I've talked to hiring managers about what they evaluate in portfolios:
They want to see:
- Original problem-solving (not tutorial recreations)
- Clean, readable code
- Evidence you understand why, not just how
- Documentation of decisions and tradeoffs
They don't care about:
- Fancy UI with no substance
- Quantity of projects
- Following the latest trends
Red flags:
- No README or documentation
- Code that's clearly copied without understanding
- Projects that don't run
Career Changer Tip: One polished project beats five unfinished ones.