Quick answer: A strong projects in resume example includes the project name, your role, dates, tools used, and 2–4 results-focused bullets, plus a link if the work is online. Put projects in a dedicated "Projects" section if you have several relevant ones, or under the related job or your education. Choose projects that prove skills the job posting asks for.
Projects are the resume equivalent of "show me, don't tell me." Anyone can write "proficient in Python." Not everyone can link to the app they built with it.
If you're a student, a career changer, a freelancer, or someone who led a big initiative at work, a projects section can carry a lot of weight. Here's how to choose the right projects, where to put them, how to format them, and plenty of examples to copy.
Should You Put Projects on Your Resume?
Projects are especially useful if you:
- Are a student or recent graduate with limited work experience
- Are changing careers and need proof of skills your past jobs don't show
- Freelance or consult, where your work happens in projects anyway
- Work in tech, design, data, marketing, or research, where portfolios matter
- Led a major initiative at work that deserves more detail than one bullet
Projects are less important if your work experience already proves everything the job requires. In that case, skip the separate section and keep your resume focused.
The main risks? Listing projects that aren't relevant, or writing them like a class assignment description instead of an achievement.
What Kind of Projects Can You Put on a Resume?
- Work projects – a system migration, product launch, process overhaul, or campaign you led or played a key role in
- Academic projects – capstones, theses, research papers, lab work, or group projects (see also our guide to relevant coursework on a resume)
- Personal projects – apps, websites, blogs, YouTube channels, data analyses, design portfolios, open-source contributions
- Freelance projects – client work, from logo design to bookkeeping clean-ups
- Volunteer projects – fundraising campaigns, community events, nonprofit websites (more in our volunteer work guide)
- Hackathons and competitions – especially if you placed or shipped something
The test is simple: does this project prove a skill the employer wants? If yes, it's a candidate. Your sourdough starter is impressive, but unless you're applying to a bakery, it probably isn't.
Where to Put Projects on a Resume
1. A dedicated projects section
Best when you have two or more relevant projects that deserve their own spotlight. Common headings: Projects, Relevant Projects, Selected Projects, or Academic Projects.
For students and career changers, place this section above work experience if it's more relevant than your jobs. Otherwise, place it after experience.
2. Under a relevant job
If the project was part of a job, keep it there. Add it as a bullet (or a short sub-heading with bullets) under that role.
3. In your education section
Capstones, theses, and major class projects can sit right under your degree. This works well for recent grads with one standout academic project.
How to List Projects on a Resume
For each project, include:
- Project title – clear and descriptive, not a cryptic code name
- Your role – especially for team projects (e.g., "Team Lead," "Front-End Developer")
- Context – personal, academic, freelance, client, or employer
- Dates – month and year, or just the year
- Tools and skills – the technologies or methods you used
- Results – 2–4 bullets with outcomes and numbers where possible
- Link – to a live site, GitHub repo, case study, or portfolio (written out as plain text so it survives ATS parsing)
Basic format:
Project Name | Your Role | Month Year – Month Year
Tools: Tool 1, Tool 2, Tool 3 | link.com/project
- Action verb + what you did + measurable result
- Action verb + what you did + measurable result
Keep bullets achievement-focused, using the same approach as your work experience. Our guide to writing bullet points that show results explains the formula.
Projects in Resume Examples
Use these as templates. The numbers are illustrations, so swap in your own real results.
Software development (personal project)
Budget Tracker Web App | Solo Developer | 2026
React, Node.js, PostgreSQL | github.com/yourname/budget-tracker
- Built a full-stack budgeting app with secure login and recurring expense tracking
- Wrote automated tests for core features and deployed with a CI pipeline
- Gathered feedback from 25 beta users and shipped 3 improvements based on their requests
For more tech-specific examples, see our software engineer resume examples.
Data analysis (academic project)
Customer Churn Analysis | Capstone Project, B.S. Business Analytics | Spring 2026
Python (pandas, scikit-learn), Tableau
- Cleaned and analyzed 50,000 rows of anonymized subscription data
- Built a model to flag at-risk customers and presented findings to a panel of faculty and industry guests
- Created an interactive Tableau dashboard summarizing churn drivers by segment
Marketing (freelance project)
Website Redesign & SEO Refresh | Freelance Marketer, Local Bakery | 2025
WordPress, Google Analytics, Canva
- Rewrote product pages and menu descriptions with local search keywords
- Set up Google Business Profile and online ordering links
- Increased monthly website visitors and online orders within the first quarter
Project management (work project)
Payroll System Migration | Project Coordinator, ABC Logistics | 2024
- Coordinated migration of 400 employees from a legacy payroll tool to a new cloud platform
- Ran weekly check-ins with HR, finance, and IT, and kept a shared risk log
- Delivered on schedule with no missed pay runs during cutover
Career changer (volunteer project)
Fundraising Campaign Lead | Volunteer, Community Food Bank | 2025
- Planned a 6-week online fundraising campaign using email, social media, and a donation page
- Recruited and coordinated 10 volunteers across content, outreach, and events
- Exceeded the campaign's fundraising goal and grew the newsletter list
A teacher moving into instructional design, or a retail manager moving into operations, can use exactly this kind of entry to prove new skills. Read more in our career change resume guide.
Formatting Tips for Your Projects Section
- Keep it to 2–4 projects. Pick the most relevant, not the most.
- Order by relevance, not just by date.
- Use 2–4 bullets per project. More than that and it starts to read like a novel.
- Match the job posting's keywords in your tools and bullets.
- Write out links in plain text, since some ATS tools strip hyperlinks.
- Keep formatting consistent with your experience section (same date style, bullet style, and fonts).
- Clarify your role on team projects. "Contributed to" is vague. "Built the payment flow" is specific.
Common Mistakes With Resume Projects
- Describing the assignment, not your contribution. "Group project on renewable energy" tells the recruiter nothing about you.
- Listing every tutorial you followed. A to-do app built by following a video step by step is practice, not a portfolio piece, unless you extended it meaningfully.
- Broken or private links. Click every link before you send. A 404 page is not the impression you want.
- Outdated student projects. Once you've had a full-time role in your field, older class projects can usually go.
- No results. Even personal projects have outcomes: users, downloads, views, speed improvements, grades, or feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I list projects on a resume with no experience?
Create a dedicated "Projects" section and place it near the top, just below your summary or education. Include 2–4 projects with titles, tools, dates, and achievement-focused bullets. Our guide to writing a resume with no experience shows how projects fit the full layout.
How many projects should I put on my resume?
Two to four is a good range for most resumes. Choose the projects most relevant to the job and give each enough detail to show your role and results.
Should personal projects go on a resume?
Yes, if they demonstrate skills the employer wants. Personal projects show initiative and real ability, which is especially valuable for students, career changers, and anyone in tech or creative fields.
Where should the projects section go on a resume?
If projects are your strongest evidence, place them above work experience. If your work history is stronger, put projects after experience. Work-related projects can also stay under the job where they happened.
Can I list group projects on my resume?
Yes. Just be clear about your specific role and contribution, such as "Led data cleaning and built the dashboard." Recruiters want to know what you did, not just what the team did.
Should I include links to my projects?
Yes, if the work is publicly available and polished. Include a GitHub repo, live site, or portfolio link written out in plain text, and double-check that every link works.
Show Your Work, Land the Interview
Projects turn your skills into proof. Our Resume Builder makes it easy to add a clean projects section, write achievement-focused bullets, and tailor which projects appear for each job, so recruiters see your best work first.