How to Turn Your CV into a Portfolio Website

1. Prepare a version of your CV for public use

Choose the CV that best fits the work you want to show. PortfolioBuild accepts PDF and Word documents, as well as plain text. Check that dates, project names and contact details are current before uploading. Keep an original copy outside the builder.

A CV may contain information you do not want on a public website. Remove your home address, personal identification numbers, references’ private contact details and confidential client information. A contact email and relevant professional links are usually enough for an initial introduction.

2. Create a draft and import the file

Create a PortfolioBuild account, choose a portfolio template and use the CV import step to upload your file. The importer reads details such as experience, education, skills and projects and maps them into editable portfolio sections.

Treat imported content as a draft. Document layouts can make extraction imperfect: a multi-column CV may mix adjacent text, a date may attach to the wrong role or a project link may be missing. Compare the result with your original file before moving on.

3. Decide what each CV section becomes

The mapping is a starting point, not a requirement to publish every line. A long employment history can be shortened; a relevant course project may deserve more space than it has on the CV. Review the actual imported result rather than assuming every field will transfer perfectly.

4. Expand one project beyond the CV bullet

A CV bullet might say “Built a task manager using React.” That names an activity and a tool but leaves the reader guessing about your decisions. On the portfolio, explain the intended user, your contribution and one behavior someone can inspect.

• Add a screenshot that shows the feature described.
• Link to a public demo or repository if available.
• Explain team contributions and borrowed starter code.
• State a limitation or the next improvement instead of inventing a metric.

Illustrative expansion: “I built a task manager for a study group to track assignments. I implemented the board, deadline filters and local storage. The project helped me practice state updates and keyboard navigation. It runs as a demo with sample tasks; it does not synchronize between users.”

5. Choose the layout after reviewing the content

Look at the template with your actual writing and images. A photography layout and a developer layout give different amounts of space to visuals and text. In PortfolioBuild, content is stored separately from the template, so you can change the presentation without starting the writing over.

Check the section order. The work most relevant to your next role should be easy to find. Edit any generic imported summary, remove empty sections and make sure project titles make sense outside your CV.

6. Preview, publish and check the public address

Preview the site on a narrow screen and a larger display. Open project links while signed out, proofread dates and names, and confirm that contact links go to the right place. A working editor preview does not replace checking the final public address.

The Free plan lets you build one private draft and import your CV. Entry publishes one portfolio; Pro publishes up to five. Both paid plans support a custom domain. Consult the homepage pricing before subscribing, and remember that the domain registration itself is separate.

After publishing, open the public URL in a private browser window. Share that URL in applications and on the public profiles you maintain. Revisit the site when your CV, availability or featured projects change.

Related guides

• How to Make a Portfolio with No Experience
• How to Write Portfolio Project Descriptions