How to List Projects on a Resume (with Examples)

Want to stand out in a stack of resumes? One underrated way to make your resume pop is to highlight your most impactful projects.

Including projects on your resume can showcase your abilities, even when you don’t have years of experience. Let’s walk through how to do it right.

Is it OK to put projects on a resume?

Absolutely—adding projects to your resume is often a smart move. Projects let you go beyond job titles and give employers a glimpse into what you’ve actually done. Whether you're a student fresh out of university or a seasoned pro changing careers, highlighting the right projects can make a big difference.

The most significant benefit of including projects is that they showcase real-world skills—things you’ve built, solved, or led. A recruiter who sees projects on your resume will see initiative, creativity, and problem-solving skills, especially when aligned with the job description they’ve created.

That said, there are a few considerations. Listing too many unrelated projects can clutter your resume or confuse the reader. Choose carefully, keep things relevant, and focus on the outcomes.

Pros:

• Showcases concrete achievements and skills

• Helps fill employment gaps

• Demonstrates initiative and leadership

• Highlights relevant experience outside formal jobs

Cons:

• May be less valued than formal work experience

• Risk of taking up too much space if not concise

• Can look scattered if not aligned with the job

When should you list projects on your resume?

Include projects on your resume when they highlight skills, fill experience gaps, or align with the job you want. This holds true especially if you're a student, freelancer, or changing careers.

Projects help fill in the blanks. If your resume feels thin or you're trying to pivot careers, a strong project section is the confidence boost you and the hiring manager need.

Here are some situations where projects shine:

• You're early in your career: If you’re a student or recent graduate without much work experience, academic projects help show employers your skills, initiative, and real-world problem-solving ability in relevant scenarios.

• You’re changing fields: Projects can demonstrate transferable skills from another industry, making it easier for hiring managers to connect your experience to the new role you’re pursuing, even if your background differs.

• You’ve done freelance or contract work: Freelance projects help showcase your versatility, independence, and client-facing skills. They also add credibility when building a career outside traditional full-time employment or corporate roles.

• You’ve led major initiatives at work: Projects you led at a previous job, such as launching new systems or streamlining processes, prove leadership and innovation, especially when data or clear results support those outcomes.

How do I list a project on my resume?

To list a project on your resume, include the project title, dates, your role, tools used, and key outcomes—formatted with bullet points in the most relevant section of your resume.

Where to put projects on a resume:

1. Professional Experience Section: Ideal if the project was part of your job or closely related to it. Include it under the relevant job title and describe your role and achievements by using bullet points.

2. Education Section: Academic projects fit perfectly under your education details, especially if you're a recent grad. They show applied knowledge, teamwork, and technical skills—even when you don’t have formal work experience yet.

3. Dedicated Projects Section: If projects are the star of the show, give them their own section titled “Projects,” “Relevant Projects,” or “Selected Projects.” This is common for recent grads, freelancers, or tech professionals.

What to include:

• Project name or title: Give your project a clear, descriptive title so the hiring manager immediately understands what it was about—something like “Website Redesign for Small Business” or “Capstone Research Study.”

• Dates (month/year): Include the start and end dates to show when the project took place. This adds context and helps employers understand how current or relevant the experience is.

• Role or contribution: Briefly describe what your specific responsibilities were. Make your involvement clear and focused, whether you led the project, collaborated with a team, or handled a key task.

• Tools or skills used: List the technologies, platforms, or soft skills you used. Think coding languages, design tools, and project management methods, as long as they align with the job you’re applying for.

• Key outcomes or accomplishments: Highlight what you achieved. Did you save time, increase engagement, or hit a major milestone? Quantify the results, if possible, to show impact and effectiveness.

Formatting tips:

Keep it clean and consistent. Use bullet points, start with action words, and quantify results when possible. For example:

Web Development Portfolio | 2023

• Designed and developed 5 responsive websites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript

• Integrated SEO best practices, increasing organic traffic by 25%

This approach works whether you’re highlighting academic projects on resume or discussing freelance gigs.

What is a project I can put on my resume?

You can include work, academic, freelance, or personal projects—anything that shows relevant skills or achievements. Just make sure each one supports your goals and matches the job description.

Below, you’ll find examples for various types of projects to put on a resume, with sample formats for each.

Work projects

These are initiatives or assignments you tackled as part of a full-time or part-time role. Think process improvements, product launches, or cross-functional collaborations.

Example:

Project: Streamlined Payroll System (XYZ Inc., Toronto) Date: Jan 2022 – June 2022

• Led payroll system migration to ADP for 200+ employees across Canada

• Cut payroll processing time by 40%

• Coordinated training for HR and finance staff in both English and French

Work projects are perfect for including in your “Professional Experience” section or a dedicated project section if they’re significant accomplishments.

Academic projects

For current students or recent graduates, academic projects on a resume can show off knowledge and problem-solving abilities.

Example:

Project: Market Analysis for GreenTech Startups (University of British Columbia) Date: Fall 2023

• Conducted a competitive analysis on Canadian cleantech startups

• Presented findings to industry partners during UBC Sustainability Week

• Used Tableau to visualize trends across funding and market penetration

This works great within your “Education” section or under a standalone “Academic Projects” heading.

Personal projects

Side projects reveal a lot about your interests and initiative. Whether building a blog, launching a podcast, or creating an app, these passion projects count.

Example:

Project: Toronto Foodie Blog (Personal Project) Date: Ongoing since 2022

• Built and managed a blog reviewing local restaurants and street food

• Reached 10,000 monthly views through SEO optimization and social media strategy

• Featured in Toronto Life’s “Top 10 Local Food Blogs” in 2023

When adding personal projects to your resume, be sure they relate to your target role or demonstrate transferable skills.

Freelance projects

Whether you’ve freelanced for years or just picked up a few side gigs, freelance projects show off independence, responsibility, and marketable skills.

Example:

Project: E-commerce Store Redesign for Boutique in Montreal Date: Mar 2023 – May 2023

• Designed a Shopify storefront that improved sales conversions by 30%

• Integrated bilingual UX features for both English and French users

• Worked remotely and coordinated with stakeholders across time zones

You can include freelance projects in your “Professional Experience” or under a “Projects” section—whatever makes them most visible.

Projects on resume: Final tips

To wrap up, here are some practical takeaways on how to list projects on a resume without overwhelming it:

• Tailor each project to match the job description.

• Quantify your results—use metrics, stats, or outcomes whenever possible.

• Highlight relevant skills like leadership, coding, writing, or design.

• Keep it concise—stick to 2–4 bullet points per project.

• Use consistent formatting across all sections.

Don’t take the power of listing projects on a resume for granted. For most job seekers, a well-presented project can tell a richer story than a job title ever could.

Final checklist:

• Choose the right projects to add to your resume

• Include specific keywords from the job posting

• Decide where to put projects on a resume

• Format your resume cleanly and clearly

• Align each project with your target role

When used strategically, a strong projects section on a resume could be the difference between getting noticed and getting overlooked. So don’t be shy—show what you’ve built, launched, led, or created. It might just land you your next interview.