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How to Have Side Projects That Stand Out and Why

Side projects on your resume can be the secret sauce that helps you land your next job. In the absence of, or in addition to, your work experience, a side project showcases your technical skills and is a potential source of conversation in interviews. In this post, we’ll talk about how to create one that stands out.

Often, side projects are taken from classes or tutorials. While these are great for learning, they don’t do much for your resume. The fact is reviewers probably have seen similar projects on other resumes.

While a unique side project can help you distinguish yourself, reviewers often don’t recognize its quality because they only have a limited time to spend reviewing resumes. Recruiters or hiring managers are often inundated with candidates and have other tasks to complete. 

So what makes a side project stand out? A form of validation that’s communicated on the resume. Consider this when figuring out and working through your next gig.

Forms of validation

First, here’s a side project that doesn’t have any form of validation. 

Developed a web app for fitness challenges using React, Node.js, and Firebase.

Nothing about this project stands out. It’s bland and uninspiring. But there are ways to make it pop using validation. 

Option 1: Use numbers (users or visitors)

Adding the number of users or visitors can be beneficial because it communicates to the reader that there’s something of value or interest about the project. Here’s an example:

Developed a web app for fitness challenges using React, Node.js, and Firebase with 1,200+ monthly active users.

How do you get users? Participate in communities, share your work, and iterate on your project until it meets their needs. Use telemetry to track the number of users.

In 2015-2016, I participated in Android theme customization communities on Google+ (now defunct). I learned how to write themes and plugins and then distribute them as Android apps. 

I also learned about Android app development and made an app to help students study for the SAT. Most apps didn’t do well, but a couple of my customization apps garnered a few downloads and shares within a small Google+ community. My apps collectively had 4,300+ monthly active users at its peak. 

Here’s another example that highlights how adding user data (including active users and downloads) can serve as validation: 

Built apps that customize the device’s UI | 4,300+ monthly active users | 46,000+ downloads. Link to apps on Play Store.

In 2018, I had a proof-of-concept side project that got 400+ stars on GitHub and 5,000+ visitors. It was a web app with a hands-on experience (see demo) and I shared it with friends in various communities on Reddit. I was able to reference it in an interview and get an internship at Mozilla. 

You can use GitHub stars or visitor counts as validation. Other forms of numerical validation include money made or saved, install count, etc. Take a look:

Created a web app that turns smartphones into 3D controllers using Node and Vue. 5,800+ visitors | 440+ stars on GitHub

Option 2: Win a competition

Winning a place in competition with your side project is another form of validation. It tells readers that your work is worthy of accolades. On your resume, it would look something like this: 

Developed a web app for fitness challenges using React, Node.js, and Firebase. 3rd place at SomeFitnessHacks 2024.

Competitions like hackathons are potential opportunities for learning and walking away with a decorated side project.

In 2017, I applied to attend a Capital One software engineering summit for students. Applicants had to create a web app using the provided data and answer questions about it. Winners were invited to attend the summit. Since it was an exclusive event with over 450 applicants and I ended up being invited, I included it on my resume. 

In 2017, I participated in a small hackathon, and my team won 2nd place. There were only 5 teams in total, but our honors program published a short article about us.

Publicity brings us to the next category of validation. 

Option 3: Seek exposure and collect links

A link to your published project, a demo video, a video with you delivering a talk about your work to a club in school, or a local news article about your work are all forms of validation. Here’s how you could display this on your resume:

Developed a web app for fitness challenges using React, Node.js, and Firebase. fitness.example.com | github.com/example/linktocode 

It’s unlikely that the links will be clicked by people reviewing your resume, but if they do, you want your links to wow them. If you’re using a GitHub link, have a proper README showcasing your work (example).

Adding a Projects Section

You can add your projects to your resume under a “Projects” section. Avoid including projects under the “Work Experience” section unless you were paid for them. I’d recommend giving each project 1-3 bullet points. They should each have a description and a form of validation. 

Beyond the resume

Your side projects can help you learn and be a potential topic of conversation in interviews. Before going into an interview, think about the choices you made, the trade-offs between those choices, and what challenges you overcame. Be prepared to speak to them. 

Is there something unusual or atypical about your side project? If so, why? What alternatives did you consider? Why did you make the choices you made?

Selecting the right side projects for your resume

There’s no formula to choose the right side project, but typically you’ll want one that ticks the following boxes:

  • Solves a specific problem that’s of interest to you 
  • Helps you learn something new
  • Is accompanied by a form of validation
  • Is not a generic side project from a class or tutorial

If you’re having trouble with ideas, keep a running list. Find and participate in competitions like hackathons or think about your interests and communities.  Add one idea to your list per day, regardless of how good you think it is. It’s a creative muscle you’re exercising, and you’ll eventually have a few good ideas by the end!

Note that not every side project needs to have a form of validation, and not every side project has to be on your resume. I’ve had several small projects that didn't have validation and were never shared, but they were instrumental in my learning and helped with other side projects.

While this post is about optimizing side projects for your resume, I hope you’ll ultimately find that the real, long-term value of these activities is in what you learn along the way.

Resources to help you get started: