7 Programming Projects for Your Resume

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IT and computer-related roles are in demand as employment for these fields are projected to increase 13% from 2020 to 2030. In the rapidly growing tech industry, it’s essential to capture an employer’s attention when writing your programming resume and programming cover letter.

Whether you’re new to coding or a seasoned programmer, having web projects on your resume highlights your technical skills and experience to employers while helping you stand out from the competition.

Including programming projects on your resume shows you’re:

self-motivated and able to finish a challenging task from start to finish
actively using your programming skills
continuing to learn new frameworks and languages

Read on to learn about seven different programming projects and find writing tips you can use to enhance your resume and prepare yourself for a fulfilling career in software development.

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Excellent programming projects to put on your resume

We’ve listed seven technical projects from beginner level to advanced so you can choose appropriate projects for your experience and skill set.

Also, remember that even a simple project will look impressive to hiring managers if you decide to build on it and add interactive or visual features to make your work unique.

Here’s our list of computer science (CS) projects to add to your resume:

1. An online portfolio

Creating an online portfolio is one of the most basic requirements for programmers because it allows you to show off your skills and make your personal website as simple or as complex as you want.

Not only does a portfolio showcase fundamental coding skills such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but it’s also the perfect place to display your other coding projects.

HTML and CSS are considered basic web page building blocks, so if you’re an experienced programmer, don’t include them on your resume. Instead, use the extra space to mention more in-demand skills such as Python, Bootstrap, JavaScript, or React, or include skills directly related to the job.

2. Websites

Websites are a simple way to highlight your HTML and CSS skills to employers and bring out your personality because there are so many different types of websites you can work on.

For instance, you can highlight your qualifications and introduce what you’re interested in by creating a:

restaurant website that includes an interactive menu
site listing all the local musicians in your city
product landing page

Additionally, you can incorporate important elements for web development, accessibility, customized graphics, and login authentications as well as performing search engine optimization (SEO). You can also make a one-page or multi-page website.

Adding these features to your website projects shows hiring managers you’re adaptable and open to learning other aspects of web development.

3. Utility mobile or web applications

Adding specific applications (also known as apps) to your programming resume conveys you’ve mastered the basics of a framework or language.

For instance, a simple task manager reveals your knowledge of CRUD.

By contrast, a weather app shows your creativity with CSS and a fundamental understanding of an Application Programming Interface (API), while a calculator app proves you know JavaScript basics.

By choosing what language to use for certain tasks, you inform hiring managers of your diverse set of skills.

So, study job descriptions for the role you want and use their requirements to create certain apps.

For example, if you’re applying for a job at a company that expects you to be familiar with React, use React to make a to-do list.

If you’re an advanced programmer, try making your app more complex. For instance, syncing your fitness app to Google Accounts shows a higher level of knowledge.

4. Games

When you write a resume for a programming role, adding games to your resume proves your understanding of logic, data structures, and algorithms.

There are also various games to choose from when developing your list of programming projects, which helps show both your hard and soft skills.

It’s important to include a mix of hard and soft skills on your resume. For instance, building an interactive or humorous quiz game displays your knowledge of Python but also links back to soft skills showing you’re a friendly and sociable person.

Consider making a Tic Tac Toe, Hangman, or Rock Paper Scissors game if you’re a beginner.

If you’re a more experienced programmer, replicate a more complex game like Snake or Chess using Python or C++ to show you can create high-quality content.

In addition, you can modify or create an original game with unique 3D characters and storylines using game engine software like Unity, Visual Studio, or Unreal Engine.

5. An API

Using search inputs is a valuable skill to have as a web developer, so try adding an Application Programming Interface (API) to your list of programming projects.

Creating an API is ideal for advanced programmers because it tells employers you can:

manipulate data and graphics
understand client-server architecture
fetch information from HTTP servers

Employers want to see if you’re proficient in XML and JSON when building an API.

They also want to see that you’re familiar with programming languages including Python, JavaScript, Java, or Ruby on Rails, so creating an effective API successfully communicates these skills.

6. Web scraping

Companies will be impressed if you show your understanding of web crawling to scan and capture data from a website, and even more so if you use web scraping to extract the data.

You can use your automation skills and organizational skills to scrape specific information from a website and give it a purpose, such as creating an Excel sheet or a website that uses your collected data.

An example of a web scraping project is to create an eCommerce website that compares different competitors’ prices, reviews, and product descriptions for basketball and soccer gear.

If you’re comfortable analyzing the extracted data, try forecasting specific trends and tailor the data to the company you’re applying for.

For instance, if you’re applying for a company that focuses heavily on marketing, try predicting the profits and number of gained followers for their Instagram account.

7. Voice and face recognition software and apps

Voice and face recognition software is widely used today. Communicate to companies that you’re keeping up with modern technology by creating an app or software that recognizes a person when they log in or that includes a specialized password system.

Creating a facial recognition API using Python or Flask conveys that you know how to create convenient tools that solve common problems for people.

By showing you pay attention to security features and producing solutions, you’ll showcase your insight to hiring managers, who’ll be more likely to consider you as an applicant.

How to add programming projects to your resume

Here are three tips for including technical projects on your resume:

1. Add programming projects to your work experience or additional experience section

If you’re writing a resume with no experience, a recent graduate resume, or a resume for an internship, include your technical projects in your work experience section so hiring managers quickly notice them when scanning your resume.

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If you already have some work experience, mention your programming projects in an additional experience section.

Don’t forget to give the additional experience section of your resume a specific name like “Technical Projects” or “Programming Projects” so your resume looks organized and employers can easily follow your resume.

List the following points when adding coding projects to your resume:

What to include on a resume web development project

name of your project
description of your work
how long it took you to complete it
tools and technologies you used
1–4 bullet points describing your responsibilities and achievements for the project

Have a look at this example of an applicant’s programming project on their resume:

Try using resume action verbs to make your programming resume pop. Adding powerful action verbs at the beginning of your bullet points provides context to employers and highlights your best resume achievements.

2. Include your most relevant technical projects

Even if you’ve completed several computer science projects, try to list fully completed projects that are specific to the job you’re applying for.

For example, if a company is looking to hire a front-end developer who knows how to use JavaScript, list projects that use this hard skill.

And if you’re a backend developer with front-end experience, display your backend knowledge first. By focusing on projects proving you can do what the job requires, you show employers you meet their exact qualifications.

After you meet the job requirements, knowing extra frameworks and languages is a bonus for impressing employers.

So include other interesting projects or coding skills in your work experience or additional experience section if you have space on your resume.

You can also mention your other programming skills in your resume skills section.

Sharing your LinkedIn and Github profiles with employers is a great way to include your additional coding projects because they show you’re a versatile professional and highlight your involvement in other tech communities.

3. Use appropriate resume keywords in your programming resume

Finally, listing relevant programming projects helps you get past applicant tracking systems (ATS), which filter through resumes to find the most suitable applicants.

So, use appropriate resume keywords by carefully reading each job description and tailoring your resume achievements and experiences to match the exact qualifications companies are looking for.

If you’re still not sure what keywords to include on your resume, use an online resume maker to help get you started. Many resume makers will automatically suggest common keywords to add to your skills section as you fill your information out, making the process of filling out your resume much easier.

Programming resumes (Sample Gallery)

If you’re still looking for inspiration on writing a strong resume for a specific web development role, have a look at our gallery of programming-related resume templates for some ideas: