What to put on my personal website as a software developer looking for a new job?

octechno95 · 30 Dec 2019 at 09:30

I'm a back-end software developer and will shortly be looking to change jobs to a different company. I haven't started any applications yet, but I will be in the next month or so. I have my own domain name (which uses my first and last name). I only really use this for Google Mail and so there's nothing on the website at the moment.

I'd like to put something on the domain website which will help me with my new job search. My criteria are:

Can't be anything too personal - a lot of people can work out the website from my email address and I don't want them to have details that they wouldn't normally have. So having an online version of my CV is a big no no.
I don't have any personal software development projects - Unfortunately I have nothing to present as a portfolio demo and nothing that I could knock up within my timescales. I also don't have anything noteworthy on my GitHub profile either.
Forwarding to LinkedIn profile - seems a bit lazy but perhaps an absolute last resort usage if I can't think of anything else.
Max few days to set up - I can probably spend a maximum of a couple of days to focus on it, so anything substantially more than this won't work for the immediate use.

Are suggestions that work with the above requirements?

Thanks in advance

Semple · 30 Dec 2019 at 09:39

Probably better off asking this in the careers subforum.

Tbh, with point 1 avoiding anything personal, and point 2 not having any projects to show off, I'm not sure I'd even bother as I doubt it will see much footfall.

And even if potential recruiters do have a look at the site, they will likely be wanting to see details from points 1 and 2 anyway.

Hades · 30 Dec 2019 at 13:09

If you don't have a portfolio then I would suggest focusing instead on getting a top notch CV and presenting yourself well on Linked In.

octechno95 · 30 Dec 2019 at 14:35

Fair enough. So, a default landing page from my web hoster is better than having the domain forward to my linkedin profile page?

mid_gen · 30 Dec 2019 at 22:56

Wouldn't hurt to link it to your LinkedIn profile tbh, if you really don't have anything to show.

Mine is a blog of sorts, a few tutorials, some devblogs and info on my github projects, and a link to my LinkedIn and GitHub profiles.

If you're in software dev these days and want to crack on, you should do something on Github, if not your own projects, then at least submitting some pull requests to some others.

octechno95 · 31 Dec 2019 at 08:28

mid_gen said:
Wouldn't hurt to link it to your LinkedIn profile tbh, if you really don't have anything to show.

Mine is a blog of sorts, a few tutorials, some devblogs and info on my github projects, and a link to my LinkedIn and GitHub profiles.

If you're in software dev these days and want to crack on, you should do something on Github, if not your own projects, then at least submitting some pull requests to some others.

Yes, I should have more of a presence on Github but sadly I don't have that right now and it's not something I can get in time for the job search now. A note for future. Although, life always gets busy so always find it difficult to software development outside of work. Oh well. Thanks for the advice.

RobHu · 5 Jan 2020 at 15:49

Obviously this sort of thing can never do you any harm. But personally I think a better investment for your time would be on technical interview prep. It seems that companies (at least around here in the SE) are increasingly adopting the US style data structure & algorithms on a whiteboard/laptop (if you're lucky) approach as opposed to mainly questions revolving around your experience and general competence. If you can already smash difficult ds&a questions though then this is obviously redundant!

I also think that the market is booming to such an extent that a strong CV alone will get your foot in the door for a first stage interview at the vast majority of companies.

AHarvey · 13 Jan 2020 at 08:04

tbh I wouldn't bother with the website if you've no projects to put on there.

I'd be concentrating on LinkedIn only.

Make some recruiter contacts (I get up to 10 contacts a week for potential jobs), join some groups using the languages/tech you use, make a post about looking for a position. Set yourself as available for offers.

LinkedIn is great for looking for work when you use it correctly

I'd be using lunch breaks etc to try and get some small projects up and running for github/website

dowie · 24 Jan 2020 at 18:47

octechno95 said:
Fair enough. So, a default landing page from my web hoster is better than having the domain forward to my linkedin profile page?

Hows the default landing page helpful?

I mean what do you have the website for - just the e-mail?

In which case just make use of the e-mail, on the off chance anyone actually looks at the domain then just link to your linkedin.

GravyMonster · 18 Nov 2022 at 10:48

If I'm interviewing a back-end dev, all a portfolio site shows me is either that they know how to find a nice template or that they have some front-end skills if it's a custom site. Other than that, all I'm looking for is a github repo of previous projects.

dowie · 18 Nov 2022 at 18:05

octechno95 said:
Can't be anything too personal - a lot of people can work out the website from my email address and I don't want them to have details that they wouldn't normally have. So having an online version of my CV is a big no no.

Forwarding to LinkedIn profile - seems a bit lazy but perhaps an absolute last resort usage if I can't think of anything else.

These seem contradictory? Linkedin basically is an online CV + professional network combined, in fact I guess it adds in personal references/recommendations and articles etc. too if you're really into it.

I don't quite get why an online version of your CV is a big no no if the purpose of the website is for looking for a new job? If there is anything particularly sensitive then leave it out, like I dunno extra year at uni because of health issues or having to leave a job because of some legal thing or whatever then obvs you don't need include that, keep that for the actual CV you send confidentially to HR.

I don't see why you couldn't have *some* version of a CV on there though.

Alternatively, that is what linkedin is for so I'd link to that, it's not "lazy" it's literally using it for it's intended purpose:

Here is me, bit of a paragraph about me, here's my linkedin, here is my github. Job done!