Experience sells on your resume. But what if you don’t have much? Listing projects on your resume can be a great way to showcase your skills when looking for your first job or changing careers. Even if you have experience, a project section can set your resume apart. Learn how to put projects on your resume and what types of projects you can highlight for the biggest impact.
In this article, we’ll show you everything you need to know about listing projects on your resume.
Why is it important to list projects on your resume?
If you have limited or nontraditional work experience, including a project section on your resume might be a good idea. The projects you list can show employers the skills and abilities you’ve gained outside of traditional jobs. Adding a project section on your resume also makes sense for some professions or industries, such as project management.
Specifically, listing projects on your resume can have these benefits:
- It ties your skills to specific examples. It’s easy to say you have leadership or teamwork skills, but discussing the projects you’ve worked on can show employers how you use those skills in real-world scenarios.
- It emphasizes outcomes and achievements. Listing projects can demonstrate your ability to get results, whether you’re working on a personal project or collaborating with a team in the workplace.
- It can disguise or downplay employment gaps. Many people have gaps in their work histories. By including projects on your resume, you can show employers you used that time to build your skills and stay productive.
As you can see, nearly every professional can benefit from including projects on their resume. However, it’s more common to see projects on resumes for those who have minimal or unconventional work experience. This can include:
- Students or recent graduates
- Interns
- Freelancers, contractors, or consultants
- People changing careers or industries
- Professionals in project-focused roles, like project managers and event planners
How to list projects on your resume
Wondering what projects to highlight on your resume? You have several options, depending on what type of work you’ve done in the past. Some common types of projects to put on a resume include:
- Academic projects
- Volunteer projects
- Personal projects
- Work projects
- Internship projects
- Freelance projects
Follow these steps to include the types of projects you’ve completed:
Academic projects on a resume
If you’re currently a student or recently graduated, you’ve probably worked on projects for school. You can include these on your resume to show how you apply the knowledge you gain in the classroom to real-world experiences. Academic projects can also highlight valuable skills, such as initiative and problem-solving.
To add academic projects to a resume, you should follow these steps:
- Provide the project name.
- Include the name of your school and the dates you completed the project.
- Add bullet points describing your role on the project, the skills you used, and the outcomes you achieved.
Check out our example below.
Data Analysis Project | October 2024
University of Washington
- Cleaned and analyzed a complex set of data using SQL skills to identify trends in student loan defaults
- Improved understanding of default rates, achieving a 92% predictive accuracy rate
- Visualized and presented data at a regional conference for over 1,500 software development majors
Volunteer projects on a resume
Volunteer work can boost your resume if you have limited or no experience, if you’re changing careers, or if you have significant employment gaps. These projects can show employers your drive, commitment, and initiative. They can also highlight your transferable skills, such as teamwork or flexibility.
Add volunteer projects to your resume with these steps:
- Give the project a title.
- Provide the dates of your volunteer project.
- List where you volunteered, including the city and state.
- Write bullet points to explain the project, what you did, and how it benefited the cause or organization.
View the sample below for more inspiration.
Community Garden Project | June 2024–August 2024
Greenwood Heights Neighborhood Association | Denver, CO
- Led a team of 10 volunteers to build a community garden in an underserved neighborhood
- Negotiated with local businesses to secure $5,000 in donations for materials and tools
- Created an operational garden that supplied food to 30 families within 12 weeks
Personal projects on a resume
If you’re transitioning to a new industry or returning to the workforce after some time away, you may not have much relevant experience to list on your resume. In this case, adding personal projects can be a great way to showcase your transferable skills and your work ethic.
When including personal projects, make sure they’re relevant to the job you’re targeting. Add them to your resume with these steps:
- Create a separate resume section for personal projects.
- Add each project as a separate entry with a name and the dates you worked on it.
- Write bullet points to describe the project, the relevant skills you used, and the results.
Use our example below for more inspiration.
Personal projects on a resume example
Personal Finance Tracker | May 2024–Present
- Created a personal finance tracking spreadsheet to manage budgets and increase savings for a five-person household
- Developed custom formulas to automate calculations and generate weekly summaries
- Maintained the spreadsheet by updating it each week, resulting in savings of over $2,400 within six months
Work projects on a resume
Many professionals work on projects at their jobs. If you’re particularly proud of your work on a project, you can mention it on your resume. Work projects show prospective employers your ability to produce results for a company.
You can format work projects on your resume by doing these steps:
- Add a short paragraph or bullet point about the project under the appropriate work experience entry.
- Briefly describe the project and your role on the team.
- Outline the work you completed on the project.
- Provide quantifiable outcomes to show your impact.
You can see an example of a work project on a resume below.
Project Manager | January 2023–Present
InTech Solutions | Cincinnati, OH
- Led the implementation of a new CRM system by coordinating with sales, customer service, and IT, contributing to a 30% reduction in customer wait times
Internship projects on a resume
While you can list internships as work experience, it’s helpful to include information about projects you completed. Internship projects show prospective employers your ability to follow directions, collaborate with others, and succeed in a professional environment.
To add internship projects to your resume, do the following:
- Include bullet points about the project under your internship entry.
- Explain the project’s purpose and the role you had as an intern.
- Describe who you worked with on the project and the results you achieved.
Check out our adaptable internship project example below.
Social Media Intern | September 2023–January 2024
Greenwave Consulting | Rapid City, SD
- Led the development of a three-month content creation calendar to plan a cohesive social strategy across three platforms
- Collaborated with the marketing team on strategies to optimize content, resulting in a 16% increase in engagement and over 400 new followers
Freelance projects on a resume
Freelancers often work with different clients on multiple projects. You can list these projects on your resume to show your technical expertise and highlight the results you’ve achieved for your clients.
Follow these steps to include freelance projects on your resume:
- List the name of the freelance project.
- Provide the name of the client and the dates you worked with them on the project.
- Describe your work on the project using bullet points.
- Mention the results of your work, if you know them.
Check out the freelance project example below.
Website Redesign | May 2024–July 2024
Luxe Fashion
- Redesigned an e-commerce platform for a boutique clothing store with a focus on user experience and mobile responsiveness
- Collaborated with the marketing team to improve SEO, resulting in a 14% increase in organic traffic within the first month after launch
Where should you list projects on your resume?
You can mention projects in different parts of your resume. Usually, the placement depends on the type of project you’re highlighting. You can put projects:
- In a separate section. If you don’t have much experience, you can create a dedicated section on your resume for projects. Make each project a separate entry with bullet points highlighting your work.
- In your work experience section. List projects you completed in your past jobs in your work experience section. Dedicate one or two bullet points to your work on the project and the results you achieved for the company.
- In your education section. Students and recent graduates can list academic projects in their education section. Add this information below your degree or diploma.
- In your professional summary. If one of your past projects is a career highlight, mention it in your professional summary. Showcasing your achievements in this area can grab a recruiter’s attention and make them take a closer look at your application.
- Highlight recent projects that are relevant to the job you’re targeting.
- Describe your project role using action verbs, like “led,” “managed,” or “facilitated.”
- Provide specific details about the project, such as its scope, deliverables, and outcomes.
- List outdated projects or ones that don’t showcase relevant skills or achievements.
- Exaggerate your role in the project. Be honest about your contributions.
- Be vague about the project or the results of your work.
Key takeaways
Adding projects on your resume can impress employers, especially if you’re applying for your first job or switching careers. By describing your work on projects, you can show recruiters how you’ve used your skills to achieve results. You can list projects you’ve completed for school, an internship, a volunteer role, or a past job in different parts of your resume. Follow these tips to highlight the skills and experience you’ve gained through projects!
