Job hunting for junior developers, career switchers, or bootcamp graduates can prove challenging. Especially when it comes to figuring out what actually matters to hiring managers.

It was something I experienced when I first began applying for tech roles. With only a few projects and no formal technical background, I remember worrying: How can I stand out without any real "professional experience"?

And searching for advice on this topic always led to a popular answer. Build a portfolio website.

Where each stand-out example seemed to have a “thing”. 

Dark and light modes. Glossy animations.

And some clever, unique feature to make it all stand out.

It made me believe that a "good" tech portfolio meant a highly polished personal website.

I'd later learn this assumption doesn't always align with how candidates are evaluated. 

Especially for junior engineers applying to modern, international companies in Japan.

So what does matter?

After interviewing and speaking with professionals in Japan's tech industry, it gradually became clear how tech portfolios are viewed. Or, more importantly, how to build one that makes sense for those with little to no experience.

And if you’re struggling with knowing where to start, hopefully this article can help.

Even if you’re starting from scratch, like I was.

Who This Article Is For (and Who It Isn’t)

First, let me start by clarifying that this guide is written specifically for: 

• Junior developers and career switchers

• Self-taught engineers or bootcamp graduates

• Candidates targeting international companies in Japan or Japanese companies hiring global talent

• English-speaking first engineering roles

It’s not intended to be a guide for traditional Japanese-language-only companies. These places will likely have highly formal hiring practices and specific expectations.

Additionally, it is unlikely to be of interest to those in the gaming industry.

Portfolios in these types of companies can differ significantly. 

What is a tech portfolio?

Simply put, a tech portfolio is a place to showcase who you are and your technical skills.

These skills can be represented through projects, experience, and other applicable means.

Which is why, for junior engineers, portfolios can be quite helpful if done well. A portfolio's ability to show rather than tell is a stark contrast from bullet points on a resume. This provides a new angle to counter application processes focused on traditional years of experience metrics.

But while a "tech portfolio" is commonly recognized as a single website, I'd like to pause on this notion. 

I found that hiring teams rarely consider candidates based on whether they have a website.

In fact, what I found was more important revolved around how a portfolio can present materials, such as:

• Your GitHub activity and code quality

• The types of projects you’ve worked on

• How you document and explain your work

• Your professional profile

And while a personal website can be beneficial for showcasing this, it’s usually just one piece of the larger picture. 

Do Japanese companies look at tech portfolios? 

To be frank, sometimes.

But not always in the way you’d expect. 

For international companies in Japan, a portfolio is rarely a strict requirement.

However, it proves most valuable if it can act as a risk-reduction signal for junior candidates.

With fewer junior positions available on the contemporary market, hiring someone with little to no experience can be seen as a higher-risk decision. Having concrete evidence in this case can be much more valuable than personal branding.

In other words, a good portfolio should help clearly answer questions like: 

• Can this person actually build things?

• Can they work with others?

• Can they communicate clearly about technical work?

• Are they likely to grow into the role?

And by using a portfolio to answer these questions, you can better enhance your chances of being considered seriously. 

Where should you build your tech portfolio?

There are many platforms to feature a tech portfolio. But I've noticed most tech professionals in Japan’s international community showcase their skills through one of the following mediums:

1. A Personal Website

And again, most online advice will push building a self-deployed portfolio website.

It’s for a good reason.

A well-designed site can demonstrate:

• Frontend skills

• Communication ability

• Personality and interests

And most job applications in Japan include an optional "portfolio URL" field. This is actually where you can insert a personal website link.

However, as I’ve already outlined in this article, the impact of a personal site varies widely.

For example, at small startups with frontend roles, portfolio sites were closely noted. I was even told outright that candidates without one were filtered out at one company. 

Meanwhile, engineering managers I spoke with at larger companies had much different opinions. Most of them told me they were exactly as labeled on the application: optional.

2. A GitHub Profile

Arguably, for most modern tech companies in Japan, an active GitHub account says the most.

Since GitHub is widely used in most contemporary settings, it's best to have one. It's also not uncommon for GitHub projects and code repositories to appear during the interview process.

Which is why many hiring selections focus on a candidate's GitHub first. Because of this, your GitHub profile effectively is a portfolio.

Hiring managers often look at:

• Code readability and structure

• Commit history and consistency

• Pull requests and collaboration

• README quality and documentation

3. A LinkedIn Profile

Hate it or love it, LinkedIn is the place to be.

And you'll want one to network with recruiters in Japan’s international hiring scene.

During my job search, I received a good number of inbound opportunities from LinkedIn. Many of them came when I wasn’t even actively applying.

LinkedIn is primarily used by:

• Recruiters

• Headhunters

• Non-technical hiring staff

An up-to-date, trustworthy profile that’s easy to skim is crucial for being discovered and contacted.

So which one matters most?

Based on experience, the best approach isn’t about choosing one. Rather, it’s just better to have all three:

• A GitHub for engineering managers and technical recruiters

• A LinkedIn for non-technical recruiters and talent partners

• A Personal Website for startups and a visual supplement combining work and personality

You can do well with a solid GitHub and LinkedIn, but all three can effectively cover most bases.

What should go in a tech portfolio?

At the bare minimum, your portfolio materials, no matter the platform, should contain the following:

• A clear headshot

• A short personal bio

• Your main tech stack

• Examples of your work

• Contact Information

For junior engineers, this is a perfectly solid minimum viable product (MVP).

Anything beyond this should be added carefully. Keep in mind, more content doesn’t automatically mean more value.

And all of this information should be easily accessible to visitors.

Especially for personal websites, a piece of advice I received from a startup founder was not to get carried away with creativity.

This individual mentioned that many juniors fall into a trap of trying to be too unique. To a point where the information hiring managers want to see becomes clouded by CSS saturation and is difficult to navigate. 

In doing so, this unfortunately has the opposite effect intended. Consequently, the hiring individual might become frustrated or have second thoughts if they can’t see your information easily.

Save the flashiness for after your first job, when professional experience says more than your experimental stylistic choices, was what I was told. 

What matters most at this stage is conveying professionalism, not accidental, potential liability.

What if I don’t have many projects?

That’s completely fine.

In fact, I’d say three projects or fewer is an ideal baseline in general.

One strong project is far more effective than several small, tutorial-based ones.

Again, quality over quantity.  

What types of projects do Japanese hiring managers look for? 

While different managers may value different things based on personal preference, I noticed a few overlapping elements.

Regardless of the type of project, anything featured in a portfolio should contain the following characteristics: 

• Live or publicly accessible for users to interact with

• Public code repository(ies)

• Well-structured READMEs 

• Supplementary visuals (screenshots, demos, and/or proof of concept videos) 

• Your best work

Taking the above into consideration as prerequisites, here are a few different types of projects that could help your portfolio:

1. Collaborative Projects

Any project that demonstrates teamwork could be a major plus.

This is a great opportunity to showcase abilities like:

• Git workflows

• Code Reviews

• Communication within a team

Which are all critical skills modern companies generally appreciate in Japan.

2. Real-World Problem Solving

And when I say this, I don’t mean it needs to be revolutionary.

One of my own examples was a Python script. It basically automated monthly daycare subsidy log entries for my newborn son.

Relatively simple, but a practical solution. And in the end, it made for a great story in later interviews.

3. Passion Projects

Projects tied to your interests outside of tech could help you stand out.

Just like the last type of project, they’re also easier to talk about naturally in interviews.

4. (Optional) Games

Not at all required. But I know some hiring managers who would appreciate them.

And the types of games they look for aren't necessarily flashy or innovative games. It's more about clearly demonstrating fundamentals, logic, and raw coding ability.

But again, this one is more on the optional end of projects. 

Even Better than Personal Projects: Real Work

If you lack professional experience, a strong alternative is real production work.

I've found the following types of opportunities to be meaningful supplements to feature:

Volunteering

Volunteering isn’t just an opportunity to provide service for a good cause. If you're able to find a place with an actual development team, this is actual, credible experience. Even if unpaid, it can carry much more weight than personal projects. 

With my time volunteering, it allowed me to:

• Work on live production systems

• Collaborate with a team

• Receive mentorship from senior engineers

And receiving mentorship from senior engineers is invaluable. Leveling up effectively streamlines with guidance and clarity. With extra pairs of eyes on code and points to improve on, it’s what every junior needs at this stage. 

To find these opportunities, most can be located through searching:

• NGO’s and non-profits

• Open-source projects

• Tech meetups and communities

And even if you find an organization that doesn’t explicitly advertise technical openings, it never hurts to inquire.

Freelance Work

Short-term freelance projects can also strengthen a portfolio. And it’s nice to get paid too. 

When it comes to interview processes, freelance work is generally more relaxed.

This can provide juniors with opportunities to access professional experience nuggets.

However, it's important to note that code quality and work conditions can vary based on the project. In some cases, you're not working on a development team, but as a solo dev. And in some cases, you'll find abandoned legacy code that nobody's touched in years.

Understanding what types of jobs you’re willing to take on will bear greater responsibility on your own personal choices.

Suffice to say, freelancing can be beneficial to highlight areas such as:

• Client communication

• Project ownership

• Working on live systems

Final Thoughts: What Really Matters

When applying to international tech companies in Japan, portfolios are evaluated holistically.

While having a personal website is nice, it’s important at this stage not to get carried away with obsessing over aesthetics.

Because in the end, a tech portfolio isn’t about looking impressive. It’s about reducing uncertainty. 

And for junior engineers, sometimes that’s all it takes.