How to Present Your Side Projects on Your IT Resume to Boost Your Experience
Posted August 2nd, 2016
Whether you complete side projects for fun, or as part of a side business, integrating these tasks into your resume can help boost your experience in many areas. By listing information about these projects, it may also function as an alternative mechanism for introducing skills you cannot include as part of your regular job duties with your previous employers, allowing you to present key skills that may otherwise seem out of place.
In order to use these projects, and their associated skills, to your benefit on a resume, it is important to portray them in the proper fashion. Here are some tips to get you moving in the right direction.
Only Showcase Projects that are Relevant to the Specific Opportunity
Just as your resume as a whole should be tailored to the job to which you are applying, so should the information regarding any skills gathered through the completion of side projects. In order to keep the information relevant, focus on no more than a few key projects that demonstrate the skills you are looking to showcase to the hiring manager that will be reviewing it.
Once selected, be sure to list key details, such as applicable competencies, accomplishments, and skills in the portion of your resume used to summarize your qualifications. These items should not be segregated from the overall picture, especially when the section is used to present the primary reasons you consider yourself to be a good candidate for the position.
List the Details in Your Work History
Whether the project was completed for a fee or for personal enjoyment, if the skills and outcome are relevant to the job for which you are applying, list the details of the project within your work history. If you are using a chronological approach, place the project in the proper location based on its actual duration. If you prefer to list your work history based on function, or the relevance to the employment opportunity, place the project accordingly.
Including the side project information in the work history can be critical if it was completed during a period in which you were otherwise unemployed. Not only does it fill a gap in your employment history, it also shows that you continued to focus on developing skills during that time.
When describing your employer, or the job title, for projects, use a phrase that is most appropriate to the work. In some cases, you may be able to categorize the work as a period of self-employment or freelance work. Others may be better described as supplemental engagements or external opportunities.
For a job description, include what skills were used as well as information regarding the completion of goals or accomplishment of certain metrics. When appropriate, contain links to relevant materials to allow the hiring managers to look deeper into the work, if they so choose, especially when submitting an application electronically or when the work is included in an online profile.
Provide References
If the side projects were completed for others, regardless of whether you performed the work for pay, do include them as professional references if they can speak directly towards your skills in a key area. In cases where the side project is your primary claim to having worked in specific skill areas, this can provide hiring managers with an additional way to verify your competency.
If you want to make sure your side projects are working for you as you look into new positions, the professional staff at Bayside Solutions can help you translate these projects into the experience it truly represent. Contact the recruiters at Bayside Solutions today!
