Where to put a personal software project on a resume

Question

I'm working on updating my resume and I would like to put a software project I have been working on for a while on the resume. Is there a common practice for where it must go on the resume? Normally I just put things in chronological order, so it would seem logical to put that at the top because I'm working on it at the same time as my current job. However, I don't necessarily want it to overshadow my current job or be the first thing they read...just one of the first things they read.

Also, it will be something that I will provide a link to and will be available online, so I will have something to back it up.

Answer 1

I have a bunch of part-time/side projects. I used to put them intermixed, but it seems to confuse the headhunters and HR. One day one of them suggested a separate section at the end for part-time projects. I've done that a few weeks ago and I haven't had to deal with the time frame question any more.

Answer 2

Not that I have a whole lot of experience writing resumes (I'm writing mine to get my first entry level job in software engineering right now) I would either put the projects at the end of your professional experience, or, better yet, create another section in your resume to place your personal projects.

The professional experience doesn't have to in chronological order, but you can put it anywhere you would like in that section. If it were me I would put it at the bottom. If you want to bring emphasis to it, you could put it under your current job and note that you have been working on the project(s) while at your current job.

If you create another section in your resume just for your personal projects you can still put the dates that you've been working on the projects and the links. I think this might be your best option. It shows that you have the ambition to gather experience outside the traditional work environment. You can write a little blurb about the project and the dates. If you work on any other projects, you can add more to this section.

Answer 3

One idea would be to separate your Experience section into Employment and Personal/Consulting sections. Put your personal work in the latter.

Answer 4

I like to insert my personal project after the Job and Education section. You can see an example here

Answer 5

It depends on whether you've had any significant gaps in employment (i.e. a month or more). Some employers put a lot of stock in having no big gaps, and that's the first thing they look for. If you have such gaps and were doing "side projects" during that time, you should put those in your chronological section to "fill the gap". If you have no gaps, then put them in a separate section.

Answer 6

A common practice (and a good one in my opinion) is to have a short section called "summary" or "career profile" at the beginning of your resume, to give the recruiter a quick overview of who you are.

I would mention the personal project at the end of this section, then give details after the "work experience" section.

Answer 7

In the Netherlands it's common to mention your personal projects as well as positions/work other than educational or work related. For example head of a student group, membership of some organization, your engagement for a goal and similar activities. They're mostly put at the end of the resume, to emphasize your personality. In english your could name it something like "Extra curricular activities" or so..

My advice would be to put everything (education, work, other activities) in the same ordering, for consistency. If your CV is for general purpose, put it in a chronological way, if it's specifically for a job interview, you could emphasize qualities that are important for that job by putting them on top

Answer 8

If your side project is something you've actually sold copies of, you should list it in your employment history (with your position being "owner" or "proprietor").

Answer 9

When I've asked headhunters how to handle this in the past, their (unfortunate) advice has been to not list any "hobby projects" (their term and, yes, I know it sounds horribly dismissive) unless I've actually made money off them.

Answer 10

I normally have the following sections:

• Contact Information
• Short list of technologies (Broken down by Software, and under software,
• Database, Languages, Platforms)
• Employment that matters for that job (I don't list the time I was in the Army, and if I do it's as a single line)
• Volunteer Projects - THis is where I list personal projects.

Answer 11

From my experience, I think it depends a bit on the intended consumer of your resume.

...another developer would probably be very interested in the kinds of projects you work on on the side. I love seeing these on resumes, because I think it speaks a lot to the persons motivation/energy/interests/etc.

...a manager or recruiter, however, might possibly view this as a distraction/negative - perhaps you're more focused on your side work than your full-time job? or maybe you're too techie, since you're the kind of person that programs for fun!

Anyway, maybe check out coderscv. It allows you to display your side projects along side your full-time work in a timeline view...that way you can see things chronologically, but it doesn't detract from your core work/experiences.