Your guide for how to list projects on your resume (with examples)
Past projects show employers what you can actually do, and that's often what gets you the interview. Listing projects on your resume is a quick way to showcase your talents. We'll show you the right way to do it.
The best way to show a recruiter what you're capable of is to showcase what you've done before. That's where projects slide into the picture. Including choice projects on your resume is a smart way to show your value. So, how can you get started?
In this article, you will discover:
- When you should include projects on your resume
- Types of projects you can include
- The differences in listing freelance, traditional, and academic projects
- A step-by-step guide for how to list projects in an impactful way
You’ll also get plenty of tips and examples to help you list projects on a resume effectively and bring the right kind of attention to your qualifications.
Should you include projects on your resume?
Adding projects to your resume can be helpful in a few key situations. This table gives an overview of when you might consider adding projects to your resume.
When you have limited professional experience: | If you are a student or recent graduate without much professional experience, listing projects on a resume or cover letter can demonstrate relevant skills and initiative. They highlight how you can apply your knowledge, work within guidelines, and stay organized. |
If your work is primarily project-based: | If you are a freelancer whose work experience is entirely project-based, your projects will be your primary tool for showcasing your expertise. They serve as practical proof of your abilities and can highlight accomplishments and results in the absence of a traditional work history. |
Highlighting impressive or relevant projects: | If you are traditionally employed and have worked on some impressive projects in the course of your career, adding these to your resume can provide tangible evidence of your ability to perform well in critical situations. These projects show that you can think critically, using the knowledge and skills you have to solve problems and bring results. |
Demonstrating transferable skills for career changers: | Listing projects on your resume can also be helpful if you are making a career change, as you can highlight relevant projects that you worked on within past roles as well as volunteer, freelance, or other external projects. This allows you to showcase transferable skills that will be useful in your target role. |
When to leave projects off your resume
If you have plenty of professional industry experience, skills, and achievements to cover on your resume, you may not need to include projects. Remember that your resume should be one page if you have less than 10 years of experience and no more than two pages if you have more experience than that. So, if you don’t have space to include your projects after adding all of your other pertinent details, there’s no need to do so.
You can also list your projects on your LinkedIn or your portfolio website and include those links on your resume. That way, the employer will likely get the same information, but you won’t have to use up valuable resume space. Additionally, you can go over your projects with a potential employer in an interview.
How to list projects on a resume
Here’s how you can include projects on your resume in a way that makes your qualifications stand out.
1. List the skills you want to highlight
Before you list projects on a resume, you need to know which skills you want your resume to focus on. For example, if you’re in the finance sector, you may want to showcase your budgeting or analysis skills.
Pinpointing skills before you select projects will help you keep each section of your resume relevant to the job you’re applying for and make it more likely that the hiring manager will recognize your competence.
2. Think of the specific projects you want to add
When adding projects to a resume, select those that demonstrate competencies that are closely aligned with the skills you identified in the first step.
Once you have a list of relevant projects, fill in your resume with the ones that showcase specific and quantifiable achievements as well as sought-after skills like leadership, communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
3. Decide where to list them on your resume
You can list your projects in your work experience section (or instead of your work experience section in a functional resume), in your education section, or in a separate projects section. Consider which location makes the most sense based on the nature of your projects and where that information will be the most impactful.
Jobseeker's resume templates like the ones below allow you to easily try out different locations for your projects without needing to reformat the entire page.
4. Add a link to your online portfolio
In some cases, it can be more effective to show potential employers your projects rather than describe them. This is particularly true for creative and visual industries, like graphic design, photography, web design, illustration, and so forth. If you want to include these types of projects, add a hyperlink to your personal or portfolio website so employers can see and experience your work. You can also take a hybrid approach by describing your projects in one of the methods outlined above and hyperlinking the project title so employers can check it out if they wish.
Types of projects to list on a resume
Not only do you need to know how to list projects on a resume, but you also need to decide what kind of projects will impress the hiring manager. There are three main different types of projects to consider listing on your resume: freelance projects, traditional employment projects, and academic projects.
Freelance projects
If you are a freelancer, it can be much more impressive to frame your work experience in terms of projects that you’ve worked on rather than simply saying that you’ve been a freelancer for several years. For example, if you are a freelance writer, you might want to include several projects that showcase your various specialties, like technical writing, creative writing, copywriting, email campaign creation, and so forth.
Expert Tip
It can be most effective to create a functional resume to showcase your freelance work, which focuses more on skills and projects than the chronology of your work experience. You can also browse our collection of resume examples to find a starting point for your own application.
You can include a projects section instead of a work experience section to list your most impressive tasks. Include the project name, the company you worked for, your role, the duration, and up to five bullet points that outline your contributions to the project and highlight your skills.
Consider these resume project examples for freelancers:
Projects
Graphic Designer | Branding Package for ABC Consulting
Duration: 2 months
Platforms: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver
- Revamped tired logo and brand guidelines with an entirely new clean, modern package
- Came in under budget for the client and completed the work well before the deadline of three months
- New branding has led to a 25% increase in sales in the last 3 months
Social Media Manager | Social Media Campaign for Candid Retail Corp
Duration: 6 months
Platforms: Sprout Social, Canva, Google Analytics
- Used social listening tools to understand consumer sentiment and customers’ most common problems
- Sought and hired 12 micro influencers to create user-generated content to address issues customers had with other brands
- Increased the company’s social reach by 47% in six months
Traditional employment projects
It can also be beneficial to list projects that are part of your traditional employment role. Doing so can provide real-world examples of how you have applied your skills and expertise to accomplish things.
Reverse chronological resumes are often the best option for those with plentiful professional work experience. You can easily add your projects by adding a “key projects” line after the bullet points below each of your positions. Write a couple of brief sentences that describe the project, what you contributed, and the successful outcome.
You can see how this is done in the example below:
XYZ Solutions, San Antonio, TX
2018
-2026
Sales Associate
- Brought in 20+ new accounts each quarter
- Performed 50+ cold calls per day with 2.5% conversion rate
Key Projects: Worked closely with company’s IT team to streamline the lead-generating system, which increased sales rate by over 20% and grew profits by $750,000 in one year.
Academic projects
If you are a student or a recent graduate, you may not have any professional work experience to showcase, but you can absolutely highlight your academic projects and accomplishments.
Where to add your academic projects
You can create a separate section for key projects or relevant coursework, or simply add your projects to your education section with bullet points under your school entries as shown in the example below.
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design
2024
-2026
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Anticipated Graduation Date: Spring 2022
Key Projects
- 2020: Developed a three-statement financial model and Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) valuation for Hana Corp using publicly available 10-K and 10-Q reports.
- 2021: Built a dynamic 12-month operating budget and financial forecast for a hypothetical retail startup, modeling projections and assumptions for revenue growth and operational expenses
- 2022: Performed a capital budgeting analysis to evaluate a commercial real-estate expansion project and assess its viability
What projects and details to include
Consider including big class projects, honors or capstone projects, your thesis, research projects, internships, and so forth. For each one, describe the project and quantify the results if possible. Include impressive grades that you earned, distinctions, and so forth.
If you are relying heavily on your academic accomplishments to flesh out your resume, you might also wish to include details like your GPA, Latin honors, other awards or honors that you’ve earned, publications, the degree that you’ve earned or are pursuing, and your graduation date.
When to include your high school information
Remember that if you are already in college or have graduated from college, you do not need to include your high school information. But, if you are currently in high school or if high school is your highest level of education, you can include that information along with any impressive projects.
Expert Tip
Once you’ve landed your first full-time position, you can remove your academic projects from your resume and focus on your professional achievements. The only exception to this would be if you are applying to a role in academia and your academic projects are relevant to your target position.
Do's and don'ts for adding projects to your resume
No matter where you choose to add projects to your resume, there are a few guidelines to follow to ensure your projects impress recruiters and show your skills in the best light possible. Let's first look at some points to consider, followed by the biggest mistakes to avoid.
Make sure to...
- Read the job description: Read the job posting carefully and identify keywords that describe the skills and experience that the employer is looking for, and then use applicable keywords in your project descriptions.
- Tailor your projects: Next, you should tailor your resume to each position that you apply for, and this includes tailoring the projects you include.
- Include action words: Using action words in your project description can create an exciting and dynamic feel. Present the information with the problem-action-result (PAR) formula for extra impact.
- Use a resume builder: The Jobseeker resume builder can help you include keywords aligned with the job description so that the employer’s ATS is more likely to send your resume to the hiring manager.
When adding projects, don't...
- Forget to consider the ATS: If you want your resume to make it into the hiring manager’s hands, you must first make sure the applicant tracking system (ATS) your target employer is using doesn’t filter it out.
- Use inconsistent formatting: Always use formatting that is consistent with the rest of the document. Mirror the format of your other sections in terms of headings, subheadings, fonts, colors, and bullet points.
- Give too little detail: Give the recruiter clear and specific details about a project, particularly its outcome. Make sure they can see the value of each one you list.
- Make vague statements: Wherever possible, back your statements up with solid metrics. Use numbers statistics, and timelines to demonstrate the impact your work had.
Impress recruiters by showcasing your projects
Including projects on your resume is a surefire way to impress recruiters. However, there's a right and a wrong way to list them. You can add projects to your education or work experience sections, depending on where each one took place. Be clear about your role in the project and the contributions you made. Where possible, add valuable metrics to convey the impact you had.
Formatting your resume projects doesn't have to be hard. You can either use bullet points or a long-form paragraph style. To help you get started, use Jobseeker's resume builder. The tool makes it easy to format your projects and other sections correctly. For more advice on writing a great resume, check out our collection of resources.
FAQ
Do work projects belong in resumes?
Yes, listing relevant projects on a resume is an excellent idea. Not only do they show how you put your knowledge and skills into action, but they also showcase your quantifiable accomplishments and results.
They also give candidates the ability to fill gaps in traditional leadership and provide concrete examples of sought-after soft skills, such as leadership, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork, further demonstrating how you can be an asset to the company.
How to put personal projects on a resume?
You can put your personal projects on a resume in a dedicated projects section as long as they are relevant to the position. When listing your projects, make sure to include those that align with the skills the employer is looking for and include numbers and data, as 98.7% of hiring managers value quantifiable achievements.
How many projects should I include in my resume?
When adding projects to a resume, you should include no more than two to four. Entry-level candidates who lack work experience will likely include more projects than experienced candidates, as it will become a primary avenue for demonstrating skills.
Still, all candidates should prioritize quality over quantity and focus on relevance, tailoring each project to the job they’re applying for.
Can I put company projects in my resume?
You can alter your resume and cover letter templates to include company projects. However, you must have played a role in achieving the stated outcomes and results. It’s not a good idea to list projects that you did not participate in or in which you only played a very minimal role, even if your company was able to achieve significant results.
If I am a freelancer, how do I write personal projects on my resume?
As a freelancer, you can include personal projects on your resume by framing your work experience in terms of projects instead of one role that has lasted several years.
Use a functional resume format that will focus on skills and projects that highlight your specialties and include details like the project name, the company you worked for, your role in the project, and bullet points that outline your contributions.
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