Why Are Projects Important?
- Show Demonstrated Interest: Having projects on your resume can help you stand out and showcase that you have an interest you’re willing/have pursued outside the classroom.
- Add Edge: Having some cool projects may catch a recruiter or interviewer’s eye and make you appear to be a stronger candidate. This can help separate you from the pack and may even be the difference-maker in determining whether to interview you or not.
- Projects vs Internship: Oftentimes, students will wonder which is more important. Undoubtedly, internships are more prioritized since they are professional work experiences and show that you were able to accomplish given tasks/responsibilities at different firms. However, projects can help fill the gap where you may not have landed an internship for the summer or are unable to pursue one for various reasons. Instead of a summer gap, you should work on projects to add more technical experience to your resume and have something to discuss in interviews.
Starting A New Project
- Identify your interests: Before you start building a project, you need to identify your interests. It's always better to work on something you're passionate about as it will keep you motivated throughout the project. A good place to start is with any career topics you're interested in, for example: healthcare, biotech, UI/UX, etc.
- Choose the right project: Once you have identified your interests, choose a project that aligns with your skills and knowledge. It should be challenging but not overwhelmingly difficult. It's always better to start with a simple project and then move on to more complex ones.
- Plan and design: Once you have chosen your project and done your research, it's time to plan and design it. Write down the requirements, the features you want to include, and how you will implement them. Create a basic design for your project, including user interfaces, data structures, and algorithms.
- Implement: Once you have planned and designed your project, it's time to start implementing it. Divide the work into small tasks and start working on them one by one. It's always better to write modular code that is easy to understand and maintain.
- Showcase: Once your project is complete, document it. Write down how it works, how it was implemented, and how it can be used. This documentation will be useful for others who want to understand or use your project. Detail on your resume everything you accomplished in your project, its entire functionality, which technologies you used, what you learned, etc. It may also be helpful to include a link (via Github) to the project or video demo so recruiters can see it in action!
Additional Project Resources
- freeCodeCamp.org: Learn to code and create projects in less than two hours, great for those trying to fill the projects section on their resume!
- CodingBat: Free site of live coding problems to help build coding skills in Java and Python. Working through these is a great way to solidify your understanding of how the code should work.
After the Project is Finished
Don't forget to add your technical projects to your resume! Make sure you write strong bullet points about your project so recruiters and hiring managers can understand what you did. Not sure how to add your projects to your resume? Check out our resume resources: