How to add projects to your resume

There are many ways in which you can emphasize your skills and experience on a resume. The basic structure of a resume is designed to bring out the most important details of your career such as your education, skills, work experience, and achievements. But what should you do when you want to highlight some important job-related skills that are not already covered in your work experience?

You can create a dedicated Projects section for your resume. Listing your personal and professional projects on your resume is one of the most effective ways to showcase your skills and experience relevant to the job. Here’s how you can add your projects to a resume effectively:

Identify the relevant projects

If you take a few minutes and review your entire career, you will be able to find a plethora of projects, each of them emphasizing a specific set of skills, knowledge areas, and experiences. But it is important that you only choose the projects that align with the job description since there is limited space on your resume to mention all your projects. Use the job description as a guide and select the projects that reflect the most important job-related skills.

Decide where you are going to display them

Now that you have chosen the projects you want to add to your resume, it is time for you to present them through the right section of your resume. There are a few places where you can talk about projects on a resume:

• In the work experience section – If you want to mention a project that you undertook as a part of one of your previous jobs, you can list it under the work experience section. Use a bullet point to list your project and detail the role you played in it.
• Within the skills section – In some industries, it is common for individuals to use projects to highlight their competency level with a particular skill.
• Through a dedicated projects section – If you are a professional with a lot of professional and personal projects that you believe would add value to your resume, creating a separate section for them is ideal. Describe each project using a few keywords related to the target job.

Write concise descriptions

Instead of simply listing your projects by name on your resume, you should take the time to describe each project using a few lines. This will help potential employers understand the extent of your involvement with the project. Write a short, yet clear, description for each project, covering important aspects such as the project title, objective, your role, and the outcome.

Use keywords

If you are adding your projects to your resume wishing to have an upper hand over other candidates, you should ensure that the projects are described using the right keywords. You can find the relevant keywords for the position by referring to the job description. Rewrite and rephrase the content to include the relevant keywords.