When it comes to getting a job, do you think having a portfolio is better than having a certificate?

Question

HR (Human Resource) people usually don't understand technology very deeply. So, you may have expertise in the area of your focus but it is not standardized and no one supervised it, meaning you could have implemented it wrong. Also HR people they may not understand what you have created and what effort was involved. Thus you won't even get to an interview.

Having certificates shows expertise in a certain area plus non-tech people will see your skills.

Answer 1

portfolio is 100% better. it's the difference between showing you know what you're doing, as opposed to certificates where you claim you know what you're doing

hey look I got this paper that says I can make a website!

vs

hey look at my website!

you decide which one of those options is better.

Answer 2

hmm....just because someone got a website, doesn't mean they made it. Even if they made it, it doesn't mean they made it well, e.g. they can cheat (copy and paste from somewhere else; create a website with Microsoft word), they can take shortcuts (include libraries that does most of the core features)

on the other hand, cheating on a certificate is not that easy (i did not say that it's impossible but harder than copy and paste a website from somewhere else)

Answer 3

@Thang Le
the thing with that, is you can check their source code. on multiple projects. it's usually pretty obvious its theirs if the site has stuff linked to them and their portfolio

Answer 4

Having a combination of both certificate and portfolio is something that may help more than having one of the two (Actually it also depends on your location).

But, if someone don't have a certificate or degree, that is also ok.

Just keep one thing in mind, don't put only plain links to your best works in your portfolio. Include more information like:

● Why you developed the project?

● Technology stack you used to create that project

● Core features of the project

● Explain your efforts as well as what you've learned by developing the project

● What skills you've gained or improved in the process of development

● Future scope of the project (if applicable)

● And similar information that will help a recruiter to distinguish you from other applicants.

Inshort, try to convey your story with the help of your portfolio. What and why of your actions.

Answer 5

I agree with @Ahri.

Furthermore, many times applications are passed through HR to the manager who is in charge of managing the position the company is hiring for. Therefore, many times the manager would be reviewing your resume (and any linked or submitted portfolio), so he/she would understand any technical skills involved in created the said portfolio.

Answer 6

I think they matter in some small sense, but as others have pointed out it's also important to have experience and the skills to prove that you capable of success. I think you have to look at what TYPE of certificate it is and WHAT had to be done to get it. The ones that are super easy (and take like a day to get, lol) won't impress anyone!

Look at it this way: it is obviously better to show that you have one instead of not having one at all, but on the other hand you still have to show that you have experience and that your programming is worth something!

Answer 7

Our talent is not in our certificates. It lives on our talent. If you made a best website or any program, they will be think he/she is capable for the job. But if you show a certificate they can't identify your talent. So I think that doing practical and presenting it is better than showing your certificate. And the chance for getting a job will increase. And I also think that certificate is only for motivating us to grow in the field of programming.

Answer 8

I would never expect someone to use a certificate alone to judge my skills but at least it shows a basic understanding and willing to see a course through...so I think used in conjunction with a portfolio it's a nice addition.

Answer 9

Yes, portfolio is better but if you have a certificate then you can add it to your portfolio and make it more awesome.

Answer 10

i will take the position that the type of certificate as well as what your portfolio showcases, along with the coding tests will help you get to a deserved interview. It’s not one over the other, but a piece of the whole.

Answer 11

i agree with the statement that is knowledge is better than certificate because certificate is only a piece of paper and did not able to specify our abilities , but sometimes its create some issues for us because without certificate we can't take entry in some tech companies for job

Answer 12

Sure you're absolutely right certificate is also important every institute and University isn't froud therefore certificate is important.

Answer 13

SoloLearn's Course completion certificate would be useless and unjustifiable if I never create some sort of a working program. If I create a working one, it will make me wiser a bit.

Answer 14

Yeah it matter's a lot here in my place

Answer 15

yes
you can have high advantage with portfolio than an certificate
it shows the work in the apt format for them to understand your understanding.
practical > theoretical

Answer 16

The challenge is to get your first job and once you have it, portfolio is all that's needed.
Many companies do say that they want diverse backgrounds and look for candidates with skills, passion and willingness to learn rather than degrees but in fact they still use many screening tools to select the right candidates based on education because it guarantees some sort of standardised knowledge which is officially approved and the technology changes so fast it is hard to catch up. Also many HR representatives don't have relevant technical skills to evaluate portfolios and the actual developers don't have time to read through millions of CVs so before your CV reaches someone who understands your portfolio, it has to go through people who don't and need something they can refer to such as a degree/certificate.
Some companies even require a degree from specific institutions, otherwise they reject the application.

Answer 17

Portfolio is 100% better than certificate of paper.

Because we can have certificate at the power of money or fake But we can't make portfolio without knowledge and practice 👍

Answer 18

Still preparing on a project portfolio then I will attempt an entry level job application.........because I think it makes sense that way than a certificate only.

Answer 19

How to get certificate in sololearn

Answer 20

They both go hand in hand. A certificate basically says that the certifying institution formally attests to the fact that you have reached a particular level of competence in the subject. However, you may not have done so in reality; maybe you only did what you had to do just to scrap the certificate.

*Enter your portfolio*

This is the hard evidence that you can actually do what your certificate claims that you can. Without the certificate, it's easier to suspect that you may not be the true owner of the portfolio; and without the portfolio, the employer has to take a gamble that you are actually as competent as the certificate claims.