How to Build a Great Portfolio as a Bot Developer

Nowadays, bot development is a good way to earn money. However, you need to be hired first. A great portfolio will always help you find clients. But what makes a good portfolio for a bot developer? Let’s discuss!

Defining Portfolio

Your portfolio is a collection of your prior work, which is supposed to strategically demonstrate your abilities. Just pushing together a few projects will not work: you need to be purposeful in selecting them. In general, a portfolio contains at least some of the following elements.

• An “About You” section. Here, discuss your expertise, education, and past employment. Talk about the skills that you have, including, for example, coding languages. You can also explain why you make bots and what you like about your job.

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

Aristotle

• Projects. In this section, you need to present the projects you have already completed. If you can, provide a link that a potential client can use to test your bots. In any case, make sure to describe each project you have chosen. Ideally, they will showcase a variety of skills. You need to explain why and what you did in these projects. Consider adding pictures and videos as well.
• Contact information. Almost always, you want to have some contact information for your potential client to use. An exception is a portfolio on a freelance platform; those usually prohibit contacts. 

Where to Build a Portfolio

A common platform for a developer portfolio is a personal website. That allows for a lot of customization but requires skill in website management. GitHub Pages are another typical choice, which is easy to use, even though it lacks customization options. Moreover, freelance platforms like Insolvo often have their own portfolio features. You can even build a bot to showcase your portfolio! Select the platform that you are familiar with and that can engage your potential client.

How to Build a Portfolio

How to Select Projects

One of the most complicated things about making a portfolio is the selection of projects to use. So here are a few tips on how to do it.

• Choose strategically. Each selected project should show something about how you make bots. Indeed, something must make the project stand out. It can be a specific skill, different coding languages, or an especially complicated problem solved. Make sure that every project proves your expertise in some manner.
• Do not use too many projects! Three to five of them is preferable to dozens. Instead of introducing many options, focus on describing in detail the few you have selected. 
• Use a mix of projects. Try to select the bots you created that differ from one another. They can use different technologies, showcasing a variety of skills that you have. 
• Use your best bots! It makes sense, especially if you are limited to three projects, to select the best you can show. Prove to the clients that you can successfully solve complex and large tasks!
• Regularly update your portfolio. Indeed, it is best to showcase recent work. If you update the portfolio regularly, customers will be able to tell that your skills are not getting rusty!

Design Your Portfolio

Creativity is important to a bot developer, and a good-looking portfolio will attract more clients. So here are some ideas to keep in mind. 

• Colors. Personalize your portfolio! Make it look pretty and also use the colors that you like. Show your taste and personality!
• Readability. Aesthetics should not hinder functionality. Your portfolio must be readable regardless of the color scheme you have chosen. Make sure that the fonts are easily understandable as well and do not use too many of them. Spacing between lines should also facilitate reading.
• Layout. The information must be laid out conveniently, with simple navigation. In addition, the layout should draw attention to the important information. 
• Highlights. Use colors, fonts and other signals like bold text to emphasize the key parts of your portfolio. 
• Responsiveness. It is crucial to make your portfolio look good on any screen. That includes mobile phones, which many people use to browse the Internet. Make it easier for your clients to find you by using responsible design. 

Showcase Your Projects

The projects are the most important part of your portfolio. It means they deserve extra attention.

• Always explain how your projects were created. Indeed, you need to discuss every bot you have decided to include in the portfolio. Your discussion should have the goals, methods and results. Why and how did you make the decisions for every particular bot? That information will help clients understand how you work.
• Make sure to discuss achievements. What did your bot accomplish? For example, it may have increased sales or improved customer engagement. The clients need to know that! 
• Use pictures, videos and gifs. Show the client how every bot works by introducing some videos. Screenshots also work very well to show how your bot performs. If you can use links to the bots, make sure to do that as well.
• You can also share the code. Make comments in it to make it easier to read. This way, clients who understand code will be able to assess your work even better.

In Conclusion

A well-crafted and regularly updated portfolio can help a bot developer find clients. Whether you choose an existing platform or your own website, make sure to select the best projects! Explain them in detail and write a little about yourself. Pictures, videos, links, and code can all be used to help your potential client understand what your process is like.