In 2022, my portfolio helped me land my first DS job.Now I’m tearing it down and starting over again.
If you’re a data scientist or aspiring data scientist, maintaining an online portfolio is a great way to showcase your skills to potential employers.
I created my first portfolio on the free GitHub Pages site in August 2022 using a great guide by Ivanna Kacevica. This portfolio helped me define my skills and get my first DS job. It also unexpectedly gave me my “15 minutes of fame” when I wrote about it in the TDS topic “The Portfolio That Won a Data Scientist Job.”
Now, a year and a half later, I’m tearing down the portfolio that got me my first data scientist job and rebuilding it from scratch.
This article will explain why.
I’ll show you how I built my new portfolio and share the template I created. Create your own data/analytics/AI portfolio in just 30-40 minutes using this template.
First of all, I still like the old portfolio.
It’s simple and to the point, and I think it does a good job of introducing my project without overwhelming the reader.
This brevity is important. A recruiter may only spend 30 seconds looking at your portfolio (if that at all!). And because I don’t want them to get bored or stop before they get to the end. As I said before:
The purpose of a portfolio is not to get you a job, but to get your foot in the door. You can’t get a job offer just by looking at your portfolio. The reality is that even if the hiring manager likes the look of your portfolio, you still have to go through an interview and evaluation. The purpose of a portfolio is simply to provide a quick snapshot of your skills and show what you’re capable of.
Back in August 2022, I was happy that my portfolio was in line with this. Here is a screenshot of my old portfolio so you can judge for yourself.
