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How to Make Projects on a Resume Look Good (Including Examples)

Whether you’re applying for your first job or seeking a new challenge in your career, there are different types of projects to list that can fit into your application.

Projects on a resume are a good way to highlight relevant soft skills and hard skills. It’s not an essential resume section but it definitely helps prove that you’re qualified for the job even without having years of experience under your belt. 

4 Types of Projects to Put on Your Resume 

There are 4 main types of projects to put on a resume . Each of these is effective for showcasing your skills as well as traits or qualities that companies may want to see such as a strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. 

Academic Projects

Academic projects are tasks undertaken by students or researchers as part of their course. This type of project typically involves the application of theoretical knowledge to realistic scenarios.

Here are some examples:

• Dissertations: This is a research project that’s completed by students to achieve their bachelor’s degree. 
• Case studies: You may have had to research a specific scenario and write a detailed report about it.
• Group presentations: Part of your course could involve working as a group to deliver a presentation on a particular topic. 
• Scientific experiments: Those who are doing a STEM degree may have had to create and test hypotheses to answer questions requiring deep subject knowledge. 
• Study abroad programs: You may have managed to secure the opportunity at university to study and work abroad.
• Design projects: Students in engineering or design-related majors may have had to create a product prototype using a sample client brief. 

Freelance Projects

Freelancing is when a company hires you for a particular job as an independent contractor rather than an employee. However, this could also go in the professional experience section, which might be the better option especially when you have no direct work experience . 

Here’s a few examples:

• Freelance web designers – designing websites for individuals or businesses.
• Freelance writers – writing blog posts and social media content for companies. 
• Freelance video editor – editing YouTube and TikTok videos for content creators. 

Personal Projects

These are projects that you undertake in your free time. They’re also often referred to as passion projects because they’re purely motivated by your own interests and personal goals. 

• Learning a new language
• Building a website or app
• Volunteering
• Writing a book or starting a blog 

Work Projects 

Work projects are specific assignments or tasks that you completed during your employment at a previous company. 

For example, let’s say that you worked as a marketing assistant for a software company. 

Your manager assigns you to develop a social media marketing campaign for the company’s latest product release. Now although this can be mentioned in the work experience section, having a separate resume section allows you to elaborate on this project in more detail. 

A Note on Confidential Projects

A confidential project is one that includes sensitive data about a company. For example, you might’ve worked on a project related to future business expansion plans. In these cases, double-check the signed work agreements. 

But if you’re unsure, the safer option is to leave it out.

Where to List Projects on a Resume 

Work experience section.

Mention the project you carried out alongside what you achieved in the work history section . It’s no different than how you would normally write about your previous job position except you’re framing the project as an achievement. 

In short, here’s how to write about projects in the work experience section:

• Describe your project responsibilities
• Highlight the outcome of the project as a result of your own efforts

Now here’s some example bullet points:

• Managed a budget of $10,000 and ensured that the digital marketing project was delivered on time and within budget.
• Led the CRM project by overseeing the vendor selection process and organizing system implementation.

Additional Resume Section

An additional resume section could be:

• Extracurricular activities
• Involvement

See the example below. 

The heading could also be specified depending on the type of project you’re writing about. See an example of this below. 

Projects Resume Section

Lastly, another option is to create a resume section dedicated to listing and describing relevant projects. The header of this section should be “projects”. 

How to List Projects on Resume and Make Them Look Good

We’ll show you step-by-step how to create a resume projects section. 

We’ll also go through how to describe each project in a way that makes you look good by emphasizing your skills. 

Note: If you’d like to follow this process as we’re going through it, sign up here for free . You won’t be asked for any card details – simply enter your email and create a password to get started! 

1. Outline the Resume Section Format 

Start by considering the resume section format . This means taking into account the following details: 

• Resume font
• Horizontal lines
• All caps text

In other words, outline how you’re going to structure the projects section of your resume.

2. Enter the Resume Section Header

The header of your coursework section should either be “coursework” or “relevant coursework.” 

Use bold text for the resume section header so that it’s easy to find for the hiring manager. Feel free to also add a bold horizontal line to make this stand out.

See the examples below. 

3. Enter the Subheaders 

Include the following details as subheaders:

• Project name
• Organization
• Start and end date of project

This is how it looks from inside Rezi’s resume builder:

4. Describe Your Responsibilities

Inside Rezi’s resume builder in the projects section, the last box is where you write bullet points describing what you did. 

Now, there’s a few things to keep in mind to write bullet points about your projects in a way that impress hiring managers.

Start Your Sentences With Clear Verbs

Weak verbs are vague and overused. In contrast, strong verbs are specific. They make your contributions and actions clear, which highlights the impact that you’ve made. 

Examples of good verbs include:

• Accelerated
• Transformed

Examples of generic verbs include:

Highlight Your Achievements 

The first half of your bullet point is where you describe a responsibility. The other half is where you highlight the outcome that was achieved because of how well you carried out that responsibility.  

Now imagine that the project you’re writing about was the development of a new software app. 

Here’s some example bullet points to highlight your achievements: 

• Led a team of 5 developers and managed project timelines and budgets.
• Utilized Agile project management methodology to improve project efficiency by 30%.

On the other hand, you could highlight relevant skills that you learned or developed by writing bullet points such as:

• Developed strong communication skills by working with cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated strong leadership skills by motivating and coaching team members.

Use Numbers and Jargon Naturally

Let’s refer to the software developer resume example that helped one of our users secure a job interview with HubSpot. 

The key takeaway? Use technical language naturally and be as specific as you can when describing your responsibilities by using numbers. Jargon is generally okay as long as you’re not rinsing out buzzwords throughout your application or forcing them in bullet points where it doesn’t flow well.  

Tailor It to the Job Description

Match the company’s job description to position yourself as an ideal candidate with relevant experience. 

• Use resume keywords  
• Include projects that are closely similar to the responsibilities of the job position
• Embed the company’s values and terminology in a bullet point or two
• Showcase desirable skills and traits that were listed on the job ad

1 Bullet Point Can Be Enough

A single bullet point can be more than enough like the robotics engineer resume sample below.

Here’s a few reasons why you might only need one bullet point:

• Emphasis: a single bullet point makes what you’ve written stand out.
• Space: to give space to other sections that are more important while maintaining a one-page resume .
• Unnecessary: the other bullet points that you might write about the project aren’t as relevant. 

Use Rezi’s AI Resume Writer

You probably might’ve noticed that there’s a “generate bullet” button inside our resume builder for the projects section. After entering your project title, click this button to use our AI writer to draft bullet points for you based on the best resume writing practices. 

Then, either add it to your resume by clicking “apply suggestion” or click “AI writer generate” to try again. 

Watch the short clip below to see how our AI writer works.

5. Get Feedback Using the Content Analysis Feature 

The final step is to head over to the “finish up” tab where you can see the entire resume you created so far with Rezi.

Select “explore my rezi score.”

This resume checker tool gives you content and format suggestions to improve your application. Feel free to make adjustments based on the feedback provided. 

When to Include Projects On Your Resume

The goal of showcasing past projects is to highlight transferable skills to hiring managers. That said, there are 4 ideal scenarios for when to list your projects on a resume. 

It’s Directly Related to the Job Responsibilities

Let’s say you’re applying for an entry-level web developer job position. 

A personal project you might’ve worked on in your spare time was building a website purely with HTML. This would be worth mentioning on your resume because it shows that you have hands-on experience with a primary task.

You Have Little to No Work Experience in the Role 

Projects are good to include especially when:

• You’re a recent college graduate applying for entry-level roles 
• You’re writing an internship resume
• You’re making a significant career change 

Although you may not have experience in the field, listing projects helps highlight that you’re still a good match for the job. 

To Replace Outdated Work Experience

Writing about a recent project that showcases relevant skills is more impressive than an irrelevant job title from more than 5 or 10 years ago. In other words, use projects to replace outdated information. 

Here’s a good example below from the product marketing manager resume . 

You Have Employment Gaps

Employment gaps raise questions. Still, reassure recruiters that you’ve still got it. Reinforce your track record and prove that your skills haven't collected dust by describing the projects that you’ve been working on. 

When to Not Include Projects on a Resume 

These are common mistakes . If you find yourself in any of these situations, refrain from using a projects section. 

You Have More Direct Work Experience to List

Employers are usually more interested in reviewing your professional work history than past projects. So if you had a previous job that’s directly related to the role you’re applying for, it’s worth including this on your resume instead of a project. 

You Already Have 3 Projects Listed

Having too many projects strips away the focus from your actual work experience. This may not leave the best first impression, especially when applying for roles that require at least 2 years of experience. 

The only time this doesn’t apply is when you’re applying for an internship role or entry-level job . 

The Projects Are Outdated

Projects are outdated when they go as far back on your background as 10+ years ago. Although it could highlight passion and work ethic, it wouldn’t be as effective compared to describing a project completed a few months ago. 

If you decide you still want to mention the project, there are 2 alternatives:

• Bring it up on your cover letter instead of your resume
• Omit the dates 

3 Resume Examples With Well-Written Projects

Don’t see your job title listed below? No worries, you'll probably find it in our ATS library of 300+ free resume templates . 

Creative Producer Resume

Project Manager Resume

Software Engineer Intern Resume

Either create a dedicated projects section or mention it in another relevant resume section. 

When you’re writing about paid projects, consider listing them in the work experience section instead. And if you have too many projects to put on a resume, include a portfolio or website link. 

Astley Cervania

Astley Cervania is a career writer and editor who has helped hundreds of thousands of job seekers build resumes and cover letters that land interviews. He is a Rezi-acknowledged expert in the field of career advice and has been delivering job success insights for 4+ years, helping readers translate their work background into a compelling job application.

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• How to List Projects on a...

How to List Projects on a Resume (with Examples)

10 min read · Updated on February 23, 2024

Projects on your resume can prove you have what it takes to succeed

You've likely heard a few catchphrases related to resume writing. Things like “show, don't tell” and “be an achiever, not a doer.”  One of the most effective ways to put these principles into action is by including projects on your resume. But how exactly do you list projects on a resume, and why are they so important?

You've come to the right place. Here, you'll learn how to list projects on your resume in a way that catches the eye of hiring managers and helps you to stand out from the competition. 

It doesn't matter if you're fresh out of college or have a decade of experience under your belt; including projects on your resume can significantly enhance your chances of landing your dream job.

Your old resume may have been a list of work experiences, but your new resume will outshine the competition and win you the interviews you seek. 

Projects vs work experience

Depending on where you're at in your career, it can be tough to separate projects from actual work experience, especially if you're a freelancer or regularly tackle projects as a part of your job. While both are exceedingly valuable in telling your career story, you have to be a bit discerning to determine which is more important. 

Obviously, you gain experience from working at jobs and completing projects, but listing projects separately can help you to highlight specific skills that might get lost when you explain work you did in a previous job. 

The main differences can be summarized as: 

Projects are concise and specific

Work history provides a broader view of your career trajectory

At the end of the day, you must pick the things you want to include on your resume with the aim of balancing your knowledge and skills with what's being called for in the job description. Relevancy and tailoring your resume are critical, allowing prospective employers to see what you have to offer their team. 

Why listing projects can be good for you

When you're trying to prove to an employer that you're an achiever rather than a doer, having a project or two to back up your claims can do wonders for your candidacy. Not only do projects on your resume have the ability to demonstrate relevant skills, but they also allow you to showcase initiative and accomplishments. 

In the context of standing out from the crowd, projects on your resume can add depth to your experience to paint a more well-rounded and comprehensive picture of what you bring to the table for the new employer. One thing that a lot of people miss is that you can also use projects on your resume to fill in any experience gaps that may be present. 

Types of projects you can highlight on your resume

While the projects you list on your resume are as unique as you are, there are some common types. Knowing what type of project you're going to list on your resume will help you to determine if the project is relevant and can also guide you in knowing where on your resume to list it. 

There are four basic types.

This is any project you've done in your position with a company. It was probably part of your job description, but it could've also been something you were called on to do outside of your day-to-day role. Perhaps you led a team to launch a new product or created a new process for doing something that saved time and money. Work projects are good to have on your resume because they demonstrate that you're the type of person to go above and beyond to achieve an objective. 

2. Academic

These are projects that you complete in a classroom or educational setting. You'll definitely need to include academic projects if you're fresh out of college and have little to no work history or relevant professional experience. Academic projects for your resume can be anything from conducting a research study and writing a thesis or dissertation to developing a software application as part of a class project. Including academic projects on your resume gives you a chance to highlight relevant skills and prove to a future employer that you have a passion for learning and development. After all, continuous improvement is a highly sought-after skill. 

3. Personal

Sometimes, you get bored at home and decide you want to build a personal website or create a blog. There have even been folks who've created apps that work with their smart home devices to automate activities. It doesn't matter that these are personal projects, if you find that your resume is lacking particular skills or achievements you can use these projects on your resume to round out your candidacy. That said, adding a personal project to your resume should be a last resort. 

4. Freelance

'Tis the time we live in – a lot of people work as independent contractors or freelance. It's a great way to fill in employment gaps or have some income if you're on a sabbatical . The most common freelance projects center around things like graphic design, marketing, tech, and writing. These types of projects can be valuable additions to your resume. 

How to add projects to your resume

Since you want to keep your resume relevant to the job you're applying for, the first step is to create a list of projects from your history and compare them to what employers need. 

Analyze the job description to dissect out the keywords and phrases. Once you have that list, compare it to the skills and achievements you can talk about with each project. Beyond picking the right project to match the job, you also have to consider space.

Bear these guidelines in mind:

Pick projects for your resume that match the job description

Pick projects that allow you to keep your resume on the right number of pages

The final step is to properly format the project entries in their respective sections. 

Where to include projects on your resume

For the most part, you'll format a project listing the same way you would a work history listing. The only difference is that you may not have a company to list indicating where you did the project. If you can't list the client or location associated with the project, don't let that stop you from adding it. 

As you would expect, work projects would be listed in the Professional Experience section, academic projects are best suited in the Education section, and some projects may even merit having their own special section. 

What does all of that look like? Let's take a look.

Projects in their own section 

For the most part, your resume should have at least five sections:

Contact information

Profile (which contains your title and summary paragraph)

Work history

You can also add an entirely new section called “Projects,” “Selected Projects,” “Relevant Projects,” or “Academic Projects.” 

Depending on how hard you have to lean on those projects to wow a hiring manager will be the deciding factor on whether you place this new section above or below “Professional Experience.” If you really need them to make your candidacy, then put them above. If you want them on there just to give the hiring manager one more glimpse into what you can do, then put them below. 

Example of projects in their own section

You should create a title for the section and then list each project with relevant bullet points that call out things you achieved in working on that project. It's also appropriate to put the dates you were working on each project. 

Selected Projects

Post Evaluation Platinum LEED Office Building | 04/2022 - 10/2022

Used advanced knowledge of Occupant Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Survey benchmarks and performed literature review / precedent studies to present data-driven solutions regarding visual and thermal comfort. 

Authored and presented findings related to underfloor air distribution (UFAD) system analysis. 

Integrated Façade Simulator: Hybrid Reality Simulations for Assessing Human Façade Interaction | 09/2020 - 05/2021

Created a novel integrated hybrid system that simulated a multi-sensory environment and observed participants and the impact of environmental stimuli for sensation, perception of comfort, and energy consumption. 

Projects in the experience section

If you're one of those people who get chosen by a boss to work on a project or if you've spent a significant time as an independent contractor , then it's probably going to serve you best to include projects within the “Professional Experience” section of your resume. 

Example of projects in the experience section

Format it like you would any other position within your experience section, including the name of the company, the dates you were employed, your position title, and some achievement bullets. Then, beneath those achievement bullets for your job, add “Noted Projects” and talk about the project as separate from what you accomplished as an employee. 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

XYZ Company | Location 05/2015 to Present

Senior Biologist

Achievement bullet #1

Achievement bullet #2

Achievement bullet #3

Noted Projects:

Major Development Plan and Infrastructure Project – 03/2019 - 06/2021

Monitored site conditions to ensure the protection of sensitive species, including California gnatcatcher, cactus wren, least Bell's vireo, arroyo chub, arroyo toad, and general nesting birds.

Oversaw end-to-end project management processes, including scoping, planning, timelines, delivery, execution, and status reporting. 

Subdivision Development Project – 04/2013 - 01/2017

Directed biological resource protection initiatives for a 180-acre development project, resulting in approximately 475 acres of preserved, restored, and enhanced habitats. 

Conducted protocol and non-protocol environmental impact surveys for 3 years, in the wake of a widespread wildfire, to assess gnatcatcher habitat, population density, and movement. 

Projects in the education section

It can be hard to craft a resume when you've just graduated college and have no real experience to show future employers. Fortunately, you can lean on things you did at school to inject experiences, achievements, and skills into your resume. You just write an expanded education section. 

Relate reading: How to List Education on Your Resume (with Examples)

Example of projects in the education section

Whether you're listing your GPA or relevant coursework, you can always add some college projects to your resume education section if you need to prove your salt to a new company. 

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bachelor of Finance, | State University – Location (Expected May 2024)

Coursework : Current Economic Problems, Macroeconomics, Accounting Principles, Money and Capital Markets, Business Statistics, Spreadsheet Modeling in Finance, Global Financial Markets

Academic projects

Secured funding for a non-fungible token (NFT) from State University's Board of Trustees and generated a 100% return on investment (ROI). 

Placed in the top 10% of a financial modeling competition. Analyzed comparative values over time to predict future performance and identified a portfolio of stocks that were graded and ranked in terms of profit and loss and accuracy of predictions. 

Projects on your resume win interviews

Remember that the main goal of your resume is to win interviews. Adding projects can be just the thing that makes you stand out from the crowd of job seekers. Use projects wisely, though. Leverage them to boost your skills, enhance your achievements, and inject necessary keywords into your resume that align with what the job description asks for in a new employee. 

Once you get all of that written, we'll give it a once-over for you with a free resume review . After all, it's always good to get expert, objective feedback on your resume. 

Recommended reading:

Guide to Writing a Great Resume with No Work Experience

Ask Amanda: How Do I List Self-Employment & Freelance Work On My Resume?

47 Accomplishment Examples for Your Resume: Expert Picks

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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How to List Projects on a Resume: A Concise Approach

In This Guide:

What are the benefits of listing projects on a resume, types of projects to include on your resume, how to list projects on a resume, how to avoid sounding boastful, how can i talk about a confidential project on a resume, how many projects should i include in a resume, summary & key takeaways: how to list projects on your resume.

You want to list projects on your resume, but you’ve got no idea how to do it?

Keep reading and you will learn:

• What are the benefits of listing projects on your resume
• What types of projects should you include on your resume
• How to list projects on your resume
• How to avoid sounding boastful
• How to talk about a confidential project on your resume
• How many projects should you include on your resume

If you want to save some time, you should definitely check out our Resume Builder .

But if you really want to really dig into the issue of listing projects on your resume, just keep reading.

Let’s dive in.

Why should I include projects on my resume, how would that help me?

The main goal of listing projects on your resume is to show potential employers that you have gained skills, experience and professional achievements that fit perfectly into their role.

What is important to do when listing your projects, is to highlight hands-on examples of how you applied your capabilities to find solutions.

Describing your experiences in the projects can also show potential employers if your character would be compatible with the company.

What is more, you can use these highlights to show that you have leadership skills, project management expertise and the ability to take initiative.

If you play your cards right, potential employers will start to picture you in a position that requires you to use the skill set you have gained in your previous projects.

There are a few types of projects you can include on your resume.

Keep in mind that whatever project you list, should apply to the job you are applying for. Its purpose is to increase your chances, so choose wisely.

We are going to take a look at the three most common types of projects that you can list on your resume:

Work projects

Your relevant work experience always works in your favour.

The way you can strengthen its effect and catch the recruiter’s eye is to list projects from your previous places of work on your resume.

Keep in mind that you should only highlight projects and accomplishments that show a set of skills relevant to the position you are applying for.

Personal projects

Another way to go is to list personal projects that show skills and personality traits that your potential employer might be looking for.

The project can be anything from community service and volunteering, to a personal project such as a blog.

Personal projects can make a really powerful impression on potential employers. They show that you take personal initiatives that develop your skills and personality traits.

When you have little or no work experience, personal projects can make an excelent addition to your resume.

Academic projects

The third main project type you can include in your resume are academic projects.

These projects can greatly highlight the skills and competencies relevant to a position you are applying for.

Academic projects can show your technical expertise or demonstrate soft skills such as teamwork and leadership.

Don’t hesitate to include any of these three types of projects on your resume. They can only work in your favour.

When listing projects on your resume, your best choice would be to write them below a job description as accomplishments.

Another way to go is to list them in a separate section. You can name it Projects, Academic Projects or Personal Projects, depending on their type.

If your projects are Academic, it’s better to list them in the education section on your resume.

If your projects are the strongest thing in your resume, we advise you to create a project-based resume.

Let’s take a look at all these scenarios.

Project-Based Resumes for Freelancers

When you are a freelancer, you will need a slightly different approach to building your resume.

A reverse chronological format works perfectly for most resumes.

It makes your resume easy to read by recruiters and it shows them if your experience is relevant in no time.

But when you are building a project-based resume, this format will probably not work so well.

As a freelancer, you probably work on lots of projects, and in many cases, the last one in reverse chronological order would not be suitable for the position you are applying for.

The actual problem arises because of the fact that recruiters have to look through lots of resumes every day.

That’s why a recruiter only spends about 7 seconds on a single resume, so chances are that a freelancer with a standard reverse chronological format resume would not be noticed.

The best way around that is to remove your work experience section, and replace it with Projects section.

Make sure you include details for every project in the section. That includes an overview of the project, time and numerical results/achievements.

Here is an awesome example of what you need to do for every project on your resume:

Adding Projects to a Resume—Traditional Employment

Even if you are not a freelancer, you might feel like you should include some of your side projects.

Don’t hesitate, but list them.

Projects are a great addition to traditional employment types of resumes as well.

What you need to do if you have extensive experience, is to create a separate section for your projects only.

Recruiters love extra sections. Having an extra section for your projects can only work in your favour.

As projects are not the main strength of your resume, you need to keep the project description brief.

Here is one example to get you going:

Key Projects

Spearheaded a cost-cutting project achieving a $50,000 dollar annual saving by replacing paper towels with hand dryers in all bathroom facilities as National Operations Manager with Redbridge Systems.

Adding School, College and Academic Projects to Your Education Section

If you recently graduated high school or college, or you are still studying, you might find it difficult to write your resume.

What you can do in this situation is list School, College and Academic Projects on your resume.

By shifting the focus from the lack of work experience to the projects and the skills you have gained from them, you can easily get some bonus points with the recruiter.

Here is an example of how to include project, such as volunteer work, on your resume:

There is also a slight risk, that listing projects on your resume might sound rather boastful.

In order to avoid that moment, you might want to stick to the advice of keeping it simple.

What you need to mention is an overview of the project, time and numerical results/achievements.

When you are using a confidential project on your resume to land a new job, caution is advisable.

It’s one thing to list a project on your resume when it has already gone public, but mentioning a confidential project is a good way to wreck your chances of getting the job.

Keep in mind that no employer wants an employee who would be willing to share a confidential project on a document that any stranger could potentially see.

You might think that you would be safe if you leave out most of the information.

However, the truth is that the recruiter may feel like it would be right to call your former employer and tell them that you are leaking confidential information.

Your week would probably not improve from there on, especially if you have a confidentiality agreement signed in the past.

So, all in all, you should focus on your public projects and accomplishments. Doing so will make your life much less complicated.

You should consider including a link to your online portfolio, website or blog if you have any.

This would encourage the hiring manager to review your projects in greater detail, and allow them to see the skill set you have acquired while working on the projects.

You should also focus on the projects that present your skill set in the best light,

What you need to do is list only a few important projects on your resume. If you have more to show the potential employer, you should definitely include a professional portfolio.

So, all in all, in most cases it is a good idea to include projects on your resume.

No matter if your projects come from former work, high school, college, or if they are personal, they can only work in your favour.

The key points you need to take out at the end of the day are:

• If you are a freelancer, you might want to consider building a project-based resume, instead of using a reverse-chronological format
• If you have some additional projects to your work experience, you should include them in your Work Experience or Education sections. If you have more projects, consider creating a separate section for your projects only.
• If you have too many projects you want to mention on your resume, consider mentioning the most important ones and include a link to a professional portfolio
• If you have worked on a confidential project, better leave it out of your resume

So, there you go, you are ready to get your resume to the next step.

Include the projects you have worked on and get the interview for your dream job.

*** What are your thoughts? Did you list your projects on your resume? Give us a shout out in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

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How—and When—to Include Projects on Your Resume (Plus Examples!)

If you’ve completed a project you’re especially proud of, it’s natural to want to show it off on your resume—and it might even help you land your next job. Projects that potentially belong on your resume can come from your past jobs, paid and unpaid side ventures, and—if you’re a recent grad—your academic coursework.

Read on to see why, when, and how you should put projects on your resume.

Why You Should List Projects on a Resume

Like everything else on your resume, projects can help highlight experiences that qualify you for your next job. You may have used skills— hard or soft —in a certain project that are key for the role you want. And including a successful project is a great way to tie those skills directly to results, which employers want to see on every resume.

When You Should List Projects on Your Resume

Adding projects to your resume “can be a great way to highlight experience outside of your daily role, enhance a recent grad resume, or bridge the gap from what you’re doing to what you want to do” if you’re looking to change or pivot careers, says Muse career coach Tara Goodfellow , owner of Athena Consultants .

Projects are an especially helpful addition to your resume when your experience section doesn’t already show that you have the background you need to get the job you want next, which is most common for two groups of job seekers:

• Recent graduates : Entry-level candidates by definition lack professional experience. But if you just finished college, a big project—whether you did it for a class, an honors or capstone program, an internship, or your own research—can show that you have a lot of valuable workplace skills such as leadership, collaboration, presentation, and public speaking, Goodfellow says. After your first-full time role, Goodfellow recommends removing school projects from your resume.
• Career changers or pivoters: When you’re looking to switch or pivot your career, you want to show any experience you have that relates to the role, field, or industry you want to go into. This might mean highlighting projects you did within a current or past job or adding a volunteer, side, or freelance project to your resume. What matters is that your project helps prove to employers you have relevant experience for the job you’re hoping to land.

Which Projects You Should Include

When you’re deciding which projects to add to your resume, “you want to be strategic,” Goodfellow says. “Don’t just dump every project you've been part of hoping something will catch the hiring manager’s attention.” Instead, carefully go over the job description for any role you’re interested in. Highlight any skills or qualifications the company is looking for that you have, as well as any job duties they list for the role that you’ve performed in the past. Then note any that can only be proven by including a certain project on your resume. If a project doesn’t meet this threshold, it probably doesn’t need to be called out.

Even if you’re in a more project-based field, like engineering, IT, or consulting, consider whether all or any of your projects can emphasize your accomplishments in a way that general bullet points under each job entry can’t. With too many projects crowding your resume, recruiters might not find the most important details. For example, if you generally do consulting for larger clients, but once worked with a small business and got great results, listing details for that one project might help you land a job at a consultancy with a small-business focus. But if most of your clients are small businesses, mentioning a slew of individual projects rather than overall achievements will take up valuable resume space without necessarily adding to your qualifications.

How to List Projects (Plus Examples)

List your projects wherever they’re most relevant, Goodfellow says. For recent grads, this often means your education section. If the project was part of a past job, freelance work, or volunteer work, it likely belongs under that specific entry in your experience section . If you’re thinking of a personal or side project or you have multiple projects that you want to include on your resume, you might consider adding a dedicated “Related Projects” or similarly titled section.

Regardless of where you list your project, you should follow these general tips:

• Include important details. You should add enough information about each project that it can be easily understood by anyone who reads your resume. Depending on the specific project, consider listing a project title, a project description, and project dates, as well as who you did the project for and with, what your role was, and what the results and impact were.
• Focus on your achievements. Whether your project description is contained to one bullet point or has several bullet points underneath it, employers want to see what results you’ve gotten with your skills so they can see how you might drive results for them. Use achievement-oriented , quantified bullet points to really put your accomplishments front and center.
• Tailor your project description for every job application. You should only include projects that are relevant to the specific job you’re applying for and, even more than that, you should make sure your description of a project highlights the pieces of it that are most relevant. So if a company is looking for someone with website design experience, focus on the design aspect of your side project, not how you attracted customers to your site. And try to use the same language and keywords as the job description.
• Include links to your work when possible. Almost everyone who reads your resume will do so for the first time on a computer, so links to work that’s live online are fair game. Just make sure you hyperlink an unimportant word like “Project” or even “Link” to avoid any applicant tracking system (ATS) issues.

What does this all look like in practice? Here are a few examples based on where you’re listing a project.

In an Education Section

This is how an entry-level applicant looking to emphasize their research, writing, and presentation skills might include a project on their resume.

Bachelor of Arts in English | Colgate University | Hamilton, NY Expected Graduation: Spring 2021 Capstone Project: “Voices Missing From the 19th-Century Literary Canon”

• Wrote a 40-page dissertation on three minority writers who are not commonly taught in U.S. K-12 schools or colleges, exploring literary devices and techniques used before other writers who are commonly taught
• Presented research findings at Nineteenth-Century Studies Association 2021 Conference as one of five undergrads selected to give a 10-minute talk
• Researched writers’ lives and work by analyzing newspaper archives (via LexisNexis), conducting interviews with literary scholars who focus on the 19th century, and traveling to review old correspondence and writings not widely reproduced
• Analyzed 12 total texts to compare literary devices and techniques between focal writers and their contemporaries

Within Your Experience Section

Here’s how a marketer looking to pivot into project management might include a project under a past job immediately after the bullet points describing their overall duties and accomplishments.

Key Project

• Led $200k digital marketing campaign from conception to launch, resulting in 120% of target signups in first two months of campaign
• Managed cross-functional team of seven marketing coordinators and analysts, content creators, and designers through market research, content creation, campaign launch, and analysis of results, setting deadlines, adjusting to changes in schedule, and resolving conflicts and miscommunications among teams

Within a Dedicated Section

Here’s how an aspiring software engineer might describe a project they did in their free time to show off their coding chops to prospective employers.

RELEVANT PROJECTS

TheTradingPost.com | March 2020–September 2020 | Link

• Designed and coded a website (using CSS, Python, and JavaScript) where players of popular video games could arrange trades for virtual items, receiving an average of 1000 hits monthly
• Responded to user feedback and issues to improve site functionality and build additional features including a search function

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How To Put Projects On A Resume (With Examples)

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Summary. To put projects on your traditional chronological resume , include a separate projects section beneath the education or work experience section. In a project based resume, rename the work experience section to be named “projects” and you can avoid the standard chronological resume format and instead focus on your most relevant projects and professional skills.

No matter where you are in your career journey, adding projects to your resume can highlight your key qualifications and help your application make more of an impression.

In this article, you’ll learn how to add projects to your resume and when it’s a good idea to take this route.

Key Takeaways

You can work projects into your work history section, organize your resume around your projects, or create a separate section for your projects.

You should list your most relevant projects first and leave off any irrelevant projects.

Freelancers, entry-level job candidates, and people who are changing career paths could benefit most from project-based resumes.

How to List Projects on a Resume

Examples of ways to list projects on a resume, tips for listing projects on a resume, why should you put projects on a resume, what is a project-based resume, who should use project-based resumes, putting projects on a resume faq, final thoughts.

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To list projects on a traditional chronological resume , you should include a separate projects section beneath the education or work experience portion of your professional resume. This can be easily accomplished by including a “key projects” section below the bullets detailing your previous job responsibilities and accomplishments.

Listing projects on a traditional date-ordered resume can be a great option for professionals who want to showcase their project management expertise while also detailing their prior work titles and chronological job experience.

If you’re looking to ditch your traditional chronological resume altogether, a project-based resume is a great way of showcasing your most desirable professional skills outside of the tight confines of a standard cookie-cutter resume that lists your work experience in reverse chronological order.

By renaming the “work experience” section of your resume to “projects,” you can easily avoid the standard chronological resume format and instead focus on your most relevant projects and professional skills. This unique structure focuses more on practical, hands-on experience and less on how long you held a certain job title.

To list projects on a resume:

Contextualize the project’s details. You don’t want each project to take up too much space, but you do need to describe the key who, what, where, when, and why of the story. Most importantly, bring in numbers as often as possible.

Highlight your accomplishments. “Ideally, your resume is a list of achievements,” says resume expert Don Pippin . When describing your projects, be sure that the direct impact that you had on the end result is apparent.

Tailor your resume for each job. Again, this applies to all resumes, not just project-based ones. In the context of projects, though, be sure to think about how each entry relates to the specific job you’re applying for.

Provide examples. If you’re emailing your resume, including some hyperlinks to documents relating to past projects can be really impactful. Not only can the hiring manager see the results of your work, but also how you and your team approached projects in general.

Below are three examples of ways you can list projects on your professional resume or CV . Using these examples as a template when writing your job-specific resume can help you advance in the hiring process and land the job of your dreams.

Listing Projects in the Education Section of Your Chronological Resume Example:

Education Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, Massachusetts B.S. in Mechanical Engineering , May 2020 | GPA: 3.8 Key Projects: Led a team of three engineering students to execute blueprints and coordinate the production of state-of-the-art air filtration systems for the university hospital. Production and installation came in 12% under budget and were completed 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

Listing Projects Below Previous Job Responsibilities and Work Descriptions in Your Chronological Resume Example:

Work Experience Sales Associate Baker Technologies | March 2019-present Drove revenue by 13% year-over-year by initiating increased customer engagement policy Oversaw a team of five cashiers, who collectively processed average credit card and cash payments of over $20,000 daily Key Projects: Worked with a software developer to redesign and launch Baker Technologies’ online marketplace, resulting in a $2 million increase in profits for 2019.

Listing Projects in a Projects Section of Your Project-Based Resume Example:

Professional Project Highlights App Development Camping With Oliver , July 2020-November 2020 Developed and coded a complex app, compatible with iPhone and Android devices, designed to help hikers locate free campsites in their area. Increased digital revenue stream by 55% following launch Private Web Design Bobbi’s Bakery , January 2021-March 2021 Built a multifunctional website with a complex ordering system using HTLM 5, CSS, and bug-free code Managed all custom graphics, page composition, and branding for this client, leading to a 30% Q/Q jump in sales

If it’s your first time listing projects on a resume or ditching your traditional chronological resume or project-based one, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to craft an effective resume and impress hiring managers.

By following these five tips, you’ll be able to perfectly listing projects on your professional resume and allow your key skills and job qualifications to shine.

Lead with the most relevant projects. One of the biggest advantages of a project-based resume is having the ability to list your work experiences and skills in order of the most relevant projects, instead of arranging them chronologically.

Highlight leadership and job-specific skills. If you’re listing projects on your resume, it’s important to be deliberate and meticulous in the projects you include. Your project list should be presentable, professional, and perfectly convey your leadership and job-specific skills.

Show how you achieve results and meet company goals. Another substantial perk of listing projects on your resume is the ability to clearly illustrate and verify how you are results-driven and ready to meet company goals.

Illustrate how your experiences align with company values. Not only is it important to showcase the skills and qualifications required for a job opening, but it’s also essential to illustrate how your work style and professional goals align with the values a company prides itself on.

Keep project descriptions short. To emphasize your strongest skills and professional abilities, it’s important to keep project descriptions short, concise, and to the point. Providing only the essential details to demonstrate your skills, achievements, and experience will allow hiring managers to easily read and review your resume.

Listing projects on your resume will help you get a leg up over other qualified competing applicants.

A project-based resume, similar to a functional resume , is highly effective in conveying your unique qualifications, work style, field of specialization, and areas of expertise.

Project-based resumes are great tools for illustrating hands-on experience and your decision-making and conflict resolution skills. Describing projects you’ve been involved with can give hiring managers a glimpse into how you operate as an employee.

Submitting a project-based resume with your job applications can allow you to position yourself as the best candidate for the role by highlighting and describing projects that closely align with the job description included in the advertisement.

Including a list of projects on your resume will allow your job application to shine and illustrate your work capabilities and well-rounded personality; to hiring managers and job recruiters.

A project-based resume is a professional resume that focuses on accomplishments rather than chronological job titles and previous work responsibilities.

Where a traditional resume lists work experience and academic degrees in date order, a project-based resume instead does one of two things.

It either lists a job seeker’s relevant academic, work, and personal projects in order of most to least compelling or includes specific projects beneath the education or work experience sections of a resume.

Project-based resumes effectively provide hiring managers and prospective employers with verifiable proof of a job applicant’s industry expertise, achievements, and experience.

Anyone can use project-based resumes, but the following groups might find additional benefit:

Freelancers. Project-based resumes can be an especially worthwhile option for freelancers , as it allows you to ditch the traditional chronological resume and instead focus on projects you have worked on that are most relevant to the position you’re applying to.

Entry-level candidates. Not only is a project-based resume a great alternative for freelance workers, but it can also be equally as enticing for traditional employees or recent graduates since projects can be easily listed beneath education and work experience sections, as you would normally list accomplishments, skills, and previous job responsibilities.

Career changers. Writing a project-based resume can be a great option for people looking for their first job, changing careers, coming off a long sabbatical or personal leave, or searching for a full-time job after a series of freelance gigs.

Should I put my projects on my resume?

Yes, you should put your projects on your resume. Listing a few of your most impressive professional projects on your resume can help hiring managers see what you’re capable of.

What kind of projects should I put on my resume?

You should put successful, professional projects that relate to the job you’re applying for on your resume. Think of a few of the projects that demonstrate the skills that are listed on the job description you’re applying for and put them on your resume.

Do personal projects count as experience?

No, personal projects don’t count as experience. They don’t usually count as formal work experience, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put some of them on your resume, especially if they demonstrate your professional skills.

is it OK to put project details in a resume?

Yes, It’s OK to put project details in a resume. Projects are a great addition to your resume when your experience section doesn’t already show that you have the background or experience for a job. Recent graduates or entry-level candidates are the ones who typically put projects on their resume.

Whether you’re a freelancer or a traditional employee, a recent graduate or a career changer, projects can make your resume pop.

By illustrating your hands-on work experience, verifying your skills and job qualifications, and marketing yourself as the best candidate for the role, you’ll have hiring managers who can’t wait to call you in for an interview to learn more.

Using the tips and templates included in this article can help you write a well-structured and effective project-based resume and make a great first impression on recruiters across industries.

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Elsie is an experienced writer, reporter, and content creator. As a leader in her field, Elsie is best known for her work as a Reporter for The Southampton Press, but she can also be credited with contributions to Long Island Pulse Magazine and Hamptons Online. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Stony Brook University and currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee.

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How to List Projects on a Resume

Not sure if your project is resume-worthy? Check out our guide on when, where, and how to include projects on your resume.

3 years ago   •   8 min read

You might not have a projects section on your resume — and that’s okay. Including projects on your resume is entirely optional, but it can be a good idea if you’ve completed any personal or educational projects that highlight transferable skills or are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Should you include projects on a resume?

There is a place for both personal and educational projects on your resume. Projects might be particularly relevant if:

You have a lot of freelance or contract work

If some (or all) of your work has been project-based, your resume should highlight this — not hide it. By using a project-based format for your work experience, you can keep the focus squarely on your accomplishments without cluttering up your resume.

You're a student

Current students or recent graduates can use university projects to highlight your relevant skills in a more practical setting. Educational projects might include projects you completed at university, during further education, or as part of a professional or career change program. It doesn’t include regular coursework, unless it was particularly outstanding (ie. award-winning).

You're changing careers

If most of your paid experience is in a different role or industry, projects can help demonstrate your competence with a more relevant skill set. This is especially true if you’re trying to break into a highly specialized or technical field. For roles involving software development, coding, or data analysis, a few relevant projects may even be more worthy of inclusion on your resume than a lot of work experience in a different industry. If this is your situation, consider dropping some of your older or less relevant work experience in favor of a dedicated projects section that can highlight your hands-on experience with specific technical skills.

I’d recommend uploading your resume to the tool below to check if you’ve listed your projects the right way. It’ll let you know if your projects section highlights relevant work experience, accomplishments and skills.

You lack relevant work experience

Some Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or other types of resume screening will automatically reject candidates who lack certain skills or keywords. To get around this, you can use projects as a way to legitimately include skills that are required by the job listing if you have no other way of demonstrating them. Again, this can be particularly important if you’re trying to break into a technical field, so it’s worth taking the time to develop those hands-on skills before you start applying.

If you’re not sure which technical skills are required by the job you’re applying for, use the skills search tool below to find the right ones.

If you've decided to include projects on your resume, keep scrolling for step-by-step guides with templates you can copy and paste.

How to feature projects on your resume

So, you’ve decided to include one or two well-chosen projects on your resume — but how do you format them? Here are a few practical examples you can follow.

In your work experience section

When: If your paid work was project-based, including freelance , consulting, and contract work.

How: List key accomplishments underneath individual projects.

• List your employer, staffing agency, or consulting firm (it's fine to create one if you were freelancing).
• List your job title. If you were self-employed, give yourself a standard job title.
• List the dates of employment.
• Add a short blurb describing the nature of your work.
• Include 3-6 bullet points detailing your most relevant accomplishments, starting with an action verb and include hard numbers and metrics.
• Use a resume checker to score your bullet points and give you personalized feedback.
• Read our tips on how to list contract work and self-employment on a resume .

Here's a template for listing projects in your work experience section:

YOUR NAME CONSULTING SERVICES, Columbus, OH Independent SEO Consultant (Jun 2017 – Present) Developed strategic insights for seven medium-large companies ($5M+/year) to improve SEO, web traffic and conversions. Revamped and implemented new websites for four companies. Selected Projects Name of project - 1-3 bullet points in the format [Action Verb] [Accomplishment] [Metric], e.g. Growth Strategy for Travel Agency - Spearheaded a major pricing restructure by redirecting focus on consumer willingness to pay instead of product cost; implemented a three-tiered pricing model which increased average sale 35% and margin 12%

This example shows how a project-based resume can emphasize your key skills and achievements.

In a dedicated projects section

When: If you have the space for it on your resume and you have one or more significant projects you want to make a focal point.

How: Think of a projects section like a mini work experience section.

• List the project name at the top, like you would an employer.
• List your specific role in the project as your job title.
• Use bullet points to highlight the hard skills you used. Remember to begin each bullet point with an action verb.
• Use numbers to demonstrate the impact of your role whenever possible.
• Include a link to your online portfolio (if applicable).

Here's a template for formatting a separate projects section:

PROJECTS Project Name | Developer , Feb 2019 GitHub link: [link] - Designed the overall architecture of the editor using React.JS, with XYZ integration to allow real-time collaboration - Set up multiple authentication methods, including Google OAuth, magic link and Shibboleth SSO

This is an example of how a standard project might look on your resume.

This is another example that explicitly demonstrates your skills and expertise. It includes relevant keywords, which will help your resume get past any ATS and allows employers to see that you’re qualified at a glance. It also uses hard numbers to good effect, showcasing not only what you accomplished but also the impact it had on the overall project.

If your projects demonstrate hands-on experience with specific programming languages or other practical skills, use your projects section to link to an online portfolio. Hiring managers in fields like software development, graphic design , and writing will want to see examples of your actual work whenever possible, since that’s the best way to see your skills firsthand and judge whether they’re a good fit.

In your education section

When: If you're a current student or recent graduate without a lot of relevant work experience. You should especially consider including projects in your education section if you completed a specific pre-professional program, like an MBA.

How: Pin your education section to the top of your resume to keep it front and center.

• Title your section 'Education.'
• List your education as normal, including the university you attended, degree attained, and date of graduation (this last one is optional).
• Include a 'Projects' subheading (optional).
• Include 1-2 bullet points briefly outlining what the project was.
• Start with an action verb to describe what you did and use numbers to quantify the results.
• For more tips on how to make your education section stand out to hiring managers, check out our guide on how to list education on your resume .

Here's a template for listing projects in your education section:

EDUCATION Resume Worded University, San Francisco, CA | May 2010 Master of Business Administration Candidate; Major in Business Analytics - Built and launched Android app, Resume Worded, in team of 3; gained over 10,000 users in 6 months

This example shows how including projects can explicitly demonstrate your achievements, even if your degree is your only relevant experience in that field.

In an additional section

When: For personal projects, especially if you don’t have the real estate to dedicate to a significant projects section.

How: At the bottom of your resume, or on the side if you prefer a two-column format.

• Title your section 'Additional Projects' or 'Other.'
• If you're using a general 'Other' section including skills, etc. add a 'Projects' subheading.
• List each project briefly in 1-2 lines, including what you did and what the results were.
• (Optional) List the date of completion or duration of the project.

Here's a template for listing projects in an additional section:

ADDITIONAL PROJECTS - Aggregated, cleansed and combined data from 10+ public data sources to create a Tableau dashboard of inflation rates over the past 10 years (January 2021) - Another project (optional)

This example demonstrates how you don’t need to dedicate a large amount of space to a project for it to be worthwhile including.

Do’s and don’ts for projects on your resume

• Use projects to demonstrate hard skills. Technical skills like programming, proficiency with specific software programs, or experience with social media marketing are all appropriate skills you may want to highlight.
• Tailor the projects to the specific job you’re applying for . Not every project is relevant to every role, and not every single task within a specific project is related to all roles either — be selective about what you include.
• Use hard numbers and metrics whenever you can. If you attended a coding boot camp, mention the specific programming languages you learned. If you used Facebook ads to sell your craft projects, state how much you were able to improve sales. Always be specific about what you achieved, not just what you did.
• Don't use projects for soft skills like communication or leadership. These skills are easy for anyone to claim and difficult to quantify, so you’ll want to use more relevant examples of how you’ve demonstrated these in a professional setting.
• Don't include projects in your regular work experience section. No matter how hard you’ve worked on them, they lack the accountability and oversight that paid work experience requires, so don’t try to frame them as something they aren’t.
• Don't include projects just to bulk up your resume. Only include them if they’re truly relevant to the role and will strengthen your candidacy.
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Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.

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Is there a point where you can list open source work as "experience" on your resume?

I have a friend who wishes to break into the software development world in the US. They aren't employed right now, so they have the time to contribute to open source projects.

Would it be appropriate to list full time, continual open source contribution on their resume as "experience"?

The goal is to do your best to catch the eye of a hiring manager (or a bot) reading resumes or LinkedIn profiles. "Experience" seems the best way to do so. However, you also don't want to turn someone off or seem dishonest.

If they list it as "volunteer experience" would that get the same kind of respect from a hiring manager?

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• 2 You get experience with working in a team when contributing. Note that it needs to be quite substantial to be valuable. In other words, it should be labor of love, not for putting on your resume. –  Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 9:11
• 1 Wonder in which section of their resume do Richard Stallman or Linus Torvalds put their "volunteer work" –  androidguy Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 18:36
• 1 It's appropriate if you've done significant work. In some ways it can be better than experience at a traditional job, as you can show the work that you actually did. –  DaveG Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 20:23

6 Answers 6

Of course you should list it. If your occupation was relevant to the job you are applying for, and you even worked full-time on it, that's relevant experience the employer needs to know about. It gives them information about your ability, that they otherwise just wouldn't have. Of course whether it is relevant is a different question. If you just dabbled with some of your own code and published it as open source, but there's no-one using or reviewing it - that's probably not worth its own mention (you'd just somewhere mention personal projects and link repos). If it's an established project with co-contributors, users, maybe even other entities using/depending on it, then you deal with so many things relevant to being a software engineer, that omitting it would be a major mistake.

There's some discussion here about what is "work-experience" on a CV and what is not. That it's not "proper" to list experience that didn't have some kind of contract attached to it. That might be true - I didn't go through HR school - but that most definitely is not relevant for the majority of the software engineering workspace (and those that care lose talent i.e. are worse employers anyway). There are not enough devs; you need to give them a good indication that you actually have relevant experience. And then you have got to back that up in interviews. If you can do that, it doesn't matter how you got the experience.

A lot of more recent Resume formats include options for "Projects" which is where I would suggest including this experience. While some people might not consider this "workplace experience", most if not all SE hiring managers I've known will openly ask if you have any projects you work on in your spare time. The fact your friend contributes to an open source project is worthy of inclusion on a CV/Resume for the simple reason that potential employers like this kind of activity. It's important to understand that your CV/Resume are not some form of official document like College transcripts.

All potential employers want from a Resume is to get a brief list of your professional skills and with some quantifier for total experience with each and any significant personal accomplishments. So the most important thing they need to do if they include it is to qualify how much they contributed and how important the project is. A personal project only they use is worth listing because it communicates how much you like programming. A major open-source library that gets used by a major package is potentially more valuable, but only if you regularly contribute and it's not just a couple of 1-20 line commits.

• 1 "All potential employers want from a Resume is..." Citation needed, especially in this day and age of automated resume rejection bots. –  nick012000 Commented Mar 13, 2022 at 1:49

Yes . You should add your experience with "Open Source Software Development" to your resume as legitimate work experience (if the experience is at least somewhat substantial).

Please make sure that the experience is authentic and valuable before you add that to your resume as you will need explain that contribution to the hiring managers.

Please be honest on your resume as it is always in your best interest. For example, if you work less than 40 hours per week on the open source project, then you can simply say that you contribute part-time to the open source project. If the project is interesting and highly valuable, then the hiring managers would still appreciate that.

Many companies are currently hiring developers with experience in "open source", which means that you should list this experience on your resume whenever appropriate.

Updated: As the proof, here are some current jobs posted on LinkedIn that specifically require "Open Source" experience (as of March 12, 2022):

Senior Open Source Software Engineer (Python)

(Ethyca - United States - Remote -- $140,000/yr - $180,000/yr · Full-time · Mid-Senior level)

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2946868350/?alternateChannel=search&refId=D73X3UkfvzUixPId33eogA%3D%3D&trackingId=Y57xPsiwzw8L23SvPecE1w%3D%3D

Director of Open Source Software / Community Engagement

(Formidable - United States - Remote - $173,000/yr - $195,000/yr · Full-time · Director)

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2950371730/?alternateChannel=search&refId=D73X3UkfvzUixPId33eogA%3D%3D&trackingId=Lu7%2F486M3VV%2FYGvuhOvn0Q%3D%3D

Sr. Software Engineer - Open Source Polyglots Welcome

(Empower Associates - United States - Remote - $120,000/yr - $150,000/yr · Full-time · Mid-Senior level)

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2938391501/?alternateChannel=search&refId=D73X3UkfvzUixPId33eogA%3D%3D&trackingId=E0dJgDu9aX7b7q2MK%2FkC1Q%3D%3D

Open Source Software Engineer - Integrations (Datadog - Poland, IN - Remote )

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2921861891/?alternateChannel=search&refId=D73X3UkfvzUixPId33eogA%3D%3D&trackingId=G2RHv4e0Zi%2FG6FY70wvLdA%3D%3D

• 2 I don't understand why this response has been down-voted, maybe it is just due to cultural differences. If you had climbed Mount Everest, wouldn't you include that as 'experience', even though you haven't been paid to do it, and it doesn't improve your coding skills? So I think open-source projects do count as experience, so long as they are accurately described on the resume. And cynically, I think some HR recruiters just 'weigh the ink' in a resume without really understanding it, so the more ink, the better. –  jayben Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 10:44
• 2 @JoeStrazzere "Resumes are about work." Why does the fact that you are getting paid by a company change whether it is work or not? –  Malachi Holden Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 16:48
• 6 @JoeStrazzere I disagree. When I'm interviewing a potential developer, I care about their experience . Whether they worked at Corporation XYZ is utterly irrelevant. Can they talk knowledgably and coherently about what they did? Can they explain design choices they made? Heck, if they worked on open source, they can show me commits and what their code actually looks like. I don't care how much or how little money they made, I care about whether they are competent or not. –  DaveG Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 20:42
• 1 @MalachiHolden because the experience of writing code in one's spare time is fundamentally different to code written for a job. That's not to say open source is worthless - on the contrary, lacking work experience, open source is a valuable way to develop one's skills. But it's not the same as work experience. You don't have to show up on time to open source. You might never work with anyone else, from other disciplines. If you don't like the project, you can drop it and move onto something else you find more interesting. None of those things might be the case for an actual job. –  BittermanAndy Commented Mar 13, 2022 at 19:20
• 1 These jobs are not for "engineers who have worked on open source". They are specifically for "engineers to work on open source". I'm not sure how relevant they are to using open source work as experience for a job that might have nothing to do with open source. –  Daniel Roseman Commented Mar 14, 2022 at 10:17

I would not really list it as experience unless the contributions are significant enough to be roughly equal (or better) to a similar job. Which is almost never the case. And if it is indeed the case, be clear so as to not deceive.

For example, making a couple of small contributions to a small project, amounting to work done here and there during the weekends would not be comparable to a full time job at any software company. If a candidate listed that as experience, and upon checking or during the interview I realized that this is indeed the situation, I would most likely not move forward due to the dishonesty.

Now, being a regular contributor or a maintainer to an established and serious open source, is a different thing. That shows both technical skills, and some non-technical skills such as being able to work in a team, establish priorities, etc. I would list this an experience just again, being clear about the specifics of the situation. Based in my experience, candidates with these backgrounds tend to do quite well compared to the average.

And lastly, there are those people whose job is actually the open source project. If you make money from it, and dedicate a full-time week to it, whether as part of a company payroll or living off donations and similar contributions, I'd definitely put it as experience.

• 1 "not really list it as experience unless the contributions are significant enough to be roughly equal (or better) to a similar job" - fair comment if the OP's friend were applying for mid/senior level positions, but the question talks about breaking into s/w dev. so we can assume they are looking at junior/trainee positions where even small open source contributions are more experience than much of the rest of the field, and don't have to equate to a job to be relevant in my opinion. I also don't know why you assume that this would be listed dishonestly - question didn't seem to imply that. –  Saes Commented Mar 13, 2022 at 12:23

No. It's not work experience, which is really what "experience" means on a resume.

You can put it down as interests, or hobbies, or under its own section, but it's not work experience.

With work experience, you report to someone, they validate your work, they validate you are contributing an appropriate amount. The arrangement is more formal.

You don't really get that with open source.

People can ask the question: "What does work experience even mean" and to be sure, there are some definitions that could include working on open source projects as work experience, but it's important to remember that people reading resumes are not going to give you time to convince them of your point of view. If 50% of people think you are being fast and lose with the truth, that's 50% of applications that are getting thrown in the bin needlessly.

• 2 Contributions to Open Source projects are (should be) always validated during the review of a Pull Request. If someone's PR is regularly merged into important projects, we know that these contributions are of good quality and fullfill the requirements regarding style or tests. so in short: If you have multiple (code-)contributions to the Linux Kernel, you most likely are a good developer. –  FooTheBar Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 8:48
• 2 Hobbies seems to be a bit weak section. Wouldn't a projects or personal projects section better. It seems a bit weak to have a relevant experience under hobbies. I wouldn't even add hobby section –  Piotr Golacki Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 9:55
• 2 You could call it Development Experience and summarise the contributions with links for the most prominent projects –  HorusKol Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 11:49
• 2 In this generality this is just entirely wrong. I got contracted (not as a junior) on a large project that was already in business and critical with open source experience only. Am I contributing to major projects, hell no. Are the project used by a lot of people and show I can deal with different stakeholders and write long-lived code - they do. Not to mentioning that you can absolute be employed to work on open source software. –  imsodin Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 11:50
• 3 A lot of people say you should work in open source to "get your foot in the door." Should a self taught programmer pour hours of time into contributing to open source projects, only to put it under "hobbies" on their resume? It seems to kind of defeat the point. –  Malachi Holden Commented Mar 12, 2022 at 14:16

Yes. List it. You can consider that experience from the very beginning.

Open source contributions are valuable and if that’s the only source of their experience coding then it’s the best they can put on their CV. I don’t know why people is saying otherwise but, as a recruiter myself, when evaluating a candidate it will be an extremely valuable information.

Will I consider the candidate a senior or mid level developer if he only has open source experience? Unless he’s the main maintainer of a sizeable project, probably not.

Would I consider it a very good sign for someone looking for their first job in development? Absolutely. At the very least it indicates a very important quality, a liking for code and a desire to improve and learn. Believe me, nothing gets better than that for juniors.

The point is when you have no other relevant experience then that needs to go in. If you had other significant experience that just nerfs the time spent on open source, then I will still put it, but maybe in an “other” category.

But I can assure you, when I look at CVs i actively look for those things and, in juniors, I consider it a good sign and a much better sign than a CV without anything on the “experience” part.

Just make sure the information there is honest and that, during the interview, the experience is put forward without exaggeration and it ca work very well.

• 1 The picture here detracts from what I think it's otherwise a good answer. The text is very close to what I would have written myself. For someone looking for their first job in software or related fields, even small contributions to open source projects are potentially a point of difference worth including in a CV. To me, 'experience' doesn't necessarily mean 'employment history' and can be separated out. If there's no paid employment, or only casual work, to list, the open source contributions are potentially more relevant experience than employment history. –  Saes Commented Mar 13, 2022 at 12:15
• 'experience' doesn't necessarily mean 'employment history'. That's precisely what the image intends to convey and one of the fine lines of that movie. Experience is experience, it doesn't need to be of a particular type, it can be success of failure, open source or 3rd party work. Experience IS experience –  Jorge Córdoba Commented Mar 14, 2022 at 13:57
• I don't know the film. No doubt that's me being out of touch with popular culture. But what I see is two men standing in the dark talking about "hitting on girls". Perhaps it's very profound, or at least amusing in context. Here, I think it detracts from what is otherwise a well-reasoned answer. Your answer, your choice though. –  Saes Commented Mar 14, 2022 at 14:27
• That's because I did not look at the picture and just assumed it was the dialog from the movie. I've replaced it by a simple text image of the script which I still feel conveys the interaction. I'd say it is indeed a poplar culture reference now :) –  Jorge Córdoba Commented Mar 14, 2022 at 14:40

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How to write internship and social impact project on resume

I did an internship last year but at 2 of the company's locations: 1 month spent at each. The first was at a component rebuild centre, and the other was at and around a mine. I am wondering how to write that on my resume; do I list it as two separate Internships? Or

Also, it is okay to write 'Intern' as the job title, right? I don't think I did anything specific enough to have a job title. And the company never specified one anyways, so.

And I also did a project helping students research on their career interests and the required academic journey, how would I write that? It was a solo project.