Why I Ditched Terminal UIs for Recruiters
I built a terminal-style portfolio.
Black screen. Commands. ASCII vibes.
It felt clever. It felt personal. It felt very me.
And almost everyone said the same thing:
“This is cool… but recruiters won’t get it.”
They were right.
The terminal UI problem 🧠
Terminal portfolios are fun for developers.
They signal:
- You’re technical
- You’re confident
- You like bending conventions
But recruiters don’t explore. They skim.
They want:
- Who are you?
- What do you build?
- Can I understand this in 10 seconds?
A blinking cursor asking them to type help already lost half the room.
The uncomfortable realization ⚠️
My terminal UI wasn’t failing because it was bad.
It was failing because it required participation.
Recruiters don’t want to interact.
They want to recognize.
That’s when it clicked:
A portfolio isn’t a playground. It’s a signal amplifier.
The pivot 🎯
I rebuilt my portfolio as:
- UI-first
- Motion-driven
- Immediately readable
Big typography.
Clear sections.
Subtle animation instead of clever commands.
Same personality. Different delivery.
The irony?
More people noticed my work after I made it simpler.
What I learned ✅
- Cool ideas still need clear entry points
- A portfolio is not for you, it’s for your audience
- You can still be creative without being cryptic
I didn’t kill the terminal UI idea.
I just stopped forcing it on people who didn’t ask for it.
Curious how it turned out?
I rebuilt my portfolio to be UI-first, motion-heavy, and recruiter-readable
without killing the personality.
If you want to see what that pivot looks like in practice:
👉 https://zeno-guy-portfolio.vercel.app/
Fair warning:
I still overengineered it. Just more responsibly this time.
Top comments (4)
Do recruiters open portfolios at all? 😅 I mean, I thought that they dig into CVs mostly… But anyway, as a hiring manager, I always looked at websites, and I always valued original touch, so the terminal-like UI is not bad at all too 🔥
That’s a great point 😄
I agree, CVs often come first, and portfolios can get very different levels of attention depending on the role and reviewer.
I really appreciate your take though, especially coming from someone who’s hired and values originality. The terminal UI was something I enjoyed building, even if I later optimized more for clarity.
If you have a moment, I’d love any feedback on what works well in the portfolio or what you think could be improved. 🔥
I mean, that’s totally a matter of personal taste — the site looks cool and informative. In my opinion there’s a bit excessive amount of motion but it’s there for a reason and it conveys its purpose so great job 👍🏼
Thanks, I really appreciate that 😊
I’m actually planning to refine and tone things down a bit, so feedback like this helps a lot 👍🏼