Build a small, real world project, and compare along the way to other good examples of the project. As small as Tic-Tac-Toe or a (nice) todo list app. As you

Build a small, real world project, and compare along the way to other good examples of the project. As small as Tic-Tac-Toe or a (nice) todo list app. As you build it you will learn a) best practices and b) what "good" code looks like. Your code will begin to merge with the style of the good during this project and will rub off on the next project you choose. Eventually you can do a green field project where there is no good example code of. Still, there will be examples of the building blocks, and how you architect other kinds of building blocks together, so you can then learn how to properly architect a project. Now you will be better than a huge amount of programmers because a) you care and b) you have built a few real world projects. Speak to your strengths in the interviews, reference successful projects and what you did on them. Remove any absolutely terrible code from your GitHub etc. If that means starting from scratch, that's fine, because none is better than terrible, and most people agree a GitHub is not a prerequisite for most jobs. That being said, casual hack projects and attempts on your GitHub is not bad. It means you are interested. Besides practical projects, be sure you have "completed your education" of classic comp sci topics -- just because you graduated from uni doesn't mean you know all of the classical topics and common interview questions. We all need refreshers. Try to focus on the parts that apply to real world projects, sure, but be sure to have the fundamentals down. Good luck and stay hungry to find good solutions and take those hacker rank style challenges one a time. You will be great eventually, and able to get a good job soon.