Your work history might not tell your whole story.
Maybe you're a student without professional experience. Maybe you're changing careers. Maybe your day job doesn't reflect your actual skills. Maybe you built something impressive outside of work.
Projects fill that gap.
Of tech recruiters
Say project work matters more than GPA for technical roles
Source: Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 2024
This guide shows you exactly how to format projects on your resume—whether academic, personal, open source, or professional—to demonstrate skills and land interviews.
Projects Section Essentials
- Include projects if: Limited experience, career change, or project-heavy field
- Format each project: Name, technologies, 2-3 achievement bullets
- Focus on: Your specific contribution, skills used, measurable outcomes
- Place strategically: Own section, within experience, or under education
- Quality over quantity: 2-4 highly relevant projects beats a long list
When to Include Projects on Your Resume
Projects aren't just for students. They're valuable across many situations:
Include Projects If
- You're a student or recent graduate
- You're changing careers and need to demonstrate new skills
- Your job history doesn't reflect your true capabilities
- You're in a project-driven field (tech, design, research)
- You built something impressive outside of work
- You contributed to open source
- Your bootcamp or certification included substantial projects
- You want to show initiative and self-direction
For Experienced Professionals
Even with a strong work history, 1-2 impressive projects can differentiate you—especially side projects that show passion for your field or skills beyond your job description.
Types of Projects to Include
Different project types require different presentation approaches:
1. Professional Projects
Projects completed at work that showcase your skills:
Enterprise Data Pipeline | Acme Corp Python, Apache Airflow, AWS, PostgreSQL • Designed and built data pipeline processing 5M+ records daily • Reduced data processing time from 8 hours to 45 minutes • Implemented automated quality checks reducing data errors by 95%
2. Academic Projects
Capstones, research, and significant coursework:
Machine Learning Capstone | UC Berkeley | 2024 Python, TensorFlow, Pandas, AWS SageMaker • Developed predictive model for customer churn with 87% accuracy • Analyzed dataset of 500K+ customer records • Presented findings to faculty panel, awarded distinction
3. Personal/Side Projects
Self-directed projects demonstrating initiative:
Budget Tracker App | Personal Project React Native, Node.js, MongoDB, Plaid API • Built full-stack mobile app with 500+ downloads on App Store • Integrated bank account syncing via Plaid API • Achieved 4.5/5 star rating with 50+ reviews
4. Open Source Contributions
Contributions to public repositories:
Contributor | React-Query (Open Source) TypeScript, React • Fixed 3 bugs in caching logic, merged into main branch • Improved documentation with 5 accepted pull requests • Repository has 40K+ GitHub stars
5. Freelance/Contract Projects
Client work demonstrating professional-level delivery:
E-Commerce Platform | Client Project Shopify, Liquid, JavaScript, GraphQL • Built custom Shopify theme for boutique retailer • Implemented advanced filtering and search functionality • Site processes $50K+ monthly revenue
Where to Place Projects on Your Resume
Project placement depends on their importance to your candidacy:
Option 1: Dedicated Projects Section
Best for: Tech roles, students, career changers where projects are primary evidence
PROJECTS Project 1 | Tech Stack • Achievement bullet • Achievement bullet Project 2 | Tech Stack • Achievement bullet • Achievement bullet
Placement: After Experience (or after Summary for students)
Option 2: Within Work Experience
Best for: Projects completed at work that are particularly impressive
Software Engineer | Tech Company | 2022 - Present • Led migration project... • Built recommendation engine... Key Projects: • Real-time Analytics Dashboard | React, D3.js, WebSocket - Developed real-time visualization for 50K daily active users
Option 3: Under Education
Best for: Academic projects, bootcamp capstones
EDUCATION Master of Data Science | NYU | 2024 Capstone Project: Predictive Maintenance System • Built ML model predicting equipment failures with 92% accuracy • Processed 10M+ sensor readings from industrial equipment
Option 4: Portfolio Section
Best for: Creative and design roles
PORTFOLIO Brand Identity Redesign | Client: TechStartup Inc. • View at: portfolio.com/techstartup • Created complete visual identity including logo, color system, typography Mobile App UI/UX Design | Side Project • View at: portfolio.com/mobile-app • Designed user interface for fitness tracking app
How to Format Each Project
The Standard Format
PROJECT NAME | OPTIONAL: Context (Client, School, Personal) Technologies Used | Date (optional) • What you built/did (scope and contribution) • Technical details or approach • Measurable outcome or result
Required Elements
| Element | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Project name | Clear, descriptive title | "E-Commerce Platform" |
| Tech stack | Languages, frameworks, tools | "React, Node.js, PostgreSQL" |
| Achievement bullets | What you built and accomplished | "Reduced load time by 60%" |
Optional Elements
| Element | When to Include | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Date | If recency matters | "2024" |
| Context | If it adds credibility | "Client Project," "UC Berkeley" |
| Link | If publicly accessible | "github.com/username/project" |
| Team size | If you led or collaborated | "Led team of 3" |
Writing Strong Project Bullets
Your project bullets should prove capabilities, not just describe features.
The Achievement Formula
[What you built/did] + [How/Technical detail] + [Result/Impact]
Examples by Field
Software Engineering:
| Weak ❌ | Strong ✅ |
|---|---|
| Built a website | Built full-stack web app serving 1,000+ users with 99.9% uptime |
| Used React and Node | Architected React frontend with Node.js backend, reducing API response time by 40% |
| Added a database | Designed PostgreSQL schema handling 5M+ records with sub-100ms query times |
Data Science:
| Weak ❌ | Strong ✅ |
|---|---|
| Analyzed data | Analyzed 500K+ customer records to identify churn predictors |
| Built a model | Developed XGBoost model achieving 87% accuracy, 15% above baseline |
| Made visualizations | Created interactive dashboard in Tableau used by 5 stakeholders for weekly reporting |
Design:
| Weak ❌ | Strong ✅ |
|---|---|
| Designed an app | Designed mobile app UI increasing user engagement by 35% |
| Made a logo | Created brand identity adopted by company across 50+ touchpoints |
| Used Figma | Built design system with 100+ components in Figma, reducing design time by 50% |
Team Projects: Showing Your Contribution
For team projects, make your specific role and contribution crystal clear.
Clarifying Your Role
| Unclear ❌ | Clear ✅ |
|---|---|
| Worked on e-commerce site | Led frontend development for 5-person team building e-commerce platform |
| Part of research team | Personally implemented data collection pipeline and analysis methodology |
| Contributed to open source | Authored 3 accepted PRs fixing critical bugs in authentication module |
Team Project Format
Inventory Management System | Senior Design Project | Team of 4 React, Python Flask, PostgreSQL, Docker My contributions (Backend Lead): • Designed and implemented RESTful API handling 10K+ daily transactions • Built automated testing suite achieving 85% code coverage • Architected database schema and optimization strategy Team achievements: • Reduced inventory tracking errors by 40% vs. legacy system • Project adopted by university bookstore
The 'I vs. We' Balance
Use "I" or action verbs to describe your specific contributions. Use "we" or passive voice for overall project outcomes that were truly collaborative.
Tech Stack Presentation
How you present technologies matters:
Format Options
Inline (most common):
Budget Tracker App | React Native, Node.js, MongoDB
Categorized (for complex projects):
E-Commerce Platform Frontend: React, Redux, TypeScript Backend: Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL DevOps: Docker, AWS EC2, CI/CD with GitHub Actions
What to Include
Tech Stack Should Include
- Programming languages (Python, JavaScript, Java)
- Frameworks and libraries (React, Django, TensorFlow)
- Databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis)
- Cloud services (AWS, GCP, Azure)
- Development tools if impressive (Docker, Kubernetes)
- APIs if notable (Stripe, Plaid, OpenAI)
What to Exclude
Skip These
- Obvious tools (VS Code, Git)
- Very basic technologies (HTML, CSS for senior roles)
- Technologies you barely used
- Deprecated or very old technologies
Including Project Links
Links add credibility by letting reviewers see your work.
When to Include Links
| Include Link ✅ | Skip Link ❌ |
|---|---|
| Live, working application | Broken or buggy deployment |
| Clean, well-documented code | Messy, uncommented repository |
| Impressive/polished result | Half-finished prototype |
| Open source contribution | Private/confidential work |
Link Formatting
Personal Portfolio Website | github.com/username/portfolio React, Tailwind CSS, Vercel | Live: portfolio.dev
Or in bullets:
Budget Tracker App | React Native, Node.js • Built full-stack app: github.com/username/budget-tracker • Live on App Store: link.to/app
Before Including Links
Test every link. Click it. Make sure the demo works, the code is clean, and there's nothing embarrassing in the repository (old commits, broken features, secrets in code).
Projects for Specific Situations
For Students/New Graduates
Lead with projects if limited work experience:
PROJECTS Capstone: Fraud Detection System | Python, Scikit-learn, AWS • Developed ML model identifying fraudulent transactions with 94% precision • Processed and analyzed dataset of 280K+ banking records • Deployed model on AWS SageMaker for real-time inference Course Project: Social Network Analysis | Python, NetworkX, Neo4j • Analyzed Twitter network of 50K+ users to identify influential accounts • Built graph visualization dashboard using D3.js • Research findings presented at undergraduate symposium
For Career Changers
Projects prove you have skills for your new field:
PROJECTS Portfolio Website | React, TypeScript, Tailwind • Career change from finance to frontend development • Built responsive portfolio showcasing 5 web projects • Implemented accessibility features achieving WCAG 2.1 compliance E-Commerce Dashboard | Python, Pandas, Plotly Dash • Created interactive analytics dashboard for mock e-commerce business • Visualized sales trends, customer segments, and inventory metrics • Demonstrates transition from business analysis to data engineering
For Experienced Professionals
1-2 impressive side projects show passion:
NOTABLE PROJECTS Open Source: Performance Monitoring Library | Go, Prometheus • Authored library with 1,200+ GitHub stars • Used by 50+ companies including [notable users] • Maintains library with regular releases and community support Side Project: AI Writing Assistant | Python, OpenAI API, FastAPI • Built tool generating 10K+ documents monthly for beta users • Integrated with Google Docs and Notion • Featured in TechCrunch article on AI tools
Projects Section Template
For Tech/Engineering
PROJECTS [Project Name] | [Tech Stack] [Context: Client, School, Personal] | [Date if relevant] • [What you built - scope and scale] • [Technical approach or challenge solved] • [Measurable outcome or current status] • [Link if applicable: github.com/...] [Project Name 2] | [Tech Stack] ...
For Design/Creative
PORTFOLIO PROJECTS [Project Name] | [Type: Brand Identity, UI/UX, etc.] Client: [Client name or "Personal"] | [Date] View: [portfolio link] • [Scope of project] • [Your design approach or process] • [Results or client feedback]
For Data/Analytics
PROJECTS [Project Name] | [Tools: Python, Tableau, etc.] [Context] | [Date] • [Problem addressed and dataset scope] • [Methodology and techniques used] • [Key findings and accuracy metrics] • [Repository/Report: link if available]
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Listing Features Instead of Achievements
| Features (Weak) ❌ | Achievements (Strong) ✅ |
|---|---|
| Has user authentication | Implemented OAuth 2.0 authentication supporting 3 providers |
| Includes a dashboard | Built real-time dashboard visualizing 10K+ daily events |
| Uses machine learning | Developed ML model improving prediction accuracy from 65% to 89% |
Mistake 2: Including Too Many Projects
Quality Over Quantity
4 strong projects beat 10 mediocre ones. Each project should clearly demonstrate skills relevant to your target role. Cut projects that don't advance your candidacy.
Mistake 3: Unclear Contributions on Team Projects
Always clarify what YOU did. "Worked on team project" tells recruiters nothing about your capabilities.
Mistake 4: Linking to Broken or Messy Code
If you include a link, the destination must be polished:
- README is clear and complete
- Code is reasonably clean and commented
- Demo actually works
- No secrets or sensitive data visible
Final Checklist
Projects Section Quality Check
- Each project is relevant to target role
- Tech stacks are accurately listed
- Bullets focus on achievements, not just features
- Your specific contribution is clear (for team projects)
- Metrics and outcomes are included where possible
- Links are working and destinations are polished
- Projects are prioritized by relevance
- Section placement makes sense for your situation
- No more than 4 projects (2-3 is often ideal)
- Formatting is consistent with rest of resume
The Bottom Line
Projects are proof.
While job titles and company names provide context, projects show exactly what you can build, analyze, design, or create. They demonstrate initiative—you did this without being required to.
For students, career changers, and anyone whose work history undersells their abilities, a well-crafted projects section can be the difference between a callback and silence.
Choose your strongest 2-4 projects. Present them with the same care you'd give your work experience. And make sure they directly demonstrate the skills your target role requires.
Showcase your projects professionally
Our builder helps you format projects effectively alongside your experience—optimized for ATS and human reviewers.
Start Building FreeRelated Resources
- •Personal Projects Guide— Personal project strategies
- •Technical Skills— List technical skills
- •GitHub on Resume— Include GitHub profile
- •Resume Builder— Build your resume
- •Student Resume Guide— Resumes for students
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I include projects on my resume?
Yes, if you have limited work experience, are changing careers, or work in a field where projects demonstrate skills better than job descriptions (tech, design, data science). Projects prove capabilities—especially for candidates whose job history doesn't fully represent their abilities.
Where do projects go on a resume?
Projects can appear in several places: as their own 'Projects' section (common for tech), within your work experience (if work-related), under education (academic projects), or in a 'Portfolio' section (creative fields). Placement depends on how central projects are to your candidacy.
How many projects should I include on my resume?
Include 2-4 relevant projects. Quality matters more than quantity. Each project should demonstrate skills required for your target role. For experienced professionals, 1-2 impressive projects is often sufficient. For students or career changers, 3-4 may be appropriate.
Should I include personal projects on my resume?
Yes, if they demonstrate relevant skills. Personal projects can be especially valuable because they show initiative—you built something without being asked or paid. Include them if they're technically impressive, solved a real problem, or directly relate to your target role.
How do I describe a project on my resume?
Use this format: Project name, technologies used, and 2-3 bullet points describing what you built, your specific contribution (if team project), and the measurable outcome or impact. Focus on skills and results, not just features.
