Recruiters give portfolios 30 seconds. Structure for the skim, reward the click.
Above the fold
Name, one-line identity ("Frontend developer — React & Node"), and three buttons: Projects, GitHub, Resume PDF. No 5-second particle animation intro — that costs you the 30 seconds.
The 3-project rule
Three strong beats ten weak. Each project card needs:
- Live link + GitHub link (dead demos are worse than none)
- One screenshot, the stack as tags, and 2 lines: what it does + one hard thing you solved ("implemented JWT refresh flow", "optimized list render from 3s to 200ms")
Project pecking order
Apps with users > full-stack CRUD with auth > API-consuming apps > static clones. One project others actually use (a college tool, a club site) outranks everything else on the page.
Delete these clichés
- Skill percentage bars ("HTML 85%" — meaningless and self-rated)
- To-do app AS the headline project (fine as a third)
- "Passionate hardworking team player" — show, don't adjective
- Broken contact forms — use a mailto link if unsure
Then deploy it free: hosting guide. Your portfolio URL goes in your resume header and LinkedIn.