On mobile the Projects section just shows a list of images, no information really shows about the project until you tap the image. This makes a little more sense on a laptop/desktop where a hover of the mouse shows the project title and buttons. My suggestion would be to make the project title and a short description always visible. Not many people will just click the image and go through to the website or source code without knowing what it is. Save people reviewing your work the time and let them know what the projects are so they only need to visit the ones that are of interest to them.
  • Check the common spelling/capitalization of the tech you have listed throughout your site and be sure you are using it—where in doubt check the official home pages of the tech in question to see how it is written there to ensure you’re using the official spelling/capitalization (e.g. graphql -> GraphQL, git -> Git, etc.)
  • Another suggestion regarding projects would be to give each project it’s own page. At the top of the page have the project name, a short description, and then the buttons to the live project and the source code. Then the rest of the page should be an article on the project: the project idea, what problem it solves, the challenges you ran into while building it, how you worked through those challenges, things about the project that you’re happy with, things that you would change or add to if you had more time to work on it, and so on. Doing this gives you pages that you can feature on your LinkedIn profile.
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Thank you so much. Will work on things you have mentioned :grin:

One thing that stands out is that you position yourself immediately as a non professional by focussing on your journey rather than your goal in the about me.

Rewrite this more like:

"I am a software developer that primarily works with [favourite tech] but I also have experience with [others].

I also have a background in pharmaceuticals, so I’m well suited to using my tech skills within the medical domain. I’m also interested in [name a problem] and am keen to use my skills to improve outcomes for people."

…That kind of thing. Foreground why they should hire you personally!

Thinking from the perspective of a potential employer, ensure your portfolio and projects are polished. For example, the slide out menu on the portfolio on mobile doesn’t fit snugly against the side, nor is it centred - so it seems non standard / buggy.

The buttons on your Burger project are also not working as intended - the add button is fine, but the subtract button continues to make the price go up.

So first I’d go through everything you’re presenting as your best work and ensure it’s a good representation of your skills on your best day.

Applying for 100+ jobs and only getting 1 interview is a bit of a red flag. It’s true that you do not need to have all the skills an ad says it requires, but you should also be applying for roles that are appropriate for you - maybe you’re currently applying to everything you see?

If you are more considered in what you apply for, you have time to properly learn about the company, write a bespoke cover letter, and better position yourself specifically for that job.

In many ways getting a job is a numbers game, but you are ultimately a person applying to another person, so treating it solely as a numbers game isn’t sufficient.

4 Likes

HI @nathanlam!

Welcome to the forum!

You have received a lot of great advice. I just wanted to add one thing.

One the reasons why you might be having trouble getting interviews is because of the resume.

We haven’t seen your resume yet, but if it is poorly structured with grammar errors than potential employers might not even bother to look at your portfolio.

In addition to making sure your portfolio looks as professional as it needs to be, I would make sure your resume is solid.

Here are some articles that can help.


Also you have a spelling error in your about me section.

leanring should be learning.

Hope that helps!

3 Likes

I have also built a pharmacy app called Dispense where users can maintain patient records, transaction records and see stock levels real time. I am wondering I should make it accessible without requiring users to sign in. Although I have provided the username and email right beneath the sign in button, the recruiter who is reviewing my project may want to save the trouble of inputting the information?

As less friction as possible.

Don’t let someone copy and paste the login data.

Add a demo button that does the login automatically.

1 Like

Great advice. Thank you. :smile:

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