How to showcase your dev skills to attract the best projects

When it comes to talking about our own achievements, too many of us feel hesitant or reluctant to do so. Yet if you aren't willing to talk about your full set of skills and capabilities, the simple fact is that prospective employers won't understand what you could be bringing to their table. This same issue can stifle progression in your current role, too. If your line managers aren't aware of just what you can do, it's unlikely that you will be offered the best, most challenging projects that could be a major factor in advancing your career.

Why Developers Fail To Highlight All Of Their Skills

When it comes to failing to properly highlight the full range of skills at their disposal, it's not always down to modesty on the developer's part. Quite often, developers who have accrued an impressive array of capabilities over the years will forget the full range of their competencies, especially when the pressure is on to apply for the next job. Even when a developer has a good grasp of their full range of skills, they may not know how best to present their many talents to a potential employer or current manager.

Happily, there are several steps that can be taken to change this and to start fueling your career development in the process.

Create An Online Portfolio

Creating an online portfolio is a fantastic way to maintain a record of your skills as your career progresses. Your portfolio can take a number of forms: a dedicated website you have created yourself, making use of a development platform, or even simply a link on your LinkedIn or other social networking site. Include samples of the kind of work that you can produce, as well as links to any projects that you have worked on in the past.

A note of caution here: be careful not to overload your portfolio with every job you've ever done (recruiters will not have the time to wade through it all). Focus on the really good stuff and carefully curate its content to reflect the full breadth of your capabilities. Include tangible evidence of your development skills, too, including any facts or figures that can give an indisputable indicator of what your work is worth to an organisation. Completion ahead of time, budgets and so forth. Managers tasked with recruitment love hard facts and figures.

It's important that you use your portfolio to create a complete impression of exactly what you have to offer, so be sure to include a description of your softer skills, too. Highlight that you are a great communicator, demonstrate a track record of teamwork and team building and any leadership roles. All of this will help you to stand out from other candidates, even if these skills have been acquired outside of your day job, such as through participation in sports, charity work or even hobbies.

Keep on top of your portfolio and continually update it to reflect any new skills or achievements that you are acquiring along the way. This way, you will be in a great position when it's time to show your value to a potential employer, or to earn the chance to work on your dream projects in your current position.

Develop Your Career With Expert Help

At DJR, we understand how to support our candidates so that they achieve all of their career ambitions and find their dream opportunities with their ideal employers. DJR's expert team helps our tech talent to excel and enjoy the journey towards fulfilling their career potential. Why not get in touch today, on 0203 070 9019, at DJR, The Smith, 145 London Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT2 6SR, or contact@wearedjr.com and discover how DJR can help you to stand out.