problem in building my portfolio

Question

i was working for a company as a php developer since last two years and worked on many websites

and now the company is closed along with all of its websites and so i have to look for another company to hire me. But since the websites are down i can't write them on my resume. Actually i have tried that out telling them i worked on these sites but since the company is closed the websites are closed too and they did thought that i am lying and did not hire me.

i am really stuck i will have to apply as a beginner and hence won't get much salary and will very hardly get a job (if at all) since some experienced programmers will be competing me.

Anyone got a solution?

Edit:

actually you guys are right, i shouldn't work for a company who doesn't trust me. And i like the Josh K's solutions the most, thanks guys :)

Answer 1

It shouldn't matter

Unless you're a web designer having a physical site up means nothing. They can't see any of the code. You're a programmer, hired to write good code. If they can't see it how do they know it's good?

Often the applications I build are only available through some sort of login. Are you going to give prospective employers access to previous work?

If they are denying you because you can't point to a website where your work is in use you probably don't want to work there. If they call you a liar for that, you definitely don't want to work there.

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Portfolio of Companies

I found that the best way to present myself is not through a portfolio of sites (which may not exist or be accessible) or portfolio of code (which is frequently covered under a NDA), but through a portfolio of companies ^{business link}.

On personal site (if you have one) or business site (if you have one) simply list company names. These are discussion points if you are looking for freelance / contract / consult work.

On your resumè (if looking for full time) list companies and a little more detail about your specific job. Notable projects or applications you completed or had a hand in.

Resume Preparing

Aside from what's mentioned above, push your personal traits that make you a good programmer. Chess grand master? List it. If anything it's another excellent discussion topic. List languages you are competent in. Be prepared to explain your knowledge of the language, reading about ROR doesn't make you competent in it!

Answer 2

You may try to see if the Internet Archive / Wayback Machine has anything cached for the sites you'd like to show. If so, grab what you can and create a portfolio out of that.

In the future, you should at least grab some screenshots of your work, as long as it won't violate your employment agreement, for the purposes of building a portfolio.

Answer 3

If you want, you can try using the wayback machine to get some screenshots of the sites for your portfolio. With the site/technology/work done description note the dates (and maybe, if you want, the reasons) that the sites went offline.

Likewise, try getting references from people that were on the same team with you to endorse you and the work you put in on the site(s). If possible, even ask the clients that you wrote the sites for to write letters of recommendation and ask them to mention that you worked on a particular site.

I've never written software for an employer or client that I could legally show to anyone else. This is a very common occurrence. If an employer doesn't understand that, then they don't know what they're doing at all.