Listing projects on your resume is a great way to show off some of your relevant skills to employers. Projects show real-life experience that could potentially translate to your ability to work for that company at a more proficient level.
So we know that projects can help your overall resume, but how should you go about listing them? In this article, we are going to go over how to list your projects on your resume correctly so that employers will be impressed with your experiences.
Why Listing Projects On Your Resume Helps
Listing projects on your resume can help you land jobs, but more specifically relevant projects will increase your chances. Projects give you a chance to highlight the skills that you have and how you applied them to a real-life situation.
These skills and experiences can make you more valuable to an employer who is considering hiring you. Projects can help you show off leadership, time management, and industry-specific skills, all things that employers will be looking for in new hires.
You have to keep in mind that hiring a new employee is a big investment and risk for a company. Anything that can help convince them that they are making the right decision in who they hire will go a long way.
What Skills Do You Want To Highlight On Your Resume
One of the first things that you will want to do is think of the skills that you should be highlighting on your resume. These are the things that your employer will be looking for in a new hire. A lot of skills are industry-specific, while some skills are overarching and are more general qualities that people may possess.
A great way to look for skills that your employer desires are within their job postings. More often than not job postings will list out the skills or qualities that they are looking for within that position. Use this to your advantage and build on these skills and qualities, and in particular make sure you showcase them on your resume.
For example, on the popular online networking platform LinkedIn, when companies post a job listing it will show all of the skills they are looking for and how many of them LinkedIn thinks you possess. Take a note of the skills that each employer is looking for on their job listing.
Now that you have an idea of what kind of skills and qualities your employer is looking for, it is time to think of any projects you have done that showcase them. If you are stuck, try to think of any projects that you have completed that have anything to do with the field you are searching for jobs in. A lot of the time you can tell a great story about a project, and spin it in a way so that you are highlighting everything that they are looking for.
It goes without saying that the more you meet the description they lay out, the higher chances you will have of landing that job. It is up to you to think of any projects you have done and talk about them in a way that showcases the things a potential employer wants.
How to Go About Listing Projects On Your Resume
Now that you have hopefully thought of some relevant projects that will look good to an employer, it’s time to think about where you are going to list those projects and how you are going to list them.
If you completed the project during your education or while employed at a different job, then it might make sense for you to list the project in the description of your education or employment section on your resume.
If the project was done outside of your education or employment, then you might want to create a separate section for projects. This would also be helpful if you are someone who has a lot of different projects to list so that they are all organized and easy for the employer to read about.
Another thing to consider putting on your resume is any work that you have online. The ideal way to do this is to put a link to that work in the projects section of your resume. Some relevant things to include are a portfolio, blog, or website.
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Projects
In order to get the most out of your projects, here are some tips to help you stand out to your employer and list your projects in the best way possible.
You should make sure that you provide plenty of detail regarding the projects that you were involved in. Aside from the basic information about the project, you should also talk about people you worked with, the money involved, and how you used skills that are important to the employer you are applying to.
Another thing to remember that applies to your resume as a whole, and not just the projects section, is to use consistent formatting throughout the resume. Use the same colors, fonts, and methods of organizing information such as bullet points or short paragraphs.
You should also be very conscious of the vocabulary that you use when you are talking about the project. Make sure that you use words and phrases that help highlight your abilities and qualities. Some examples include: “I took lead when”, “I created”, and “I managed”.
While you want to make sure that you provide all the information that the employer may want, you also want to do it as quickly as possible. Try not to ramble too much about things that aren’t important, and remember why you are actually listing the project in the first place.