Open source contributions to relatively established projects are always good too. That indicates that you've gone through a robust review process in most cases and have written some code that most likely had a good amount of eyes on it.
I look for a history of growth and accomplishments. I want someone who shows a focus on solving business problems rather than a focus on languages, tools, frameworks, etc. I don't care much about the kinds of projects, but if the portfolio looks like the usual university assignments or tutorial stuff (to-do list apps, for example) I probably won't care much about those.
Rather than worry too much about the portfolio -- which will mostly get barely glanced at -- research the potential employer, and ask questions about the business and organization. A candidate who asks "What project will I get to work on when I start?" or "What challenges does the business face this quarter?" will get my attention. A candidate who doesn't know what the company does, or asks about days off or which languages they can use will not.
I sometimes feel like I would have the leg up in the arena of understanding the business needs, methodologies to get there, etc- but am afraid I'm getting skipped for not sprinkling enough stack-terms and not having much experience with the need to scale across a large user base.
I appreciate your comment and will continue to learn everything I can about an org prior to discussions. Very helpful, Thank you!
