I worked as a contractor for almost 6 years in Dublin, Ireland and I noticed that it helps to be able to show a body of work. It doesn't have to be a portfolio though. Blog, guest articles, open source contribution, personal projects, community events, and meetups activity can count as proof of your experience.
They might not ask for a portfolio, but it will always put you in a better light to have one. And yes, tests will still happen because there are many people who fake their LinkedIn profiles or other similar things. I've won contracts where I haven't got to write a single line of code for a test. And I've found some tests obnoxious enough to convince me I would not fit well in that team.
For example, if I come to you as an HTML/CSS specialist, with 15 years of experience, published articles, lots of contracting experience and testimonials to prove it, and you start your test by asking me to tell the difference between a span and a div, then I'm not working with you.
Job stability, especially in IT-related industry, is generally a thing of the past. You should always be prepared for a case where you have to go job hunting again. Start with having a personal website. Mention there anything that can help you be seen in a better light. There's no such thing as overkill.
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I worked as a contractor for almost 6 years in Dublin, Ireland and I noticed that it helps to be able to show a body of work. It doesn't have to be a portfolio though. Blog, guest articles, open source contribution, personal projects, community events, and meetups activity can count as proof of your experience.
They might not ask for a portfolio, but it will always put you in a better light to have one. And yes, tests will still happen because there are many people who fake their LinkedIn profiles or other similar things. I've won contracts where I haven't got to write a single line of code for a test. And I've found some tests obnoxious enough to convince me I would not fit well in that team.
For example, if I come to you as an HTML/CSS specialist, with 15 years of experience, published articles, lots of contracting experience and testimonials to prove it, and you start your test by asking me to tell the difference between a
spanand adiv, then I'm not working with you.Job stability, especially in IT-related industry, is generally a thing of the past. You should always be prepared for a case where you have to go job hunting again. Start with having a personal website. Mention there anything that can help you be seen in a better light. There's no such thing as overkill.