Ask HN: Is a portfolio a real need for a junior?

Hi, I'm a junior dev currently looking for a job. I'm struggling a bit to find a position, mostly because I lack experience.

Many people on the Internet suggest that juniors should make a portfolio to prove their motivation or take part in open source projects. I am a bit doubtful about the idea of a portfolio, one could easily copy paste some random project from Github. Taking part in open source projects sounds like a better idea.

But honestly, do recruiters really care about all that? On the few interviews I had, only one recruiter asked if have a portfolio and it didn't seem a big deal for him when I said no.

So, what do you think is the best strategy? Make a portfolio, take part in open source or simply keep going applying to jobs?

Thanks in advance!