Home » How to List Projects on Resume? (Work, College, and Personal)

How to List Projects on Resume? (Work, College, and Personal)

Throughout our academic career, in school or college, we have always worked on several projects. Sometimes it’s a group project, and sometimes an individual. We have always felt that these projects are a waste of time, and no one will ever know they exist. But, do you know these projects can be crucial in landing your dream job?

In this article, we will talk about how you can list your projects (work, college, or personal) in your resume, which will enhance your chances of getting shortlisted! Listing the projects on the resume or not listing them is always a personal choice. But listing them can be of great value if you have no work experience.

Recruiters generally consider these projects as work experience and ask numerous questions regarding these projects in the job interview. These projects give you a better chance of communicating, as hiring managers will show interest in these projects to know about your work techniques and qualities. But before providing a template, we must know why we should mention the projects in a resume?

Why Should You List Or Mention Your Projects in Your Resume?

Why Should You List Or Mention Your Projects In Your Resume?
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The answer to this question is very straightforward; these projects help the managers or HR know about your capabilities. Various incidents or turns in one’s life shape a person’s work/education background and the activities one has performed throughout these academic years.

One can quickly qualify the expertise by stating that it was gained educationally, but what about the skills you developed while working on the projects?

Explaining your responsibilities and functions, your skills, and the outcomes you accomplished while working on projects can be of great use in your resume. So, a part of the CV/resume might be formatted in such a way that your college education can be considered a job, and the academic assignments are work accomplishments. Yes, this is possible!

Reading the job description before applying for every job is essential to your professional life. So, this should always be your first step. If you think your projects are relatable to the job profile, then you shall mention them. It helps the recruiters to know more about your work style and how you are a suitable candidate for a job in their company. However, you should always keep in mind that you only list the relevant projects, not something that is out of the box or not merely related to the job profile.

Furthermore, in the case of a group project, always mention your role in the project, which will automatically help the recruiter to have some expectations from you and your work before even permanently hiring you.

So now you know why it is important to list these projects in your resume. Now it’s time to go more into detail about the style, template, etc.

Also Read:- How to Write a Resume To Land a Job Interview?

Which Projects Can Be Listed in The Resume?

Which Projects Can Be Listed In The Resume?
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As we mentioned earlier about its importance, the real question is what kind of projects can be listed. To be more realistic, few candidates applying for a job are freshers who have just graduated from college, while a few already have the job experience. The projects done in the college can give fresher candidates an equal opportunity to grab a job as the other experienced candidate.

However, having a job experience does not necessarily mean you are a perfect candidate. So, to excel in a few skills that can enhance the quality of your work is the main catch. The recruiters always look for a candidate who has the willingness to learn and improve, so it enhances the chances of freshers getting shortlisted.

Different kinds of projects that can be listed in the resume are mentioned down below:

  • Work projects that have been completed as a full-time employer or a freelancer can be listed in the resume.
  • Any academic project relevant to the job description, such as a research paper, proposal, etc., that is relevant to the job description can also be listed in the resume. It helps the employer get an idea about your soft skills like time management, etc.
  • Personal projects, such as voluntary and freelancer work, can also be listed in the resume. These kinds of projects are not directly related to the job but may help highlight your personality, skills, and interest. It allows the employer to know about a candidate’s motivation in performing the task without thinking of their benefit.

If you’re listing your project in the resume, remember that these kinds of resumes strictly focus on a candidate’s accomplishment instead of the responsibilities. Further, this kind of resume can work in favor of a candidate who has worked as a freelancer and wants to change their career path or is an entry-level candidate.

If a candidate has experience in the same field, then mentioning the project details is not mandatory.

How to list The Projects For Resume?

How to list The Projects For Resume
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When listing your projects in the resume, always ensure that you have thoroughly read and understood the job description. After this, you shall add the required skills. For example, if you are applying for a job role of software engineer, then winning or participating in any rangoli competition does not make sense.

Hence, it is always better to stick to the job description and the required skills. You should always prioritize the relevant projects in the resume and avoid adding too much information, making it a dull and lengthy resume.

 The steps that are needed to be followed are listed below:

1. Prioritize the Skills That you Want to Highlight

Prioritize the skills that you want to highlight
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It is always a wrong choice to continuously add skills to the resume that are irrelevant to the field. It will negatively impact your reputation in front of the hiring manager. If you want to mention your skills, highlighting the most relevant one is the best option.

Any job description or posting requires a qualification series, so ensure you meet the eligibility criteria instead of directly applying to the jobs in the portal. To be much clearer, list all the skills on the resume relevant to the job profile and highlight the most important ones before finally it to the recruiter.

2. Make a Complete List of All the Projects That you Have Worked on, and Then Shortlist

Now you have a set of skill lists, so your next step should be preparing a list of all the projects you have worked on. Only mention the projects that are relatable or relevant to the job profile. To make a better list, you should always try to list all the tasks you have worked on throughout your college and school life.

It is always better to mention only the college projects, but if you have not worked on any project in your college life, then the school projects can be mentioned. Always keep the job profile and the industry in your mind, so that you can stick to the relatable information.

The main aim while listing these projects should be to impress the hiring manager or recruiter.

3. Decide How will you List the Projects in the Resume

Decide how will you list the projects in the resume
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Suppose you have the skill set and a list of all the projects you have worked on. But if you don’t know how to mention them properly in the resume, then it can negatively impact the shortlisting process. Thus, it is always better to mention these projects at a specific location. You should always follow a proper template in the resume to enhance its readability. The following points can be considered while listing these projects:

  • You can make a separate project section.
  • You can add these projects under your education section.
  • You can also add these projects in the employment section if you have done any internships during the curriculums.
  • You can also add an online portfolio to these projects. For example, if you have written any research paper, it is always the best option to provide a link to it so that the hiring manager would get an idea about the quality of your work, and if it has been published somewhere, it is always a plus point.

4. Honesty is the Best Policy

Most students during their school or college life have taken specific gap years. And this is entirely normal. Always ensure that you are sincere while making your resume; any hidden detail can negatively impact your professional life. While listing your projects, always make sure that you are also mentioning your role in the group projects that are true and credible.

Don’t use false information because the employers or hiring managers are competent. They will learn about it when they put on (or ask) questions. So don’t be over-smart while making your resume or even during your interviews. Always remember to be much more precise and mention everything that you believe the company expects from their employer.

Before applying for any job, read the job description in the portals very carefully while also checking the company’s objective and aim at their website.

Template Examples

Example

[University name], [city and state of university]
[Degree type and name]
[Projects]

Example

[Name of project], [Company name], [Date of project]
[Project  description and your role]
[Name of project], [Company name], [Date of project]
[Project description and your role]

Example

[Job title], [Company name]
[Dates ]
[Description of the job]
[Projects in which you have worked]
[Project 1 and your role]
[Project 2 and your role]

Example

[Job title], [Company name]
[Dates ]
[Description of the job]
[Projects in which you have worked]
[Project 1 and your role]
[Project 2 and your role]

Real-life Example

Felix Downey
143 Oak Street, London
[email protected]

Objective
To develop a vision and work sincerely with the mission assigned to me in an organization that involves a challenge, teamwork, and a good working environment.

Education
Xyz University,2017-2020
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical science

Senior Project
• Worked on a project of estimation of proteins in the college laboratory.
• Wrote a well-researched literature review
• The paper adhered to the guidelines provided by the journal
 • Proofread any grammatical mistakes or spelling mistakes to maintain the quality of the paper

Skills
• Handling of laboratory equipment
• Proofreading
• Reporting
• Scientific  research paper writing

The above example is for a project at a university. But the same format can be used for an employment project by just replacing the university name with the company name and qualification with the job profile.

Why Should You Not Include Projects on the Resume?

Why should you not include projects on the resume?
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Candidates who already have job experience or have worked on several important projects in their previous organization or company are always confused about whether they should mention their projects or not.

Believe us; no employer would want that its employee is leaking the confidential information to the other organization just for the sake of a job. Even if you mention it, there are very high chances that the interview recruiter will call your former employee just to inform them about your activities.

For any company, it is essential to protect their confidential data, because of which they always ask the new employee to sign a secret agreement. If you do not follow the arrangement or leak the organization’s personal information, then the organization has the right to take legal action against you.

This will harm not only your professional life but also your personal life. So it is always better to leave the confidential information and stick with the public accomplishment or projects which is less complicated and risky.

Pro-Tips

When listing your projects in your resume, you should consider a few factors. These factors are listed down below:

  • Provide a very brief detail about your projects.
  • If you’ve worked on group projects, it is always better to mention your role or contribution to the project.
  • Be very concise.
  • Avoid writing an essay or a very detailed description of the project.
  • Use consistent format style to make it visually appealing.
  • Avoid using unnecessary and irrelevant words.

Conclusion

In this competitive world, it is tough to find a job, especially as per your requirement and needs. So, it is always essential to be better than the other candidate in the same race. To enhance your chances of getting a job, you should always create something unique to make your resume stand out from the crowd.

One of the best possible ways to do so is to list the project and your role in completing these projects. If someone does not have much job experience, then highlighting the goal, skills, and achievements always enhances your chances of getting shortlisted for the next round or directly getting a job.

Always remember to be completely honest while listing your project details and maintain consistent formatting to make it easy to read and understand. If your work has been published online, then providing a digital link in the section helps build trust and is always the best way to impress the hiring manager.

These project descriptions allow you to establish yourself as a working professional in front of the hiring managers. We hope this article has helped you in the best possible way.