Portfolio Building¶

The truth: Recruiters skim your portfolio for 30 seconds. Build it for the skim, not the deep read. The viewers who care will dig deeper.

What a portfolio must show¶

Every project, in 30 seconds, should communicate:

1. What is the question? (1 sentence)
2. What did you do? (3 bullets)
3. What does the output look like? (1 hero image, 1 map, 1 dashboard)
4. What does the code/data look like? (1 link)

Anything that doesn't serve those four answers is noise.

Where to host¶

You have three good options. Many candidates use a combination.

Option 1 — GitHub Pages (recommended)¶

Free, simple, works with this site. Build a personal site with one card per project.

• URL: yourname.github.io
• Tools: MkDocs Material (like this site), Jekyll, Hugo, or plain HTML.

Option 2 — ArcGIS Hub site (free)¶

A public-facing site inside ArcGIS Online. Embed your maps and dashboards natively.

• URL: <yourname>-hub.hub.arcgis.com
• Best for: maps-heavy portfolios with story maps.

Option 3 — Notion / personal blog¶

OK as a quick fallback. Easier to write but less "developer signal."

Project page template¶

Use this template for every project. Yes, every one.

# Project Title — Short location/topic

> One-line tagline that hooks the reader.

![Hero map](images/hero.png)

## The question
1–2 sentences. Why this matters and who cares.

## TL;DR
- 3 bullets summarizing what you did and what you found.
- A killer number: "12% of the metro pop. live in transit deserts."

## Data
| Layer | Source |
|---|---|
| ... | ... |

## Workflow
A short numbered list. 5–8 steps.

## Tools
ArcGIS Pro 3.x · Python (arcpy, pandas) · ACS · GTFS

## Deliverables
- 🗺  [Web map](https://...)
- 📊  [Dashboard](https://...)
- 📖  [Story map](https://...)
- 💾  [GitHub repo](https://github.com/...)

The hero image¶

The single most important asset on a project page.

Good hero images:

• Final, polished map (legend, scale, north arrow, attribution).
• 16:9 ratio, high resolution, lightly compressed JPG/PNG/WebP.
• Clear focal point — your eye knows where to land.

Bad hero images:

• ArcGIS Pro screenshot with the ribbon visible.
• Default symbology and no labels.
• Default Esri "Topographic" basemap behind too-small features.

Spend 30 minutes designing the hero image. It earns you 10× the dwell time.

Project repo structure¶

project-name/
├── README.md           ← project description, screenshots, links
├── data/               ← raw + processed (use .gitignore for large files)
├── notebooks/          ← Jupyter / arcpy scripts
├── tools/              ← .pyt or .atbx ArcGIS toolboxes
├── outputs/
│   ├── maps/           ← exported PNGs/PDFs
│   └── dashboards/     ← screenshots
└── docs/
    └── methodology.md

Keep raw data out of git. Document where it came from in README.md.

What 3 projects do you ship first?¶

Aim for breadth, depth, and a wow piece.

→ See GIS Projects for full specs.

Story maps & dashboards¶

ArcGIS Online lets you embed:

• Story Map — narrative + maps + media. Great for explaining why.
• Dashboard — KPIs + charts + filters. Great for showing what.
• Hosted feature layer — the underlying data, sharable.

Hiring managers love clicking on these. Make at least one for your headline project.

A 1-week portfolio polish sprint¶

If you have projects but no portfolio site, spend one week:

You will thank yourself.

Avoid the "tutorial trap"¶

Personal site → first impressions matter¶

Final checklist:

• One-line intro: who you are + what you do.
• 3 featured projects with hero images.
• Resume (PDF link).
• Contact info: email, LinkedIn, GitHub.
• Mobile-friendly.
• Loads in <2 seconds.

→ Next: Interview Questions.