> That's part of the job description for a graphic designer, but why shouldn't this rule apply to software developers, too? I think there's a very obvious reas

> That's part of the job description for a graphic designer, but why shouldn't this rule apply to software developers, too? I think there's a very obvious reason for this. And it's akin to an electrician telling you to drive through a populated neighborhood to see his handywork -- a designer can show you their work because it's public-facing and visible for everyone. A developer, on the other hand, can only show you open source work, or personal work that they have ownership of. It's much easier for a designer to do this than a developer, and I think for this reason, many companies don't expect a portfolio from developers. It's often a nice-to-have, but they often rely on other aspects (coding exercises, Stack Overflow/Github profiles) to evaluate a candidate.