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Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

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Re: Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

#51

Post by tinalumfoil »

iandanforth wrote: post #34

I'm hiring but I've seen a lot of disappointing FE applications. These are a few things I like to see in junior candidates. - They have built something that looks good and works. Even if it's small, I can click around for more than a minute without breaking something. It works in chrome and firefox. It isn't super ugly, or too flashy. - They know how the web works. They know what HTTP is, what HTTPS is, they know wha…

> They know how the web works. They know what HTTP is, what HTTPS is, they know what TCP is. Maybe they even know a little bit about handshakes, or http2.

People hire front-end developers that don't know HTTP(S) is? It's literally in your browser's URL bar at every waking moment you browse the web.

Even if you're exaggerating, I don't get how one comment down is someone who'd only be impressed if they saw "a re-creation of Slack or Gmail that is comprehensive and actually looks and feels like the real thing, and handles errors correctly, and handles off-line mode, and has the performance of the original" and you're impressed with knowing what a blocking function is.

I'm not a front-end developer, but I come out of these threads more confused with what employers are looking for than going in.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

#52

Post by iandanforth »

tinalumfoil wrote: post #51
iandanforth wrote: post #34

I'm hiring but I've seen a lot of disappointing FE applications. These are a few things I like to see in junior candidates. - They have built something that looks good and works. Even if it's small, I can click around for more than a minute without breaking something. It works in chrome and firefox. It isn't super ugly, or too flashy. - They know how the web works. They know what HTTP is, what HTTPS is, they know wha…

> They know how the web works. They know what HTTP is, what HTTPS is, they know what TCP is. Maybe they even know a little bit about handshakes, or http2. People hire front-end developers that don't know HTTP(S) is? It's literally in your browser's URL bar at every waking moment you browse the web. Even if you're exaggerating, I don't get how one comment down is someone who'd only be impressed if they saw "a re-creat…

I'd say their standards are too high, they'd say mine are too low. :) In some ways it's like high-school vs college, they both have juniors but they are is worlds apart. This is true for companies as well. Our FE needs are relatively straightforward, the hard bits are all in our robots. In other companies FE is the product and hiring people who have no experience just isn't an option.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

#53

Post by chickenfries »

ahstilde wrote: post #42
lopatin wrote: post #14

I can only speak from personal experience but here's what worked for me. Build one thing that will truly impress the senior engineers at whatever companies you're applying to. In order to be impressive, it has to solve an interesting engineering problem. Try to build it yourself. Fail (probably). Now go pick up a library that does the hard thing for you. What's great about this is that you're now very familiar with t…

> But if I saw a re-creation of Slack or Gmail that is comprehensive and actually looks and feels like the real thing, and handles errors correctly, and handles off-line mode, and has the performance of the original and is open source I think many people would throw money at an open source Slack or Google.

Throw away!

https://www.mattermost.org

Re: Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

#54

Post by DeBraid »

ecesena wrote: post #39

(we're also hiring) Another option is to contribute to open source projects. Just make sure it's visible/easy to catch by looking at your github profile (or if you have a website even easier). Options vary from dashboards for "backend" tools, even just improving the ux, visualizations (projects like airbnb/caravel), or focusing on little details such as autocomplete or similar features. You may loose the ability to c…

> even just improving the ux

This worked for me. Learned a ton doing an overhaul of UI/UX for niche website [advanced hockey stats] that I used all the time -> https://github.com/debraid/puck

The key is to find something that motivates you and keep building/expanding on it. For example, find a popular open source project to modify/contribute to, but pick something unique to your interests. By focusing on a particular non-technical subject matter you're more likely to attract attention from places willing to hire a junior dev based on culture fit.

Lastly, find a rapidly growing firm with >10 technical employees. Places that are growing quickly (but past the seed/founding stage) might be more open to hiring junior talent.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

#55

Post by aphextron »

iandanforth wrote: post #34

I'm hiring but I've seen a lot of disappointing FE applications. These are a few things I like to see in junior candidates. - They have built something that looks good and works. Even if it's small, I can click around for more than a minute without breaking something. It works in chrome and firefox. It isn't super ugly, or too flashy. - They know how the web works. They know what HTTP is, what HTTPS is, they know wha…

I always have no problem with any of this stuff, and then when I get into an onsite interview they expect me to regurgitate a BFS algorithm on some arbitrary graph on a whiteboard in front of three people, then I get silently judged and asked to leave. Meh.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

#56

Post by ejanus »

I am in the same shoe,I need entry level front-end job. I am currently going through freecodecamp.com. My intention is to become employable but I read a comment that mentioned things like building gmail and other exceptional projects. I really need to get a foot at the door.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

#57

Post by manish_gill »

aphextron wrote: post #55
iandanforth wrote: post #34

I'm hiring but I've seen a lot of disappointing FE applications. These are a few things I like to see in junior candidates. - They have built something that looks good and works. Even if it's small, I can click around for more than a minute without breaking something. It works in chrome and firefox. It isn't super ugly, or too flashy. - They know how the web works. They know what HTTP is, what HTTPS is, they know wha…

I always have no problem with any of this stuff, and then when I get into an onsite interview they expect me to regurgitate a BFS algorithm on some arbitrary graph on a whiteboard in front of three people, then I get silently judged and asked to leave. Meh.

BFS is fairly simple.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

#59

Post by Calist0 »

parpostdoc wrote: post #40
sunnykgupta wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this offer open to other FE guys too? :)

Yes - why not. But i would like to give the OP a chance to reply ;) parpostdoc@gmail.com

I'd like to know more about what you need done, and I'll let you know if I can help. I sent you an email.

Re: Ask HN: What kind of projects should I build for a front-end portfolio?

#60

Post by Calist0 »

edoceo wrote: post #48

Please redesign two of my web properties. I can provide two directed projects, real-world experience and both design and code experience. As a CTO/startup founder shipping something is the first thing I look for. Also, I wish your github was linked here. I would have spent >5m looking at it. Contact via my profile.

I sent you a message via your site.
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