We've journeyed through building your portfolio, personal branding, and community engagement. Now let's tackle the final frontier: avoiding critical mistakes that could sabotage your efforts.
Even excellent CS students make portfolio blunders that cost them opportunities. Let's identify and fix these before they hurt your career prospects.
Engagement Message
What's one mistake you've seen in other students' portfolios or online profiles?
The biggest portfolio killer? Broken demos and dead links. Nothing screams "unprofessional" like a recruiter clicking your project link only to find a 404 error.
Always test your links before sharing your portfolio. If a demo goes down, either fix it immediately or remove the link entirely.
Engagement Message
When did you last check if all your project links actually work?
Another critical mistake: overwhelming recruiters with too many mediocre projects instead of showcasing fewer high-quality ones.
Quality beats quantity every time. Three polished projects with clear documentation trump ten half-finished assignments that look like coursework dumps.
Engagement Message
Looking at your current portfolio, which projects truly showcase your best work?
Here's a subtle but damaging error: inconsistent information across platforms. Your LinkedIn says "Python expert" but your GitHub shows only Java projects.
Recruiters notice these disconnects and question your authenticity. Keep your story aligned everywhere - skills, projects, and interests should match across platforms.
Engagement Message
What's one area where your online profiles might be telling different stories?
Many students sabotage themselves with unprofessional communication. Using casual usernames like "codingbeast2003" or writing project descriptions in text-speak instantly damages credibility.
Your online presence should be professional enough for a CEO to see. Every username, email, and piece of content reflects your professional maturity.
