computer science projects to put on resume

15+ Programming Projects for Resume to Show Your Coding Skills

Are you trying to get your first programming job to set foot in the fast-growing IT sector? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned programmer hustling to get a placement in your dream fortune 500 company?

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If you have been trying for some time, you might have already realized there’s a missing part on your resume: programming projects.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you should know about selecting and listing programming projects for your resume .

This includes:

• 15+ programming project examples: code, no-code, and low-code.
• How to list them on your resume: the right way.
• How to get hired even when there’re no active vacancies in the company.
• Tips to land your dream job faster with your programming projects.

A programming resume needs a modern resume template that blows away the hiring manager with its simplicity of design. We have listed many resume templates that suit programmers’ profiles which you can try for FREE.

Why Do You Need to List Coding Projects On Your Resume?

Your work experience on the resume would speak about your skills and achievements. The problem is that everyone has worked somewhere in IT and the technical skills they have mastered are almost the same.

Then there’s you with a portfolio of outstanding personal projects that are highly relevant to the position you’re applying for.

I would love to be that hiring manager to make an on-the-spot hiring decision.

There’re reasons to list projects on your resume for both entry-level and experienced programmers. Here are a few of them 👇.

When you are new

When you’re applying for your first programming job or internship, you can’t keep your experience section empty. A great way to fill up your resume is with your personal programming projects.

The best time to start is while you are still studying. Start early.

In a Career Transition

If you’re an experienced network engineer or a web developer and trying to change your career into a software development job, your previous experience though they are technical would not impress a hiring manager.

Taking some quality time to develop a few programming projects that showcase your skills would be ideal rather than explaining your coding skills in an interview.

It’s also a great way for you to assess the technical requirements and skills for the new job.

Shows your passion

Even if you are an experienced candidate, having worked on a couple of personal projects would come in handy – it shows your passion for the task as opposed to most people coding just for the paycheck and not having a real interest in their work.

More Exposure

A personal programming project gives you more exposure to technical and non-technical aspects of development.

At work, you only get to handle a part of a project and you won’t have time to think about the rest. You’ll be working with a team of developers, designers, copywriters, and even with marketing teams.

Now, in your personal project, you’ll take charge of everything – and that will give you a sound understanding of how each function interrelates to develop a final product.

15+ Coding Projects You Could List on Your Resume

This list consists of projects that you can complete by yourself. However, the area of specialization, skill requirement, and time consumption would be different for each project. Choose what is relevant to you before you start.

We have listed 15 categories of best programming projects to list in your resume where you will find many project ideas under each of them.

1. A website

Creating a website would be a great project if you’re interested in web development.

The simplest project you could start with is a blog or a personal portfolio.

You could use any content management system (CMS) to build your website – you could use Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress. The most cost-effective option is WordPress as it’s completely free. You’ll only have to spend on the domain, hosting, and any third-party plugins if necessary.

The basic programming skills in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript would come in handy to create a personalized web experience.

If you create a personal portfolio, you could easily demonstrate the other programming projects on the website so that it will be easier to send it to the recruiters. Make sure the website you create is mobile responsive.

If you’re particularly looking for a career in web development, creating a basic e-commerce website would add a lot of value.

In this project, you’ll use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You’ll also learn product integration techniques, add to cart, check out, and payment gateway integration.

Also, consider creating a listing website for real estate, used car selling website, or garage sales, which could even turn out to be a side hustle if you could bring in some traffic.

Games are a great way to showcase your understanding of basic logic and algorithms.

Based on your interest and requirement, the type of games you should be creating would be different.

If you’re planning to apply for a major game development firm, that won’t be enough. Then you should use C++, Python, and JavaScript to create more complex games – you could start with a Chess game or Snake game.

Though creating more sophisticated games with 3D characters and storylines takes more time and resources, if you’re interested, you could create one with a game engine software like Unity, CryEngine, Godot, or Unreal Engine may be as a group project.

3. A mobile application

If you’re interested in developing mobile applications for Android and iOS, having a couple of projects on your portfolio would be important.

You could showcase your technical skill in Java with Android app creation and Swift is a robust open-source programming language created by Apple to develop iOS applications.

Start with simple mobile applications such as a calculator, To-Do-List, Daily Planner, or a task management software and eventually move into more complex programming projects such as a listing app, messaging app, or a simple mobile shopping app.

Be creative. Think about a concept that you’ll throw your money to make an impulsive purchase decision on your app store or play store. If you as a user value it, there’ll probably be many people who think it is useful.

Check on platforms like Quora and Reddit to learn what people talk about in terms of their needs. Create an application to solve such a problem.

Top firms need top talent who make creative developments with their technical skills.

4. A data analysis model or data forecasting model

Data analysis or data forecasting models are not generic applications. Thee are very specific to a problem an organization or a project face.

Therefore, the solution is also a unique one.

You’ll be able to showcase your understanding of basic statistics, data structures, math, logic, and machine learning algorithms in coding such a program.

Python, C, and C++ are excellent programming languages to develop data models – data analysts will use SQL to communicate with the database.

5. A chatbot

Chatbots are widely used on corporate websites, mobile applications, and social media pages to save time on repetitive communication.

If you’re to create a chatbot, you need to collect the right data to feed into the AI and test them to train it.

You can use any popular programming language including Python Java, and PHP to create one.

Choosing a suitable algorithm would be important here. Some of the popular algorithms used to create chatbots are Markov chains, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Support Vector Machines, and Decision Trees.

These are projects with great commercial significance and the hiring manager would love to explore more about you.

API stands for Application Programming Interface – which enables two software components to communicate with each other to perform a task.

Here’re a few example programs you could create with APIs:

• A social media post scheduling tool
• Weather reporting mobile app
• A hotel or flight booking website
• Car ride booking website connected to the map

You could create an API using any language that can interface with SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) – Java, PHP, and Python are mostly used.

7. An AI-powered software

What if you could create something so exciting like Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri, or Cortana?

You could showcase your programming skills, artificial intelligence knowledge, and data processing skills in a single project.

However, this could be quite complex. So if you’re an experienced candidate trying to get a placement in one of the fortune 500 companies or applying directly to an AI-based programming job, you should try this.

You could create a self-driving toy car, a virtual assistant, or an AI-based marketing automation software. The right project could even make you an entrepreneur and you’ll no longer need your resume.

SaaS (Software as a Service) is a way of delivering applications over the internet instead of the conventional installation method. Most applications are delivered either free of charge or at a monthly subscription which the user can cancel at any time.

There’re hundreds of Billion Dollar businesses that have emerged in SaaS in many industries such as healthcare, fitness, technology, communication, design, and many more .

These are some of the popular examples:

• Adobe creative cloud

Especially if you’re applying to work for a SaaS platform, having a simple yet creative SaaS in your portfolio would be an advantage.

You could even use JavaScript or SQL to develop your SaaS, but Python would be a great choice because of its flexibility in many use cases.

9. A payment gateway

Though this will be a quite challenging project to take up, it surely will stand out your application from the rest of the developers.

Python would be the go-to language for developing a payment gateway while you’ll get experience in different APIs and web security features – such as two-factor authentication and fraud detection systems.

10. A simple robot

Use Python, C, and C++ to code a robot.

Robots are being popular for the last half a century and the developments are still going on to create use cases to effectively utilize robotics technology.

You don’t have to create a complex robot that can drive a vehicle or go shopping with your grandparents.

Create a simple project that showcases your programming skills and mechanical systems knowledge. You’ll get hands-on experience using motors, motion sensors, cameras, and a whole lot of hardware.

Consider creating:

• A stair climber
• A line follower
• A floor cleaner
• A robotic arm

11. A simple simulation

You could build an interesting computer simulation project. Every simulation doesn’t have to be visual and some could give a numerical or textual output depending on the project.

You could use JavaScript, Python, or C++ to code the simulation.

12. Web scraping

Web scraping is the process of extracting content and data from a website. This is particularly an illegal practice to do it for a publically unavailable domain.

But if you do it right: the legal way, it would have tremendous applications for companies to collect important data efficiently from other websites on the internet.

Python is the most popular language for web scraping. Its large collection of libraries such as Numpy, Matlplotlib, and Pandas provides faster web scraping and data manipulation techniques.

13. A simple blockchain project

A blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions that is publicly distributed across its entire network making it impossible to cheat, hack, or change.

As blockchain is becoming popular and powerful with web 3.0, having a project under your wing would be highly valuable.

Here’re some of the projects you could consider creating:

• A cryptocurrency wallet or a blockchain wallet
• Digital asset marketplace (DAM)
• A fake product identification system
• A peer-to-peer ridesharing platform
• A blockchain-based simple voting system

Solidity is the most stable programming language used for blockchain developments while other coding languages such as Java, Python, C++, and Ruby can also be used.

14. A simple NFT project

This is a type of blockchain project that is widely popular these days with many use cases and most employers are requesting candidates to have a basic understanding of the technology.

NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain. These tokens can not be replicated making them easier to buy, sell, and transfer without fraud.

Though you could create an NFT without any coding, try creating it from scratch to take full technical advantage of it in your portfolio. Coding the solidity smart contract, deploying it onto the Mainnet, and setting the NFT price would get you through an important earning curve.

You’ll need the skills in Metamask, Solidity, Hardhat, Pinata, and Alchemy for the project.

15. A no code or low code project

The world is going in the direction of no-code and low-code developments. If you’re a programming specialist, you’re part of a team that facilitates this change.

But if you’re a beginner in IT, you could create some low-code and no-code projects to showcase your creative thinking and logical problem-solving approach.

Here’re some example projects you could create without coding:

• Websites: most CMSs allow to build websites with just drag and drop functions
• Mobile apps: simple task manager, weather app

How to Find Relevant Programming Projects to Work On?

All these projects need skills in different programming languages and most importantly TIME. You can’t do all these and you don’t have to before applying for a job.

As a programmer, you might have already decided your path – the type of work you’re looking for – and the type of company. If you haven’t decided yet, it’s time to do that.

Search your ideal job description on LinkedIn and see the type of coding skills they’re looking for.

Go to your ideal company website and crawl through it to find out the company’s vision, mission, and future strategic direction. Study their plan for the next 10 years – and their views on new technologies.

With these, you’ll have a pretty good understanding of what projects you should focus on.

Get Paid for Your Projects

When you decide which projects you’re going to execute, without jumping straight into coding, see whether you know anyone in your network who would need this.

You can post about the project on LinkedIn stating that you’re looking for a sponsor or a client for the project.

For example, if you decide to build an e-commerce website, build it for a real business. Give the client a great price that they can’t get from outside.

This is important for three reasons:

• You can cover your cost and the value of your time.
• You don’t have to keep paying for the domain and hosting for years.
• A live project example is worth more in an interview than a mere sample.

Tips to Land Your Dream Job with Your Coding Projects

This is an approach in which you could get a placement in a firm even if they don’t have active vacancies right now.

This is also called Permissionless Apprenticeship.

The best platform to execute this is LinkedIn.

Connect with the technical managers, hiring managers, and C-level executives of the company you want to get a job in.

Find an immediate solution or improvement you could make to their software, system, or product.

Create a sample of the work and post that on LinkedIn mentioning the managers who are connected.

Showcase where they can improve instead of criticizing their existing systems.

There’s a higher chance you’ll get a placement for a job, internship, or even a chance to implement a one-time freelance project in the company.

How to List Programming Projects on Your Resume Masterfully

When writing your projects on the resume, use a consistent format. Make a separate section on your resume after your main experience and education sections – name it "Personal Projects", "Programming Projects", or "Coding Projects".

As you send your resume in digital format, include links to your projects.

Here’s the format we suggest to write your projects:

• Name of the project and timeline
• Project description
• Client (if available)
• Programming languages used
• Challenges faced/ results achieved
• Link to the project
• Link to the source code

Pick the information you’re going to write based on the project and the space availability.

A SaaS product that turns a blog post into a video

Python and JavaScript

API integration

www.bevideo.com

A free version is currently live with 1200 monthly users

Where Else to List Your Projects on the Resume?

You could list some of your projects in the other sections of your resume if you find them related to the position you’re applying for.

Add the link to your portfolio website that you created in your header. That is your project which consists of detailed information about all other projects you carried out.

Professional Summary

If one of your projects is directly related to the position you’re applying for, you could include that in the professional summary.

Professional summaries introduce candidates and their key achievements to hiring managers – show them that you’re a perfect fit for the job by including the most relevant project from your portfolio.

A passionate web developer with 2 years of experience working with WordPress, Shopify, Magento, and Joomla and with advanced HTML and CSS knowledge seeks to join Apex Holdings as a web developer. One of the e-commerce websites I developed for a fitness supplement company made $2M in sales in the last year.

Include any achievements or accomplishments related to your project in your professional summary.

Cover Letter

A cover letter should consist of 3 or 4 short paragraphs describing your key skills and experience. Use one paragraph to briefly describe your key project experience related to the job.

Show the hiring manager that you're already familiar with the work you'll be doing.

Check out our resume builder to create a perfect cover letter .

Should I write a separate section for personal coding projects on my resume?

If you are an entry-level candidate without any previous experience in the industry, you could list your personal projects under your main experience section. This way, you can utilize more space in your resume to showcase your projects in detail.

However, if you’re an experienced candidate with years of experience, you should have a separate section after your experience and education to list your personal projects.

How to write coding projects in progress on the resume?

If you have started a programming project and are still on your way to completing it, you could list that on your resume. In this, you should state after the project name that the project is in progress. Also, note an expected completion date.

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16 Computer Science (CS) Resume Examples for 2024

• Computer Science (CS) Resumes
• CS Student Resumes
• CS Resumes by Experience
• CS Resumes by Role

Writing Your Computer Science Resume

When you’re a computer science student looking for an internship or your first full-time role as a developer, deciding what to include in a  good resume  and how to format it correctly can be challenging.

We analyzed countless computer science resumes and chose the top 16 examples to help you get started. No matter if you’re looking for your first real-world coding job or are a seasoned campaigner, we have a computer science cover letter and resume designed to match where you’re at in your career.

The hardest part of resume writing is figuring out how to do a resume. Our  resume tips ,  resume maker,  and free  Word resume templates  have helped developers  get interviews at companies like Facebook and Microsoft,  so they’re a great place to start.

Computer Science Resume Example

Microsoft Word

Google Docs

Why this resume works

• If you’ve already had an internship or related work experience (as a research assistant, for example), you want to highlight that experience at the top of your computer science resume. Lead with your strengths, and if you have the experience, that’s a real asset.
• Hiring managers review a lot of resumes for CS internships and entry-level roles. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine! Your activities outside the classroom can help you stand out if you have a unique interest.
• Starting with a  resume outline example  can help guide you in how to include a project or two on your final resume.

Computer Scientist Resume Example

• Your computer scientist resume should build upon any related experience, perhaps as an entry-level computer support specialist. Your experience coupled with a four-year degree can open a career path for you.
• Use any previous education and experience as a launchpad to land your next computer science role. 

Computer Science Student Resume Example

• Browse through our  free resume templates  on Google for some inspiring designs suited for little to no experience. 
• Employers understand that people looking for their first programming role won’t have relevant work experience to discuss. In this case, strive to demonstrate your interest in computer science through personal projects and what you did outside of class during your school years.
• At this point, your education is your greatest strength, so be sure to list all the relevant classes you’ve taken that make you a great fit for the role to which you’re applying.

Computer Science Internship Resume Example

• Don’t list too many skills. A hiring manager wants to know your strengths. It’s much better to list two to three languages or tools you’re really strong in than ten you wouldn’t be able to answer questions about in an interview.
• List work experience, even if it’s not directly related to computer science. It shows you can handle responsibility and are reliable. Combining this with the  technical skills on your resume  can give you an advantage over the competition.

Computer Science Major Resume Example

• The CS courses you’re studying will give an employer a better picture of what theoretical knowledge you’re well versed in and can bring to your first job.

Computer Science No Experience Resume Example

• The details of a personal project—like one where you designed and developed a portfolio website—are a great addition to your computer science no experience resume.

Entry-Level Computer Science Resume Example

• This means finding a  professional resume template  that includes your education, relevant skills, projects you’ve worked on, and any relevant internship experience, plus leveraging a cover letter generator to complement your application.
• To make the case you’ll have a real impact as a full-time developer, you should quantify the impact of your internship achievements. Numbers make a much stronger case than words, so using them will set your resume apart.

Entry AGS Desktop Publisher Resume Example

• As a desktop publisher, you use publishing software to create various documents and products, including financial reports, business proposals, books, newspapers, newsletters, packaging, tickets, and business cards. You format and combine text, numerical data, photographs, illustrations, charts, and other visual elements.
• Analyze locally available job descriptions and take note of consistent skill requirements. These requirements serve as a physical roadmap of what to include in your resume.
• Specialize using the physical roadmap from the local analysis mentioned above to create an aspirational checklist of what to learn/continue learning to be maximally effective.
• Career objectives  exist to support and enhance whatever work experience you list. Instead of opting for a lengthier resume that includes irrelevant experience, your entry AGS desktop publisher resume can use a career objective to instill confidence in the reader and prove that you have a proven, albeit short, history of driving value.

Entry-Level Android Developer Resume Example

• As an aspiring developer, your  entry-level Android developer resume  has options for showcasing your available skillset.
• The key here isn’t reinventing the wheel but creating something dynamic and unique that can’t be easily replicated with a few Google searches and a video tutorial.
• Some internships require a fully completed degree to be in hand before starting. Although this is becoming more uncommon with the introduction of online coding trade schools (boot camps), research needs to be done regarding individual markets and locations.

Senior Computer Vision Scientist Resume Example

• Your senior computer vision scientist resume should be steeped in well-documented data and reporting. When updating the  resume skills  list on your resume, there are two primary sources from which you can collect data.
• The first source is the company’s list of required skills from the job description. This list provides the exact skills needed to excel in the role.
• The second way is to look at desired job titles in a specific geographic location. After evaluating the market’s desired skill requisites, adjustments can be made to showcase expertise to the general “heartbeat” of what employers in the area are seeking.
• Emphasize specific bullet points with KPIs that complement and enhance the general “heartbeat” of the desired market.

Computer Programming Resume Example

• So, what else can you do to ensure that your computer programming resume impresses recruiters? Well, an elegant template with subtle color accents would add flair to your application. Also, this format gives your piece the room to balance text and white spaces for a formal outlook.

Computer Engineering Resume Example

• Take this direction, and demonstrate your numbers in production errors and hardware costs (cue: 27% reduction in production errors and reducing hardware costs by 18%).

Computer Technician Resume Example

• Be sure to highlight these achievements in your resume all while integrating quantifiable metrics to add credibility to your achievements, making yourself a strong candidate.

Computer Science Teaching Assistant Resume Example

• Your  computer science teaching assistant resume  should contain the key sections recruiters need to see. It may be tempting to include other sections, many projects, or even non-relevant work experience when writing your academic resume, but that can greatly hurt your chances of being interviewed.
• The most important sections are skills, work experience, education, and relevant projects.
• For example, “Engaged with industry to maintain 100% fluency in the area of focus and provide opportunities for students to work on industry projects.”
• In the eyes of the reader, this bullet point means you will not need a lot of training and will bring immediate value to the company when hired.

Computer Science & Engineering Teacher Resume Example

• Adding a summary gives you the chance to reinforce your abilities with software engineering, curriculum development, and teaching, overall increasing your chances of landing an interview.
• Don’t forget to customize your  skills section  in addition to the other sections on your resume; check the job description for skill keywords you can include to catch any recruiter’s eye.

Computer Science Tutor Resume Example

• For example, you could include experience that involves working with students, colleagues, and school administration.
• You should also include soft skills, even though they’re difficult to quantify. Scan the job description to find soft skill keywords you can use in your  skills section  or work experience.
• Projects are a good way to demonstrate your tech knowledge, especially if you have limited work experience. However, projects are formatted slightly differently than work experience; use our  resume outline example  to show you how to add relevant projects to your resume.
• Your skills section is vital for demonstrating your technical abilities – include the software and tools you’re comfortable using and especially include any tools that are listed on the job description.

Related resume guides

• Data Analyst
• Data Science Resume
• Java Developer
• Data Engineer

Early in your computer science career, you must keep your resume to one page. As such, real estate on your resume is valuable. You should only include a  resume objective  if it adds value and increases your chances of getting an interview.

So, what is a resume objective for a computer science student? It’s a statement that succinctly states your skills, what you’re looking for in the job you’re applying for, and how you’ll add value in that role.

That sounds like a lot, but it’s not that bad in practice. You should keep it to two to three sentences and customize it to each role for which you apply. Here are a couple of examples from the resumes above:

• “I’m looking for an internship where I can utilize my experience with natural language processing and building web apps for non-technical users to further the mission of Coursera in democratizing education across the world.”
• “Industrious recent computer science graduate with a zeal for innovation. Seeking a position at Sikka Software, where the strategic focus on delighting users aligns with my creativity and desire to enhance social events through technology.”

Alternatively, if you’ve built some valuable experience, you may want to consider a  resume summary statement . Only include one if you can successfully and specifically highlight your greatest career accomplishments. 

Projects on your computer science resume

When you’re looking for a computer science internship or your first full-time role as a developer, projects are a must-have on your resume.

These can either be projects you completed as part of a class or something you went out and built on your own. Projects are the best way to show a potential employer that you can take what you learned in class and apply it to the real world.

More than that, they’re a great way to demonstrate your interest in coding outside of your classwork. In your projects, mention exactly what you built and the languages/ libraries you used. Here are some examples:

Social media scheduler

• Built a responsive web app using Django and Node that allowed users to schedule social media posts across Instagram and Twitter
• Utilized the Twitter API and Instagram API
• Built features using scikit-learn in Python that learned what time of day maximized engagement with social media posts which increased the overall user engagement rate by 15% 
• Released app for free for University of Pittsburgh students, and it quickly grew to over 500 monthly active users
• Used: Javascript, Python, SQL, HTML/CSS

Poker simulation

• Built a full-stack web app to allow users to simulate and visualize outcomes of poker hands against opponents of different play styles using open-source cards.js on the front-end
• Utilized sci-kit learn in Python to simulate possible outcomes under different scenarios that the users chose

10 Programming projects to boost your resume

Personal programing projects may get you your next job.

But they're not right for everybody.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about using programming projects in your resume to help you get a job.

Table of contents

How to tell if coding projects will help your resume.

• How to pinpoint the skill to use in your personal projects?
• 4 qualities interviewers look for in a personal project
• 4 characteristics to bake into your programming projects to maximize success
• When is the best time to work on personal coding projects?

10 personal programming projects you can start this weekend

Managing your time, how to present your project online and in your resume, more posts in the career guide.

• Are there enough functional programming jobs?
• Where to find functional jobs
• Where do you find the time to get productive in functional programming?
• What do you really need to know to be hireable?
• The 5 hurdles of hirability
• 10 Programming projects to boost your resume ← you are here
• Join and build a social network
• Job application action plan
• How to leap past 90% of applicants

Put yourself in your interviewer's shoes. Chance are, you are one of hundreds of applicants for this job. The interviewer is tired. They have limited time and energy to spend on each applicant. They probably won't read your resume before the interview.

What are they worried about? Themselves. Their status. How they look to others.

Specifically, they are worried about hiring an unqualified person and looking like a fool.

Your #1 job in the interview is to appear highly qualified for that job. And to do so quickly and clearly, because the interviewer does not have time to check if you really are qualified. I'm not saying you should lie. What you should do is make the truth clear. Your resume needs to highlight interesting facts from your life that make it obvious you would do well in this job.

So that brings us to the question: should you include programming projects in your resume?

Yes, if they clearly and quickly contribute to the picture that you are qualified for the position.

Do any of these people fit your situation? See if you can figure out whether personal projects will help each person.

Jill is a new graduate looking for her first job as a programmer. She has some work experience, but it's mostly helping people fix their websites. It's relevant, but she wants to show that she can code more sophisticated applications so she can work in the finance industry. Are personal Computer Science projects a good idea for Jill?

Yes! Jill has little work experience. Personal coding projects will show:

• She has the skills
• She has the motivation
• She can learn new things
• She has resolve to finish
• She has something interesting to talk about during the interview

The next question for Jill is what skill she would like to develop in the project. Then she'll need to choose a project. We'll talk about that in a later section.

For now, let's move on to Bill.

Bill has been working as a software tester for 5 years. He is familiar with software and wants to make the leap to programming for the better pay and more freedom. Will cool programming projects help him make the switch?

Yes! Bill has more experience than Jill, but it's in a different field. An interviewer might wonder whether Bill really was ready. How much training would he need? Personal projects on his resume can help answer that question.

Bill's next question should be to figure out how to translate the job listing he's targeting into skills he can demonstrate. We'll get to that.

But before we do, let's look and Colleen.

Colleen has been working in software for ten years on a successful product. She's now looking to change companies. She basically wants to continue to work in software. She knows the tech stack of her employer, but she's concerned that any new company will have a different stack. Should she do some programming projects to prove that she can learn new things?

No! As an experienced professional programmer, nothing she could do in her spare time would compare to the magnitude of working on the same software for ten years. She should focus on highlighting aspects of that software that could be interesting to an interviewer at her target company. Think about it: you work on an e-commerce system for ten years. How is a tiny blog engine you wrote one afternoon going to compare to that? It won't seem serious and it won't be worth talking about in the interview.

And what about that new tech stack? Read a book, try to set it up, and mention your opinions on it in the interview. Just to be clear, when I say tech stack , I'm talking about the combination of database, operating system, and other services that make up the software. Because they are combinations, there are millions of them. No two companies have exactly the same setup. Companies expect that it will take some time to learn, so if you don't know everything in the stack, that's okay.

Tech stack is one thing, but what about programming language? Or even programming language paradigm? Let's take a look at John.

John is a JavaScript programmer, but after a few years of professional experience, he's feeling like JavaScript is not for him. He's heard lots of exciting things about Clojure and Elm. They fit the way he thinks. He wants to apply for jobs where they use functional programming. Should John do some side CS projects?

Yes! Since he doesn't have professional experience in functional programming, a couple of coding projects showing he can make the paradigm shift will be helpful. Plus, knowing multiple languages will always put you above someone who only knows one.

I hope these examples made it easy to understand how to think about this. The main question is: will this help my interviewer see that I am the right person for this job? Just answer that question for yourself.

If you've determined that you need some personal projects, how do you go about choosing them? There is one more question you should ask before you start designing the project.

What skill should you use in your personal programming projects?

If you're making a career move, you should plan your personal projects with the career move in mind. So how do you do that? The first step is to read the job listing. The job listing often lists technical skills they are looking for. You probably won't be able to do all of them in your coding projects. Pick ones that can supplement your other experience.

When is the best time to work on personal programming projects?

Let me ask you this: when is the best time to learn to cook a new style of food? When you're hungry? For the important dinner with your boyfriend's parents? No.

The best time to learn to cook is when you're not hungry. When the meal is not that important. A lot can go wrong. But the risk is not the most important part of the equation.

Learning something new takes experimentation. It takes time. And it takes a certain amount of leisure. You can't get that leisure when you're under the pressure of an important deadline like a mealtime or because you really need the functionality.

So to answer the question: you should start your personal projects now. Don't wait until you desperately need a job. Take a good look at your career and start building projects that lead that way, on the side, starting now.

4 qualities of a good personal coding project

Remember, your interview er is looking for something to make you stand out. They want to find someone who is unlikely to embarrass them. Here are the things an interviewer is looking for.

• It uses a relevant skill
• It is complete
• It is interesting
• It is realistic

Let's go through these, shall we?

1. Relevance

This one is pretty obvious, so I put it first to get it out of the way.

The project should use skills that you will need on the job. You should highlight those skills. For instance, if the job says "SQL skills are required", mention that you use Postgres in your project. Did you have to do anything interesting? Did you use an obscure feature? Did you hand-roll your SQL? For a good reason? Put that in the resume.

Relevant is a key term. It doesn't have to be exactly the same skills. For instance, if they use Apache and you've used nginx, that's probably okay. They're both web servers. Just make sure you could justify the difference.

2. Complete

Starting lots of projects and never finishing them is a bad sign to interviewers. Why didn't you finish? Did you give up when it got tough? Are you disorganized? Do you lack focus? Those are the thoughts that are going to spring to the interviewer's mind. Don't put projects on your resume that don't have some kind of completeness.

Let me be clear: software is never done. But software does get deployed. Does your Twitter bot tweet? Does your weather app show the weather? Does your blog serve pages to the public internet? You're looking for something that shows that it works, it serves a purpose, and you didn't give up.

I've hired people in the past myself. The #1 problem I've encountered with bad employees is that they give up too soon. Sticking to it is especially important for programmers. There are many, many challenges in the life of a software project. Showing that you can carry on is really important. Plus, it can make for some interesting stories to talk about in your interview.

Your best bet for completing the project is to make it small . It's so important, we'll go over that soon.

3. Interesting

Remember that the interviewer is tired. They've looked at hundreds of resumes very similar to yours. They've talked to candidates just like you. They want something to help energize them and motivate them to talk to you about your projects. That's why you want to make them interesting.

There are a lot of ways your project could be interesting. One is if it gets really popular. "Developed a library used by 100,000 people". That would be a great line on the resume. Unfortunately, that's not likely to happen. Stay realistic.

Another way is for someone to lend credibility. "Rich Hickey and Jose Valím both personally reviewed the code and publicly praised the craftsmanship." That would be awesome! But also unrealistic.

Your best bet is to go with something whimsical . That will require some explanation, which we'll go over soon.

4. Realistic

Your interviewer wants to know that you can solve real world problems. It's all too easy to avoid problems when building a side project. You could avoid writing a GUI by making a terminal app. You can avoid using a database by writing to files. You can avoid making it fast because it's just one user.

Avoiding problems is a useful skill! But so is bravely facing them and overcoming them. Your interviewer might be impressed by your ability to sidestep issues, but they know their customer-facing application needs a GUI. They use a database. And it needs to be fast. Those features, or a list like it, might be non-negotiable. Have you dealt with those kinds of real-world constraints? Show the interviewer you're capable of facing real-world challenges by making your software realistic.

I think an example would help.

Let's say you build an application to catalogue your reptile pet collection. You start easy: it's just a web server you run locally that stores all of its data in-memory. How can you make this more realistic?

• Deploy it on the open web
• Use a database instead of in-memory storage
• Add a user management system
• Talk to a 3rd-party API

All of these things force you to face real-world issues. Luckily, these will also coincide with the skills you would like to showcase.

4 characteristics to bake into your personal projects to maximize success

I have a warning: it's easy to overcomplicate these things. Your goal is to present something finished and deployed. If you're trying to learn a new language, or you want to learn some new aspect of it, by all means work on a project. But don't make it something so vital that you can't afford to mess up. You will struggle and maybe wind up hating the language. The best thing to do is something small and whimsical.

Grand adventures start with a bold, but tiny, first step. Hello, World! Is a good first program for a reason. There's so much to learn at first. The build tool, the command to run it, input + output, so much! At the beginning, getting all of that settled is hard enough without dealing with bugs in your program.

Of course, you'll want something slightly bigger than Hello, World! on the command line. But think for a moment: what's the equivalent of Hello, World! for web apps? What's the equivalent for Twitter Bots? That's what you should build first. Deploying something small is much better than never deploying anything. You can always add to it later if you need to.

2. Whimsical

The most impressive early works of artists come out of a very free exploration of a medium. Sure, masters can make even ugly colors look beautiful. But let's face it. At the beginning, we're all bad at that. The reason Hello, World! Is so great is that it captures that frivolous spirit of the artist. What could be more unnecessary than a program that says "Hello"?

The whimsy is what lets you produce something, anything, even if it's worthless. Deploying something that works is better than a failed grand vision that doesn't do anything. Whimsy is what lets you change course when you realize your idea won't work. What's something silly that could work? Whimsy avoids boredom and dead ends. It dodges perfectionism and welcomes serendipity. And after the fact, nobody knows what you had planned to do before you started.

3. Familiar +1

Chances are, you're probably aspiring for a job just outside your skillset. You can use your projects to try out the new stuff you'll need for the job. If you still like it, you'll also have proof that you can work with the tech. However, what you don't want is to bite off more than you can chew. Seriously, build something you know how to build, with one extra thing you've never used.

What do I mean? If you are familiar with traditional web apps, build a web app, but in a new language. The familiar is the web app, the +1 is the new language. Or build a web app in a language you know, but with a new database. You don't want the project to fail because you hit too many roadblocks. Remember, you can always add more stuff later. Which brings me to ...

4. Expandable

The best place to be is to have a stable, working, deployed project that you can add features to whenever you want to learn a new skill. Maybe you've got a small blog engine that you can add user login to. Or a Re-frame frontend. Or a spellchecker. Or AI categorization. Each of those features is digestible on the weekend. But if you tried to do them all at once, you'd probably never finish. Build your project in pieces. But first, your main goal is to get something small and basic working and deployed.

Okay! With that out of the way, here are ten projects you can keep small and probably do over a weekend. But each can then be a platform for adding to later, if needed. I've also included the skills that each project demonstrates and some possibilities for expansion. Keep in mind that you have a choice for the platform these run on. For instance, your weather app could be a mobile app or a web app.

This is a classic exercise from the early days of the we b. Serve pages out of a database based on the URL.

• Skills: Database, HTTP server, HTML
• Expansion: User login, frontend editing, build an API, search, link analysis

2. Twitter Bot

Build a program that submits new status messages to Twitter.

• Skills: API access (including OAuth), error handling
• Expansion: Generate Markov statuses, use a database of pre-written tweets, timing, respond to other users' messages

3. Weather App

Use the Forecast.io api to display the weather near you.

• Skills: API access
• Expansion: User can interact with weather over time, notify you of bad weather

4. GitHub Notifier

Listen for events from GitHub and notify you.

• Skills: HTTP server (for post hooks)
• Expansion: Rules engine for deciding when to notify you, GUI, database for history

5. TODO App

The classic app keeps track of a list of items and their status.

• Skills: UI work
• Expansion: Backend (api design), database, social sharing, real-time collaboration

6. Twilio Bot

Twilio is an API for text messages and phone calls. Make a bot you can call that will tell a joke.

• Expansion: Connect it to TODO list, Connect to GitHub Notifier, Connect to Weather App

7. Meme generator

Basically, put text onto an image!

• Skills: Graphics, file IO
• Expansion: Preview, submission to social networks, GUI

8. RSS aggregator

Poll RSS feeds for new articles and make a new feed that combines them.

• Skills: XML, database
• Expansion: Frontend (add new feeds, list of article titles), filtering, saving for later, share buttons

9. Food log

Keep track of everything you eat with a simple submission form.

• Skills: Database
• Expansion: Show trends, search, filter by date, database of known foods, calorie counting

10. Google Map

Make a website that shows places on a Google Map.

• Skills: JavaScript interop
• Expansion: UI to add/remove places, database for saving places

These are just some projects doable in a weekend. Remember to keep them small and whimsical. If you're serious about your functional career, you're going to do better with some support. Sign up for PurelyFunctional.tv and you'll get step-by-step lessons teaching you the skills you need to build real projects to prove you can ship with Functional Programming.

Many people give up on side projects because of lack of time. The reason? They don't manage their time well. Here are some things to maximize your success.

Carve out one 3-hour block on the weekend. Ask your significant other for uninterrupted time. Make sure the kids can't distract you. Leave the house if you have to. The goal is to feel like you've got the mental space to focus 100% on it and achieve success in those 3 hours.

**Plan out a small, achievable goal for those 3 hours. **During the week, make notes about what you plan to achieve. It needs to be small. You want those three hours to result in something tangible, however insignificant it may seem.

For example, your goal may be to start with the Luminus template and deploy it to the web unmodified using a build pipeline. That may seem insignificant, but many issues can pop up. I've gotten stuck with lost passwords to Heroku, a spotty internet connection, and a typo in a config file. You can waste an hour just on those things. You want the margin of error so you are guaranteed to succeed.

Plan out some small extras you can add if you have time. If you don't finish these, it's okay. It's still a success. But you want to be able to play with your project once you've achieved your objective.

Use the time during the week to guarantee success. It may seem like you don't have time, but you probably do have a few minutes here and there. I'm not saying act frantically and non-stop. We need rest and breaks. What I am saying is if y ou're thinking about your weekend project, you should be focusing on success. Don't dream up all the features you could possibly have. I've done that and it only stresses me out that I'll never finish. Instead, use your time to make your project easier and smaller.

Can you eliminate a risky piece of the puzzle? Do it. Can you double check your Heroku credentials ahead of time? Do you have the tools you need installed? Those things will keep the project front of mind and maximize those three hours you've got blocked off.

Remember: the goal is to have a basic platform for adding features to. You'd be surprised how much you can add to a basic, working product. Once you've got the basic platform working and solid, adding a new feature can be as simple as pulling out your laptop and experimenting. If it works, commit it. Otherwise, oh well! The hardest part is getting all the tools set up.

Okay, once you've got something to show, you've got to present it to the world. I like to host my code on GitHub.

GitHub README

And one great thing about GitHub is that it shows the README file front-and-center when you load the repo. That means you can leverage the README to showcase what makes your project special.

Here's the minimum the README should contain:

• What does the project do?
• Who is the project for?
• Why is it different?
• How do I use it? (installation instructions)
• How does it work?

Code quality

If you expect someone to read your code, make sure that it's well-formatted and readable. Spend some time renaming functions and consider the reader. What will help them navigate? Where should they start?

In the resume

If you're putting it in your resume, make a new section for Personal Projects. List them similar to how you list your jobs and education. You want one sentence for what it does, a line of technologies that are relevant to the job, and one interesting tidbit. I also like to include a "what I learned" se ntence that lets me highlight me as someone who learns from experience.

For example, here's what I would write for my blog engine I wrote about 7 years ago:

Tiberius - Personal static blog engine Python, Pandoc, Markdown, S3 - 100-line Python script to publish a blog - an exercise in the power of simplicity Taught me to appreciate constraints. Robustness comes from eliminating the unnecessary.

The Personal Projects section needs to go in your resume where it makes the most sense. The most important section should be at the top. If you want to highlight your professional experience, put that at the top. If you want to show your academic achievements, that goes first. But if you think academic and professional are less relevant than your personal projects, move the personal projects to the top.

Computer Science Resume [2024] - Guide & Examples

As a computer scientist, you probably have a lot of skills and qualifications to your name. 

On the downside, this can make writing a computer science resume even more complicated. 

We get it. The more things you have to include on your resume, the more of a mess it can become. 

But, actually, it doesn’t have to be so hard – or so cluttered. 

To help you write a flawless computer science resume, we’ve put together a complete guide, including the following sections:

• Computer Science Resume Example
• Step-by-Step Guide to Write Your Computer Science Resume
• 24 Skills to Put On Your Computer Science Resume

So let’s cut down to the chase!

Computer Science Resume

Here’s what makes this computer science resume such a prime example to follow:

• It uses the reverse-chronological format. The reverse-chronological format is one of the most popular resume formats in the world.
• Provides relevant and complete contact information . Recruiters will have no difficulty getting in touch with this applicant.
• Short and sweet resume summary . The summary does a great job of highlighting the applicant's experience and ambitions.
• Includes a thorough list of relevant skills. This computer science resume includes both hard and soft skills that recruiters would be looking for in a candidate.
• Achievements-oriented work experience section. This computer science resume example focuses on achievements, setting the candidate apart from other applicants.
• Short education section. As someone with plenty of work experience, this candidate keeps their education information short.
• Additional sections. This application includes additional sections such as volunteer experience and interests, which can help set the candidate apart from other applicants with similar skills and work experience.

Applying for a specific position in the computer science field? Check out more of our resume examples here:

• Software Engineer Resume
• Web Developer Resume
• Java Developer Resume
• Artificial Intelligence Engineer Resume
• Data Scientist Resume
• Data Analyst Resume
• Engineering Resume
• Data Entry Resume

How to Write a Computer Science Resume

Now that you’ve seen what a great computer science resume looks like, let’s go through all of the steps and tips to help you write one that’s just as good!

#1. Format Your Resume the Right Way

The very first thing the recruiter will notice is the resume format. 

We recommend you use the chronological format . This format lists your work experience in reverse-chronological order. This means your most recent job comes at the top of your work experience section.

Most importantly, this is the most popular format among recruiters and HR managers worldwide, so you can be sure you’re on the safe side using it. 

Here’s what the reverse-chronological resume looks like:

The other two resume formats include: 

• The functional . This is also known as the skills-based resume. This format focuses more on your skills rather than your work experience and it’s recommended for recent graduates with little to no experience to show for.  
• The combination format. This is sometimes called the hybrid format and puts equal focus on both skills and work experience. 

Once you’ve dealt with the formatting part of your computer science resume, it’s time to get to the layout and style. 

Specifically, this involves: 

• Keep it under one page. Unless you’re a professional with 10+ years of experience, or you’re applying for a job in academia, your resume shouldn’t be longer than one page. Keep in mind, recruiters receive hundreds of applications a day and don’t have time to read long resumes. A 1-page resume consisting of your skills and work experience is more than enough. 
• Use straightforward headers . Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to look for the headings in your resume. Writing “previous work” instead of “work history” can lead to your resume being overlooked.
• Use a catchy font that stands out. For example,  Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass are interesting enough to catch the recruiter’s attention while still maintaining a professional look. 
• Save your resume in PDF format. Unless specifically directed otherwise, make sure to save your resume as a PDF file. That way, you can be sure recruiters will be able to open and read it by any device and OS. 

For more information, check out our guide on resume formatting and layout . 

Use a Resume Template

Writing, designing, AND formatting a resume can take a lot of time and work. In fact, creating a really effective resume from scratch can take hours of your precious time. 

Why go through all of that, when you can use one of Novoresume’s free, plug and play resume templates ?

Our templates were created in collaboration with a team of professional recruiters. They are designed to be eye-catching, easy to read, and easily scannable by applicant tracking software. 

See for yourself how good our resumes look compared to the standard black and whites ones:

#2. Include the Right Contact Details

Though the contact information section seems like an easy, straightforward section, you shouldn’t undermine it.  

It is super important to get this part right, with no mistakes or typos (for obvious reasons). 

First, you want to make sure the recruiters can actually get in touch with you should they want to bring you in for an interview. And second, you don’t want to look sloppy. 

Other than that, structuring this section is very easy. All you need to include are:

• Phone number
• Social profiles such as Dribble or GitHub
• Location (city and state/country)

Jane Holland

Software Developer

202-918-2132 

[email protected]

github.com/novoresume 

Boston, Massachusetts 

#3. Write a Memorable Resume Summary/Objective

Your resume summary or objective can make a big difference in your computer science resume, as It’s the perfect opportunity to give recruiters a snapshot of your professional history or goals and show them you’re a relevant candidate from the get-go.

But which one should you use for a better impact? Well, that depends entirely on your work experience. 

A resume objective is better if you are applying for an entry-level position and don’t yet have too much experience to talk about. Instead, you can focus on what you, as the job seeker, are looking for and can show the recruiter how goal-oriented and ambitious you are. 

Seeking challenging work opportunities that allow me to continue learning and developing as a computer scientist alongside a team of some of the best professionals in the field. 

A resume summary , on the other hand, is better for more experienced applicants and it aims to provide hiring professionals with a quick overview of your qualifications and work history. 

Software Engineer with 11+ years in the industry. Experienced in leading large teams, and working with professionals from a variety of disciplines. Developed a work tracking software tool that increased productivity by 44%.  

#4. Describe Your Computer Science Experience

Unless you have no professional experience whatsoever, work experience is a must on any resume . This can be especially true in highly technical fields like computer science where you never really stop learning or developing throughout your career. 

To properly format your work experience:

• List the work entries in reverse chronological order. 
• Include your title, the company name, and location, and the years attended.
• Add 3-5 achievements and responsibilities underneath each work entry (with fewer bullet points for older jobs).

Now, simply formatting this section the right way isn’t enough. 

Your computer science work experience should set you apart from other candidates, which is why we recommend that (whenever it’s possible) you should prioritize your achievements over your work responsibilities . 

Think about it - the recruiter already has a solid idea of what a computer scientist’s work responsibilities are. 

Write and program software…

Improve interaction between people and computers…

So, what they’re really looking to find out is exactly how YOU excelled at the job. 

Another thing to remember when listing out your responsibilities is to make them as quantifiable as possible . 

After all, it’s one thing to say you did something and another thing completely to prove it. 

Look at the two examples below:

• Led a team of 5 software developers from the conceptualization all the way through to the launch of new financial management software that raised company profits by 25% in one year. 
• Increased company profits with my team.

The first example shows the candidate has leadership abilities, as well as describes the actions taken, a timeframe, and results. 

In the second example, on the other hand, the candidate might have done that and more, and the recruiter will never know.

Use Laszlo Bock’s formula to easily quantify your achievements. It basically is “accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]”. 

What If I Don’t Have Work Experience?

Though work experience is a huge plus on a computer science resume, no one is born with work experience, unfortunately. This means that those of you who are recent graduates likely have nothing to add to this section. 

So what do you do?

The good news is, recruiters don’t expect students or recent graduates to have any work experience. Instead, they want to learn more about your skills, such as programming, mathematics, critical thinking, or teamwork. 

Alternatively, you can create a portfolio to include all these skills in one place. Your computer science portfolio can consist of: 

• Academic projects 
• Personal engineering projects (e.g. games you’ve designed for fun) 
• Online contests
• Any freelance work

To learn more, check out our guide on writing a resume when you don’t have any work experience . 

#5. List Your Education

The education section is as important as ever and, as such, it should be included on your computer science resume. However, compared to the work experience and skills sections, it doesn’t need as much space or attention. 

All you really need to do is provide information about:

• Your degree 
• Name and location of your university 
• Years you attended 

Check out our example for a simple guide:

BSc in Computer Science

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 

08/2011 -  05/2015

Feel free to add any academic achievements or extracurricular activities in bullet points in this section, to add value to your resume (especially if you have just recently graduated and have no work experience whatsoever). 

#6. Write Relevant Skills

As we mentioned before, the skills section is one of the most important parts of your computer science resume, especially if you are applying for an entry-level position and don’t have much work experience yet. 

In fact, a 15 to 20-word skills section has been shown to improve an applicant's chances of getting hired . 

However, don’t make the mistake of listing all the skills you can think of. That will just crown your resume with unnecessary information and make it look sloppy. 

Instead, you should list industry-relevant skills and specifically, those required by the position (if you have them, that is). 

So, make sure to check the job ad and see whether any of the required skills match yours, and definitely include them in your skills section. 

24 Computer Science Skills to Put On Your Resume

Hard skills for computer science resume.

• Mathematics
• Problem-solving
• Experimentation
• Computer and technology knowledge
• Programming languages
• Technical writing
• Software development
• Computer hardware engineering
• Data analysis
• Information systems management
• Linear algebra
• Discrete mathematics

Soft Skills for Computer Science Resume

• Attention to detail
• Teamwork & cooperation
• Organization
• Communication
• Training and teaching
• Time management

#7. Use These Additional Sections

When it comes to a computer science resume, there’s no doubt that the work experience, skills, and education sections are the most important (usually in that order). However, additional sections can also bring a lot of value to your resume . 

If you have little to no work experience, they can be a great way to add more meat to your resume.

On the other hand, if you’re a seasoned professional, they can help you stand out from other applicants with similar skills and experience.  

So what sections should you add to your computer science resume?

• Awards & certifications: There’s a lot of competition these days in programming and computer science. One way to prove to recruiters that you’re ahead of the other applicants is by showing what awards and certifications you’ve received. 
• Projects: Another great way to tell recruiters you’re not just another applicant with a generic resume is to show them the most interesting projects you’ve worked on. This doesn’t necessarily have to be work projects, but can be school assignments or personal projects you’ve worked on. 
• Hobbies & Interests: Though this section isn’t the most important, it can still provide super useful insight to recruiters. For example, if you list designing your own games, they will know that you are really passionate about programming and even spend your downtime honing your skills. 

Awards & Certifications

• Outstanding Contribution Certificate, 2020
• Computer Entrepreneur Award, 2019
• Seymour Cray Computer Engineering Award, 2017: for the most creative and innovative contribution to high-performance computing. 
• Worked with a team of three programmers to create an e-Authentification system using a combination of QR code and OTP. 
• Designed and built a website for the final project at MIT.

Hobbies & Interests

• Puzzle-based video games
• Designing and programming mobile games
• Hiking and mountain climbing

#8. Attach a Cover Letter to Your Resume

While there are a few career coaches and hiring professionals who might disagree, we (along with most other professionals) always recommend that you attach a cover letter to your resume. 

The majority of recruiters expect a cover letter and will not take your application seriously without one. Besides, writing a cover letter gives you the opportunity to explain anything you couldn’t on your resume (like gaps between jobs).  

A cover letter should include the following components:

• Header - This section should list your contact information, along with the contact information of the hiring manager you are addressing. 
• Greeting the hiring manager - Add a personal touch by researching the recruiter’s name (usually be the head of whichever department you are applying to). Showing you’ve gone the extra mile will set you apart from candidates who include a generic “Dear Sir/Madam” greeting.
• Opening paragraph - Here you really want to grab the hiring manager’s attention and impress them with your top 2-3 achievements. 
• Body - You should convince the recruiter that you’re the perfect candidate for the job. Explain exactly what sets you apart from other applicants and what makes you a good fit for their company culture. You can also use this to say anything you couldn’t in your resume (e.g. explain a career gap).  
• Closing - You want to leave a lasting impression with the closing paragraph. Make it memorable so the hiring manager won’t forget you by including a call to action (e.g. it’d be great to discuss this more in-depth in an interview). 

For more tips on how to write a great cover letter, make sure to check out our complete guide . 

Key Takeaways

Now you’re finally ready to start writing your computer science resume and advance in your career. 

Just remember the steps and tips we gave you to help you along the way:

• Use the right resume format - we recommend the reverse-chronological format.
• Enter your contact details carefully - make sure the recruiters can contact you and you don’t look sloppy. 
• Include an effective resume summary or objective - help the hiring professionals get a better picture of who you are and what to expect. 
• Focus on your computer science experience - put more emphasis on experience and accomplishments rather than responsibilities. 
• List your education - make sure to add the relevant educational background. 
• Include relevant skills - list only the skills that are relevant to the position you are applying for. 
• Include additional sections when relevant - when appropriate, add sections that can add value to your resume, especially when you don’t have much experience. 
• Attach a cover letter - don’t forget to include an impactful letter that will set you apart from other applicants. 

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• Resume Examples
• Computer Science (CS) Resume Example (Template & Guide)

Computer Science (CS) Resume Example (Template & Guide)

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You’ve just got your computer science degree. Congratulations! You must feel on top of the world now! And rightly so—it’s one of the most sought-after degrees.

Now, the only thing keeping you from starting a career is finding a job offer that matches your expectations. Once you find it, send out your computer science resume and wait for an answer.Wait, what? Your computer science resume isn’t ready yet? What are you waiting for? Just follow this guide and your computer science resume will be ready in no time.

In this article, you’ll find:

• A computer science resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a computer science resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a computer science resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a computer science specialist to get any job you want.

Here's a sample resume for a computer science professional made using our resume builder. 

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here .

Sample Computer Science Resume— See more resume examples here .

OK, computer science whiz kid! Are you perhaps targeting a specific position in computer and information technology? Read:

• Computer Science Internship Resume
• Engineering Internship Resume
• Software Engineering Internship Resume
• Engineering Resume
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• Programmer Resume
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• Junior Java Developer Resume
• DevOps Resume
• Informatica Resume
• Agile Project Manager Resume
• Entry Level Software Engineer Resume
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• System Administrator Resume
• Data Scientist Resume
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• Web Designer Resume
• WordPress Developer Resume
• UX Designer & UI Developer Resume
• UX Researcher Resume
• Network Engineer Resume
• Computer Technician Resume
• Computer Engineering Resume
• QA Tester Resume
• SDET Resume
• Cyber Security Resume
• More Example Resumes for 500+ Jobs

Computer Science Resume Example

Skylar Xavier

Computer Science Specialist

123-456-7890

[email protected]

linkedin.com/in/skylar.xavier

Innovative and solution-oriented computer scientist with over 5 years of experience. Seeking to help CodeCraft Computing increase the efficiency of its applications by leveraging strong technical expertise. Increased code efficiency of web applications at TechSphere Innovations, leading to a 30% reduction in page loading time.

Data Analyst

TechSphere Innovations, Dallas, TX

June 2016–July 2023

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

• Improved processing time by 20% by implementing new algorithms.
• Developed and maintained databases for data entry procedures and updates.
• Worked collaboratively with the IT department to ensure stable system operations.
• Turned data into visual reports to assist decision-making.

Key Achievement:

• Improved code efficiency of web applications resulted in a 30% decrease in page loading time.

Software Developer Intern

ByteMinds Solutions, Dallas, TX

May 2015–May 2016

• Assisted in the design and development of user interfaces.
• Conducted beta testing and on-site debugging.
• Documented bugs encountered during development and how to replicate them.
• Developed a code that sped up the analysis process by 25%.

Bachelor of Computer Science

University of Texas, Dallas, TX

August 2011–May 2015

Relevant extracurricular activities

• Active member of the Computer Science Club.
• Participated in Hackathon 2014.

Academic achievements

• Graduated with Cum Laude.
• Python, Java, C++
• Machine Learning
• Data Visualization & Reporting
• Agile & Scrum
• Problem-solving
• Strong communication skills

Certifications

• Certified Data Scientist, Data Science Council of America, 2020
• Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer, Oracle University, 2018
• English—Native
• Spanish—Fluent
• Keeping up to date with the latest advancements in technology.
• Participating in coding competitions.

Use a Good Format for Your Resume

Computer scientists solve problems using technology. In fact, the term computer science can refer to software and web engineering, networking, or graphics among others. For maximum impact, your computer science resume must be tailored to a specific job offer.

The average recruiter spends only seven seconds  looking at a resume, according to our HR statistics report.

That means you’ve got to make your resume jump out.

A good computer science resume will stand out like it’s made of neon, but it won’t look needy. How can you complete this Thor-like task?

Your first and biggest friend is format.

There are 3 types of resumes you can use:

• (Reverse)  Chronological Resume
• Functional Resume (aka Skills-Based Resume )
• Combination Resume  (aka Hybrid Resume )

In general, your best bet is the reverse-chronological resume format.

Because it shows your best points first.

Make good use of white space, legible fonts, and clear, stand-out headings.

Save your resume document using a PDF format . A PDF preserves the formatting. Make sure the company accepts PDF resumes. Some don’t. And take care using LaTeX resume templates too. They can often be more trouble than they're worth.

Pro Tip: Say more with less. A Google recruiter said over half the computer resumes he saw used two pages. Try and use one page only.

For an in-depth look at other resume formats, see our guide: " 3 Resume Formats: How to Choose the Best One " and " Best Resume Templates "

Write a Compelling Resume Objective  or  Summary

Which will make the hiring manager realize she is dealing with a future Bill Gates? A resume summary or a resume objective?

Do you know the difference?

A resume summary is for those with oodles of experience.

A resume objective belongs in an entry-level computer science resume. It also works for applicants who are changing careers or computer science students.

Let’s look at each in turn.

Computer Science Resume Summary

Here’s a computer science resume example summary. Note the focus on experience.

Computer Science Resume Objective

Here’s a sample resume objective from a computer science major resume. It’s for those with no experience, or people changing careers. It’s engineered to stretch out those six precious seconds of coveted eye-time.

The first example makes the job seeker's computer science college resume stand out like Mark Zuckerberg at a NASCAR rally.

The second makes it look like all the rest.

Pro Tip: Center your computer science resume objective around the benefit you hope to provide to the employer. “I’m looking for a job” can’t hold a candle to, “I want to double your efficiency.”

To nail your computer science resume objective or summary, read our guides: " How To Write A Resume Summary: 21 Best Examples You Will See " AND " The Only Way to Use Resume Objectives [20+ Examples & Tips] "

Describe Your Computer Science Experience

“Wow. We’ve got a live one here.”

The experience section in your computer science resume template should get that response.

Start with your most recent job first. List up to six responsibilities and achievements.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Tailor your bullet points to fit the job description. To become a Jedi at this, brainstorm all your past achievements. Make a spreadsheet with fifty things you’ve done for work.

Next, read the job description carefully. From your spreadsheet, pull the most impressive items that fit best. You need to describe how is your previous experience relevant to this role .

Consider a job opening that values SQL and leadership skills .

Work Experience Section Samples

Above, the first computer science resume sample section zeroes in on leadership and SQL.

The second misses the target like a storm trooper.

What if You Don’t Have Experience?

The good news is, everybody has experience. We just need to find it.

Dig deep into computer science tasks you’ve performed at non-computer science jobs. Think about projects you worked on in college or even high school.  Relevant courses , and internships on a resume look great, too.

If you still hear echoes when you try to brainstorm your experience, go get that experience. Sound like a catch-22? It’s not.

Almost anyone can get some quick work experience to fill a computer science student resume.

Consider the following short-term work sources:

• Freelance on job sites that offer short-term, piecemeal work. The pay might not be stellar, but you’ll collect some street cred.
• Chip into open source projects. A little work on Github can rack up experience employers can validate with ease.
• Create your own projects to build a personal portfolio.
• Apply for a part-time computer science internship at a big-name company. Even a small position with few hours can make a resume pop like a praxis effect.

Computer Science Student Resume with No Experience

Start your inexperienced or undergraduate computer science resume projects section with college moonlighting. You did the jobs below for fun or for free, but they still count as experience.

Working on small projects and then including them in your computer science resume sample can help you grab the recruiter’s attention, even if you’re not exactly Elon Musk yet.

Pro Tip: When picking projects to work on, think of your career goals. An entry-level computer science resume with small, focused projects can teleport you in the right direction.

To make your professional computer science resume glitter, use action words. Need some? Here they are: " 80 Examples of Resume Action Words for Every Profession "

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check . Start building a  professional resume template here for free .

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

List Your Education

Everybody knows real world experience matters more than education in computer science.

Recruiters yawn at education, so you should too.

Well, just a second.

Yes, education can be boring. If you let it. It’s true hiring managers don’t care as much about a school’s name or status in computer science as they do in other fields.

But we’re not asking how to make a boring resume. We’re asking how to make an awesome computer science resume like Tony Stark’s.

So, take some time. Brainstorm what you did in school that might turn heads. Make a long list. Even something you forgot about three years ago might dazzle an employer.

• Degree Type  and graduation date (or expected graduation date )
• University and Location
• Honors , Awards, and Other Academic Achievements (and even GPA if high enough)

Computer Science Education Section Examples

The example below shows how a computer science engineering student can look like a proto Dennis Ritchie.

How to Beef Up a Weak Computer Science Resume with Education Mastery

So you’ve finished your computer science undergraduate resume. It takes up about one fifth of the page. The rest is blank.

Feeling a little like Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory’s “Desperation Emanation” episode?

Put that resume on steroids with a hard look at your education section.

To GPA or not to GPA?

Should you put your GPA on an entry-level computer science resume or leave it off?

Some experts recommend leaving off the GPA unless it’s 3.7 or above. Others call that a hint to the recruiter that your GPA is 1.1.

We say, it depends. Learn as much as you can about the job offer and the employer. From your findings, are they the kind of company that wants to see your GPA?

Base your decision on the individual job opening, not a cookie-cutter rule.

Tout Your Favorite Classes

Want to catch the recruiter’s attention? Don’t have enough experience?

Add a couple favorite classes. Add courses you excelled in. Add subjects you’re passionate about. This step can make you stand out in a sea of grey-faced applicants.

We want your entry-level IT resume to make you look like Peter Parker. Not Biff Tannen.

Pro Tip: Don’t ignore the things you did in high school. Especially if you lack experience, high school achievements can show you do more than the bare minimum.

The simple tip of adding high school education kudos can make even a freshman computer scientist resume shine.

Need more examples to help you write the best resume education section possible? See our guide: " How to Put Your Education on a Resume [Tips & Examples] "

Put the Right Skills on a Computer Science Resume

Skills. They’re everything to that overworked computer science hiring manager. Aren’t they?

You’d be surprised.

Yes, the hiring manager wants to see your list of skills. But do they make you different than applicants #2 through #1138?

What a recruiter really wants to know is, can you walk the talk? Can you use those skills you list?

Further, does your arm-long list of skills dovetail with the job opening?

Build your comprehensive list of professional computer science resume skills in a spreadsheet. In your resume, add the ones that fit this job description .

Then, back those important-to-this-job skills up elsewhere in the resume. Put one as a favorite class in the education section. Link others to achievements and responsibilities under “experience.”

Sample Skills Section

Important skills to list on a computer science resume.

Why should you worry about adding computer science resume keywords ?

A recruiter will use software to sift through resumes in search of keywords.

Find the keywords your recruiter searches for by digging for them in the job description.

Below is a computer skills list you can add to computer science resume. Be sure to include a good mix of technical skills and soft skills.

What to Put on a Computer Science Resume?

Want to find more computer science skills to list? Look on jobs boards and LinkedIn. Search job offers there to see the skill keywords valued by employers.

Pro Tip: Differentiate yourself. In your skills section, list the common skills that every computer science hire needs. But add something no one has to catch the eye... and highlight it in your resume's skills summary .

Need more advice on how to add skills to your computer science resume? See this guide: " 30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume (Proven Tips) "

And for programming skills in particular, see this guide: " How to List Programming Skills on Your Resume " and " How to List Programming Projects on a Resume "

Add Other Sections for Greatest Impact

Want to look exactly like every other applicant?

Then cut and paste from sample computer science resumes on the web. Use the sample resumes to get ideas, but make your computer science resume unique.

To stand out, add separate sections for hobbies, awards, certifications, passions, or publications.

Show something about yourself that makes the hiring manager slow down.

Have you attended a hackathon? If not, can you? Have you published articles about computer science? Attended conferences?

Put these things in special resume sections to add a little spice.

Examples of Additional Sections

Below is a section from a computer science intern resume sample. 

Suggested "Extra" Resume Sections

Computer science pros love to tinker. That shows interest and looks great on a resume. The following sections can create a good container for your past successes:

Projects  - In a resume projects section, put independent work like video games you’ve developed, sites you’ve worked on, or apps you’ve developed. They are a great idea for less experienced candidates.

Activities - An activities section is a great place for job seekers who attend hackathons or belong to clubs to showcase their interests.

Don’t have enough details to fill two different sections? Combine them into a Projects/Activities section.

Pro Tip: Almost everyone has something about them that makes them glitter. If you don’t, add some shine by contributing to a blog, attending a conference, or participating in a hackathon.

Need some brainstorming examples while you write your computer science resume template? See our guide: " 20 Best Examples of Hobbies & Interests To Put on a Resume (5 Tips) "

Do Write a Computer Science Cover Letter

“No one uses cover letters anymore.”

Now let’s explode that. Pow! Imagine the Mythbusters guys firing an exploding chicken at it.

Cover letters are still “literally a thing.” Without one, 45% of all recruiters will chuck your beautiful computer science resume into the phantom zone.

So, now that we know we need a cover letter, how do we write the one that gets the hiring manager interested in your resume?

Here’s the hack: Learn.

Learn everything you can about the company, about the hiring manager, about the job offer. Custom-fit your resume to match that info.

Then, whether you’re an old pro or you’re writing a computer science internship cover letter , make it an at-a-glance version of how well you fit the job.

Your Cover Letter is the Icing on Your Resume Cake

A cover letter for a computer science resume should show you’re sharp, creative, brilliant, and you have the skills.

So how do you make your cover letter do those things? You come right out and say them, right?

Dead wrong.

Tooting your own horns falls on deaf ears. You need to show  you are those things. Pick past achievements, experience, responsibilities, and passions. Choose projects you worked on and things you did in school.

In other words, stuff that cover letter with a highlights-reel-type list of info. Doing that will make you glow like you went swimming in a vat of yellowcake uranium.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here.  Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Want to blow that computer science cover letter out of the water? Use this guide: Computer Science Cover Letter: Examples and Tips

Or see our general cover letter writing 101: Cover Letter Writing [Complete Guide with Examples]

Key Takeaway

Even with sample computer science resumes at your fingertips, making your own good version isn’t easy. Use the hacks below to pass the gate guards.

• Be sure to make your computer science resume eye-friendly and beef up your experience section. A computer science resume with no experience is a one-way ticket to the pit of despair.
• You want to join them, so make them need you. Touch it up with action verbs and impressive achievements to wow them. Paint the best picture of yourself.
• Be sure to tailor everything to the job description. If you can do all that, you're well on your way to landing a job.

Do you have any questions on what a resume should look like ? Can we help you write the best computer science student resume? Give us a shout in the comments section!

About Zety’s Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines . We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

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16 Data Science Projects with Source Code to Strengthen your Resume

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For the original article click here. 

Tried to build some data science projects to improve your resume and got intimidated by the size of the code and the number of concepts used? Does it feel too out of reach, and did it crush your dreams of becoming a data scientist? We have collected for you sixteen data science projects with source code so you can actually participate in the real-time projects of data science. These will help boost confidence and also tell the interviewer that you’re serious about data science.

Do you know?

Finding a perfect idea for your project is something that concerns you more than implementing the project itself, isn’t it? So keeping the same in mind, we have compiled a list of over 500+ project ideas just for you. All you have to do is bookmark this article and get started.

• Python Projects
• Python Django (Web Development) Projects
• Python Game Development Projects
• Python Artificial Intelligence Projects
• Python Machine Learning Projects
• Python Data Science Projects
• Python Deep Learning Projects
• Python Computer Vision Projects
• Python Internet of Things Projects

In this blog, we will list out different data science project examples in the languages R and Python. Let’s separate these on the basis of difficulty so you have a proper path to follow.

Top Data Science Project Ideas

Here are the best data science project ideas with source code:

1. Beginner Data Science Projects

1.1 fake news detection.

Drive your career to new heights by working on Data Science Project for Beginners  –  Detecting Fake News with Python

A king of yellow journalism, fake news is false information and hoaxes spread through social media and other online media to achieve a political agenda. In this data science project idea, we will use Python to build a model that can accurately detect whether a piece of news is real or fake. We’ll build a TfidfVectorizer and use a PassiveAggressiveClassifier to classify news into “Real” and “Fake”. We’ll be using a dataset of shape 7796×4 and execute everything in Jupyter Lab.

Language:  Python

Dataset/Package:  news.csv

1.2 Road Lane Line Detection

Check the complete implementation of Lane Line Detection Data Science Project:  Real-time Lane Line Detection in Python

Data Science Project Idea:  The lines drawn on the roads guide human drivers where the lanes are. It also refers to the direction to steer the vehicle. This application is cardinal for developing driverless cars.

You can build an application having the ability to identify track lines from input images or continuous video frames.

1.3 Sentiment Analysis

Check the complete implementation of Data Science Project with Source Code –  Sentiment Analysis Project in R

Sentiment analysis is the act of analyzing words to determine sentiments and opinions that may be positive or negative in polarity. This is a type of classification where the classes may be binary (positive and negative) or multiple (happy, angry, sad, disgusted,..). We’ll implement this data science project in the language R and use the dataset by the ‘janeaustenR’ package. We will use general-purpose lexicons like AFINN, bing, and loughran, perform an inner join, and in the end, we’ll build a word cloud to display the result.

Language:  R

Dataset/Package:  janeaustenR

1.4 Detecting Parkinson’s Disease

Put your best foot forward by working on Data Science Project Idea –  Detecting Parkinson’s Disease with XGBoost

We have started using data science to improve healthcare and services – if we can predict a disease early, it has many advantages on the prognosis. So in this data science project idea, we will learn to detect Parkinson’s Disease with Python. This is a neurodegenerative, progressive disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement and causes tremors and stiffness. This affects dopamine-producing neurons in the brain and every year, it affects more than 1 million individuals in India.

Language:  Python

Dataset/Package:  UCI ML Parkinsons dataset

1.5 Color Detection with Python

Build an application to detect colors with Beginner Data Science Project –  Color Detection with OpenCV

How many times has it occurred to you that even after seeing, you don’t remember the name of the color? There can be 16 million colors based on the different RGB color values but we only remember a few. So in this project, we are going to build an interactive app that will detect the selected color from any image. To implement this we will need a labeled data of all the known colors then we will calculate which color resembles the most with the selected color value.

Dataset:  Codebrainz Color Names

1.6 Brain Tumor Detection with Data Science

Data Science Project Idea:  There are many famous deep learning projects on MRI scan dataset. One of them is Brain Tumor detection. You can use transfer learning on these MRI scans to get the required features for classification. Or you can train your own convolution neural network from scratch to detect brain tumors.

Dataset:  Brain MRI Image Dataset

1.7 Leaf Disease Detection

Data Science Project Idea:  Disease detection in plants plays a very important role in the field of agriculture. This Data Science project aims to provide an image-based automatic inspection interface. It involves the use of self designed image processing and deep learning techniques. It will categorize plant leaves as healthy or infected.

Dataset:  Leaf Dataset

2. Intermediate Data Science Projects

2.1 speech emotion recognition.

Explore the complete implementation of Data Science Project Example  –  Speech Emotion Recognition with Librosa

Let’s learn to use different libraries now. This data science project uses librosa to perform Speech Emotion Recognition. SER is the process of trying to recognize human emotion and affective states from speech. Since we use tone and pitch to express emotion through voice, SER is possible; but it is tough because emotions are subjective and annotating audio is challenging. We’ll use the mfcc, chroma, and mel features and use the RAVDESS dataset to recognize emotion on. We’ll build an MLPClassifier for the model.

Dataset/Package:  RAVDESS dataset

2.2 Gender and Age Detection with Data Science

Put the pedal to the metal & impress recruiters with ultimate Data Science Project –  Gender and Age Detection with OpenCV

This is an interesting data science project with Python. Using just one image, you’ll learn to predict the gender and age range of an individual. In this, we introduce you to Computer Vision and its principles. We’ll build a  Convolutional Neural Network   and use models trained by Tal Hassner and Gil Levi for the Adience dataset. We’ll use some  .pb, .pbtxt, .prototxt, and .caffemodel  files along the way.

Dataset/Package:  Adience

2.3 Diabetic Retinopathy

Data Science Project Idea:  Diabetic Retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness. You can develop an automatic method of diabetic retinopathy screening. You can train a neural network on retina images of affected and normal people. This project will classify whether the patient has retinopathy or not.

Dataset:  Diabetic Retinopathy Dataset

2.3 Uber Data Analysis in R

Check the complete implementation of Data Science Project with Source Code –  Uber Data Analysis Project in R

This is a data visualization project with ggplot2 where we’ll use R and its libraries and analyze various parameters like trips by the hours in a day and trips during months in a year. We’ll use the Uber Pickups in New York City dataset and create visualizations for different time-frames of the year. This tells us how time affects customer trips.

Dataset/Package:  Uber Pickups in New York City dataset

2.4  Driver Drowsiness detection in Python

Drive your career to new heights by working on Top Data Science Project  –  Drowsiness Detection System with OpenCV & Keras

Drowsy driving is extremely dangerous and around thousands of accidents happen each year due to drivers falling asleep while driving. In this Python project, we will build a system that can detect sleepy drivers and also alert them by beeping alarm.

This project is implemented using Keras and OpenCV. We will use OpenCV for face and eye detection and with Keras, we will classify the state of the eye (Open or Close) using Deep neural network techniques.

2.5 Chatbot Project in Python

Build a chatbot using Python & step up in your career –  Chatbot with NLTK & Keras

Chatbots are an essential part of the business. Many businesses has to offer services to their customers and it needs a lot of manpower, time and effort to handle customers. The chatbots can automate most of the customer interaction by answering some of the frequent questions that are asked by the customers. There are mainly two types of chatbots: Domain-specific and Open-domain chatbots. The domain-specific chatbot is often used to solve a particular problem. So you need to customize it smartly to work effectively in your domain. The Open-domain chatbots can be asked any type of question so it requires huge amounts of data to train.

Dataset:  Intents json file

2.6 Handwritten Digit Recognition Project

Practically implement the Deep Learning Project with Source Code –  Handwritten Digit Recognition with CNN

The MNIST dataset of handwritten digits is widespread among the data scientists and machine learning enthusiasts. It is an amazing project to get started with the data science and understand the processes involved in a project. The project is implemented using the Convolutional Neural Networks and then for real-time prediction we also build a nice graphical user interface to draw digits on a canvas and then the model will predict the digit.

Dataset:  MNIST

Get hired as a data scientist with  Top Data Science Interview Questions

3. Advanced Data Science Projects

3.1 image caption generator project in python.

This is an interesting data science project. Describing what’s in an image is an easy task for humans but for computers, an image is just a bunch of numbers that represent the color value of each pixel. So this is a difficult task for computers to understand what is in the image and then generating the description in Natural language like English is another difficult task. This project uses deep learning techniques where we implement a Convolutional neural network (CNN) with Recurrent Neural Network( LSTM) to build the image caption generator.

Dataset:  Flickr 8K

Framework:  Keras

3.2 Credit Card Fraud Detection Project

Put your best foot forward by working on Data Science Projects  –  Credit Card Fraud Detection with Machine Learning

By now, you’ve begun to understand the methods and concepts. Let’s move on to some advanced data science projects. In this project, we’ll use R with algorithms like  Decision Trees , Logistic Regression, Artificial Neural Networks, and Gradient Boosting Classifier. We’ll use the Card Transactions dataset to classify credit card transactions into fraudulent and genuine. We’ll fit the different models and plot performance curves for them.

Dataset/Package:  Card Transactions dataset

3.3 Movie Recommendation System

Explore the implementation of the Best Data Science Project with Source Code-  Movie Recommendation System Project in R

In this data science project, we’ll use R to perform a movie recommendation through machine learning. A recommendation system sends out suggestions to users through a filtering process based on other users’ preferences and browsing history. If A and B like Home Alone and B likes Mean Girls, it can be suggested to A – they might like it too. This keeps customers engaged with the platform.

Dataset/Package:  MovieLens dataset

3.4 Customer Segmentation

Put the medal to the pedal & impress recruiters with Data Science Project (Source Code included) –  Customer Segmentation with Machine Learning

This is one of the most popular projects in Data Science. Before running any campaign companies create different groups of customers.

Customer Segmentation is a popular application of unsupervised learning. Using clustering, companies identify segments of customers to target the potential user base. They divide customers into groups according to common characteristics like gender, age, interests, and spending habits so they can market to each group effectively. We’ll use  K-means clustering  and also visualize the gender and age distributions. Then, we’ll analyze their annual incomes and spending scores.

Dataset/Package:  Mall_Customers dataset

3.5 Breast Cancer Classification

Check the complete implementation of Data Science Project in Python –  Breast Cancer Classification with Deep Learning

Coming back to the medical contributions of data science, let’s learn to detect breast cancer with Python. We’ll use the IDC_regular dataset to detect the presence of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, the most common form of breast cancer. It develops in a milk duct invading the fibrous or fatty breast tissue outside the duct. In this data science project idea, we’ll use  Deep Learning  and the Keras library for classification.

Dataset/Package:  IDC_regular

3.6 Traffic Signs Recognition

Achieve accuracy in self-driving cars technology with Data Science Project on  Traffic Signs Recognition using CNN  with Source Code 

Traffic signs and rules are very important that every driver must follow to avoid any accident. To follow the rule one must first understand how the traffic sign looks like. A human has to learn all the traffic signs before they are given the license to drive any vehicle. But now autonomous vehicles are rising and there will be no human drivers in the upcoming future. In the Traffic signs recognition project, you will learn how a program can identify the type of traffic sign by taking an image as input. The German Traffic signs recognition benchmark dataset (GTSRB) is used to build a Deep Neural Network to recognize the class a traffic sign belongs to. We also build a simple GUI to interact with the application.

Dataset:  GTSRB (German Traffic Sign Recognition Benchmark)

The source code of all these data science projects is available on DataFlair. Get started now and build a project in Data Science. Follow from beginner to advanced, and once you’re done, you can move on to other projects.

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Programming Projects for a Resume

If you are in the field of IT or looking to land your first job as a programmer, then you should know how to list programming projects on your resume .

Not only does listing programming side projects on your resume show your prospective employer that you have the IT and technical skills required to complete a project, but it also shows passion and commitment to your craft.

In this article, we’ll discuss: 

• What a programming side project is 
• Examples of the best programming projects for your resume
• Coding projects for your resume
• How to put programming projects on your resume

Once you understand all these details, you can use our AI-powered resume builder , which can tailor your application to your profession . 

Table of content:

What Are Programming Side Projects?

Do you have programming skills, but you’re not sure how to show them off on your resume because you don’t have experience?

This is where adding a side project can help.

Programming side projects are jobs you’ve done for your enjoyment or practice . These can include:

• Computer programs

For example, you could create a webpage for a friend, build a game on your computer, or try to create an app in a new programming language. 

Don’t forget that by challenging yourself to complete a programming side project, you will keep your skills fresh while solving new and exciting problems you can list on your resume or CV . 

A real-life experience that might inspire you is that one programmer, Obgonna Sunday, got hired thanks to his contribution to open-source projects .

By working on side projects, such as Obgonaa did, you can still add to your resume and eventually give yourself a better chance of landing a job , even if you don’t have full-time experience.   

Make sure you do your research on the companies you are applying to and consider what kinds of projects might help with your application.

12 Programming Projects to Put on Your Resume

Now you may be asking yourself, “What type of project should I work on?” or “What is the best AI project?”

If you’re unsure about how to pick a project that shows off your IT and technical skills , then it’s a good idea to decide on one that best fits the sector you want to work in .

Here is a list of 12 good programming project examples for your resume or professional portfolio .

Project 1: An Attractive Blog

Let’s say you are applying to a digital marketing agency that specializes in writing content for client blogs and generating leads for their customers. You can build a blog webpage that suits the industry they serve . Think about adding features they’d use and upload a sample blog or two to make the page pop.

Project 2: Eye-catching website

If you are a web developer , or you are applying for front-end programming positions, then you could demonstrate your capability by creating an enticing website . Think about what your future clients will ask you to build when you land your next job. 

Use this opportunity to add a programming project to your resume , while also updating your own website. If you don’t need a new website, you could offer to build one for a friend and use that to update your resume projects section.

Project 3: Build a Game or Improve On an Existing One

Before you dismiss this idea as childish or simplistic, consider building a game in the programming language you’ll need to use in the job you are applying for. Maybe you’ll be required to use Python scripts regularly . 

Apart from using Python for everyday tasks such as monitoring the stock market or converting text files to spreadsheets, the following sectors value expertise with Python :

• Software testing
• Web development
• Data analysis

Could you enjoy getting to know the language, and build a game using Python? Sounds like it could be a win-win.

Project 4: Build the Mobile App you Wish you Had

Whether you are hoping to work on designing mobile apps in the future, or you just want to build a useful app for yourself , you can brush up on writing code for Android or iOS devices.

Perhaps you want to pull in weather data from a database and show it in an app without all the annoying advertisements that appear in your current free weather app.

You’ll have a handy weather app for yourself, and you’ll have shown you can program for mobile devices, as well as interface with databases.

Project 5: Educational Program for Young Learners

In the era of online learning , crafting an application for children to learn their ABCs or 123s would be very helpful. Parents need ways to keep their kids occupied while they work in an educational way.

So why not create an app for tablets that teaches kids how to read and do simple addition or subtraction? You can create images or videos to include which would also show your skills in visual communication , graphic design, or integrating imagery into your programs.

Project 6: Build a Machine Learning Algorithm

If you are looking to get into data science or machine learning as a programmer, one of the best programming projects for your resume would be a machine learning algorithm. You could start small and create a simple algorithm in Python or R . 

If that feels a little too detailed for the work you want to do, consider picking up a standard regression algorithm and altering it for a use case such as providing streaming video suggestions based on past viewing data.

Project 7: Voice Recognition Software or Skill

Not only do we speak to our phones to search for things online, but we also have voice search options on our smart TVs and inside our homes with the help of smart speakers. 

If you are interested in creating apps like Alexa, for example, that use voice as the input, then you might want to have one listed on your resume. Try building an Alexa Skill or voice recognition app that helps you control or optimize your home’s energy consumption, emphasizing your problem-solving skills .

Project 8: Build an Online Word Puzzle/Game

Could you put your own spin on the classic hangman game and host it online? Think of it like your own flavor of the word games that are seen in the newspaper and online. Create a website that hosts the game and spend some time making the user interface exciting and welcoming so that people will want to return.

Project 9: Create an API

This type of programming project would be best to put on your resume if you are applying for full-stack programming positions .

By making your own API (Application Programming Interface) you’ll demonstrate you understand this vital piece of code. If you know the types of databases or programs you’ll be working on in your next (or dream) job, then consider making the API for those specifics.

Project 10: Program a Productivity App

There are many apps out there that can be your inspiration for this programming project. Some block social media apps and websites so you stay focused on your work. Others have timers to keep you working for a certain period. 

Some will also track screen time, so you know what your common pitfalls are for distraction. A solution could be a productivity app for your phone or your desktop computer that you can add to the projects on your resume while creating a tool to keep you on task.

Project 11: Work on a Fake News Detector AI Project

Create an AI-driven Resume Parser to streamline recruitment processes. This project uses machine learning and the NLTK Python library to analyze resumes from the Kaggle Dataset, focusing on relevant skills and experiences. 

This project involves developing a clustering algorithm to evaluate and score resumes, demonstrating your AI expertise and practical HR tech application skills.

Project 12: Develop an AI Chatbot for Customer Service

This project has to do with using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to create a responsive, conversational agent capable of handling customer inquiries and support tasks. By training the chatbot with diverse datasets, you demonstrate your proficiency in AI development and your understanding of its practical application in improving business-customer interactions.

By doing so, you’ll be able to add technical AI skills to your resume , which is great if you want to become an AI developer .

How to Add Programming Projects to Your Resume

As mentioned, the way you list your programming projects on your resume can vary depending on your experience level:

• If you have limited experience : If you are a recent graduate or student and have a light experience section, you can list your programming projects under a heading titled “Programming Projects.”
• If you have relevant experience : If you have relevant programming job experience, consider listing programming projects under each relevant position. This demonstrates how your projects align with your professional roles and how you have grown in your career .
• For Additional Projects : Regardless of your professional experience, you can also have a separate “Projects” heading. Here, you can showcase programs, apps, and webpages you’ve built in your free time, highlighting your passion and continuous learning .

Here’s how an additional project should look on your resume if you add it correctly:

Programming Projects

AI-Driven Resume Parser | Personal Project | January 2022–April 2022

• Designed an AI-based system to automate the resume screening process for HR departments.

Technologies Used:

• Python, Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK), Machine Learning, Kaggle Resume Dataset.

Key Achievements:

• Developed an algorithm capable of analyzing and scoring resumes based on relevance and skill matching, rather than keyword frequency.
• Implemented a clustering algorithm to group similar skills and qualifications, enhancing the accuracy of candidate evaluation.

For many, it’s easier to create complex lines of code than it is to create a resume that catches the attention of hiring managers .

However, you’ll be able to program an interview in no time if you remember to apply the tips we’ve mentioned, such as :

• Work on a programming project to practice your skills
• Place your completed projects on your resume
• Create your projects section correctly
• Use the right resume-crafting tools 

Thankfully, with tailored resume templates and online tools like our builder, you can make the task simple and land your dream tech job .

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• • Took extra tuition in Probability & Statistics, Python Development, Linear Algebra and Machine Learning
• • Won 2 university-level hackathons as part of the official 3-person team in 2017 and 2018
• • Performed over 200h of exploratory data analysis for identifying high value candidate features and gaining insight into the efficacy of features
• • Presented findings and business suggestions to industry executives using Tableau and PowerPoint, resulting in fixing over 20 bugs and removing features that slowed down the software
• • Tackling close to 100 data analysis per month
• • Utilized Java, Python, and SQL to develop and maintain over 40 customized algorithms that meet customer and business needs
• • Rearranged and added more than 300 contract files to the company database
• • Improved database performance with 20% by using materialized views and stored procedures
• • Performed over 300h of data analysis, data migration, data preparation, graphical presentation, and statistical analysis
• • Completed 100 hours of training in Python

4 Computer Science Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

Your computer science resume must distinctly highlight your technical skills. Include programming languages, frameworks, and tools you're proficient with. Demonstrate your problem-solving capabilities and projects. Showcase relevant experiences that align with the job you're applying for.

All resume examples in this guide

Computer Science Internship

Entry-Level Computer Science

Junior Computer Science

Computer science cover letter

Resume Guide

Formatting Tips

Resume Header

Resume Summary

Computer Science Experience on Resume

Education Resume Tips

Computer Science Skills

Resume Certifications

Additional Resume Sections

Cover Letter Tips

Key Takeaways

By Experience

Even though the number of people majoring in CS was in decline just a few years ago, the number of CS undergraduates in 2019 has doubled from that of 2017.

So how do you apply for, say, Amazon or Google, knowing that about a few thousand of your peers will probably do the same?

There’s only so many decent tech companies to work for. Naturally, it all comes down to how good your computer science resume is .

In this computer science resume guide, you will:

• Study 14 computer science resume samples and templates;
• Learn what recruiters pay attention to when scanning a resume;
• Learn how to write computer science resume with no experience;
• Understand how to write a computer science student resume or entry-level computer science resume;
• Learn what resume sections to prioritize.

Looking for related Computer Science resume guides?

• IT Intern resume examples
• Entry-Level Software Engineer resume examples
• Entry-Level Network Engineer resume examples
• IT Support resume examples
• Data Scientist resume examples
• Web Developer resume examples

Choose a fitting format for your computer science resume

Level of expertise and practical experience will dictate which of the many resume formats you select.

If you have more than 5 years in the industry, use the reverse-chronological resume format . Recruiters love it because the layout is traditional and easy to scan.

But if you’re a college grad with no more than 2-3 years of work history, opt for the hybrid resume format .

This one presents a balanced overview of both your skills and relevant projects you’ve done. It’s also a suitable layout for professionals who are switching careers.

Alternatively, if you’re applying for your first internship, check out the functional resume format . Its aim is to emphasize the range of your skills and how you acquired them.

Whichever layout you select, keep in mind to:

• Check for any extra formatting requirements listed in the job ad. Some companies have specific rules on resume design and styling.
• Fit everything on one page. Unless you have a good reason to expand any of the sections on your resume, don’t go too overboard.

Speaking of sections, let’s discuss the actual layout of your resume.

A while ago we decided to test how various resume formats performed against ATS tools. Apart from avoiding basic mistakes, like typos, pay attention to the:

• Colors and Design : Some companies allow for creative designs. Research your potential employer before you choose the style of your resume.
• Fonts : ATS software works with all the trending Google fonts, so it’s all a matter of personal preference. Make sure it’s readable and goes well with the overall design.
• Section Headings : Remember to name your sections accordingly. ATS tools respond to keywords and these include section headings.
• Length/Columns : Condense your resume to a single page. But feel free to divide it into a few columns, if you think it will present your information better.
• File Format : ATS software reads a variety of file types. But we suggest saving your resume as a PDF file because it preserves all your formatting and design settings.

Recruiters want to see that you’re active in the tech industry. Your projects will prove your inquisitiveness and ability to stay up to date with current trends.

Reference your GitHub and portfolio in the resume header

If you had only 2 seconds to:

• Display examples of your work
• List tech stack you’re working with
• Prove you’ve been continuously contributing to various projects

… what would you do?

You show them your GitHub or your portfolio. Whichever is more relevant for the position.

The resume header is the perfect place to share them, because it’s the first section recruiters check.

Once you add your:

• First and last name
• Job title and/or specializations (e.g. Certified AWS Cloud Practitioner)
• Phone number
• Professional email

… add your GitHub profile. Let your work speak for itself.

This is how to do it:

Outline top achievements in your computer science resume summary

A good way to show your work ethic and attitude towards your career is to write a quality resume summary .

This is a short paragraph of 5-6 sentences which helps you:

• Highlight your proudest CS accomplishments
• Emphasize some of the key skills you have, especially if you are a fresher

ATS tools read resumes from top to bottom. This means that if you list your core tools near the top, there is a higher chance of your resume being flagged as relevant to the job.

There are three main components you must add to build a good resume summary:

• The amount of experience you have, expressed in years
• Titles, abilities, tech stack and qualifications
• 1-2 of your best career achievements

The following examples will show you how to frame your summary, regardless of your experience:

Cite the tools you use in the computer science experience section

Having wowed hiring managers with your resume summary, it’s time to display a more detailed view of your work history.

As such, you mustn’t merely cite the tools you use on a daily basis, share how you’ve applied them.

An excellent experience section delves into how you’ve solved problems with all the tools you have at your disposal. Quantify your achievements and provide context.

For instance, you can reference any awards you’ve won:

Voted Best Tutor at the Pasadena Summer Coding Camp for being the instructor with the highest student success rate (89%) for Java and Python-related courses.

Or you describe a well-received CS project you’ve done:

Developed an emergency alert software for the local blind and deaf community as a pro bono project, which reduced cases of climate-related cases of missing people by 77%.

Hiring managers love to see contributions to open source projects, too. There are many chances to shine.

Remember that for each entry, you must:

• Display your past positions in a reverse-chronological order
• List the name of the company, its website, as well as a short description about its business focus
• State your job title and dates of employment
• No more than 5 bullet points with career milestones you’ve reached during your tenure

When you combine everything together, you should have an entry similar to the one below:

• • Improved data generation and reporting using Python and NumPy, which resulted in $70 million revenue increase for 2022.
• • Migrated and merged over 19 databases with Liquibase, which improved data analysis by 41% and streamlined operations by 80%.
• • Reduced the income of new tech support tickets by 62% by updating old FAQ manuals and writing supplementary documentation.
• • Prevented a $4.7 million loss after fixing a bug, which could have led to a data breach, involving more than 800,000 customers, if found and exploited.

State your GPA when listing your education

If you’re a recent college grad, mention your GPA . While this may seem like a minor detail, it showcases your diligence and ability to work on long-term projects.

But if more than 5 years have passed since you graduated, put an emphasis on the type of academic background you have. Remember to add the:

• Name and level of your degree
• Name and location of accrediting institution or college
• Years of attendance
• Relevant majors and student projects (if you’re a fresher)

You can use the following example to structure your own education section :

Showcase relevant computer science skills

Something to keep in mind at all times is that you have to be comfortable being interviewed in any of the tools and languages you list.

This is one way recruiters vet candidates who stuff their resume with keywords before they reach the interview stage.

You are free to mention hard skills you are not particularly savvy in, but only if:

• They make sense for the context you’ve provided
• Show that you actually have practical experience with the mentioned instruments

Most importantly, you shouldn’t rely on tech talents alone. Diversify your skills section with industry-relevant soft skills .

By creating a balanced overview of your abilities, you will pass the ATS tools’ test and win recruiters’ hearts.

That said, as a CS specialist, your main concern will be which tech skills to add and why.

We’ve prepared a list with the most popular tech talents for 2024. But before you include any of them on your resume, determine which are relevant for the job ad.

50 fundamental technical skills for computer science specialists:

While hard skills can be tested on the spot, social abilities are sometimes very difficult to measure and frame in terms of data and numbers.

The way you solve this problem is by providing the right context. Present a challenge and describe how you solved it and what the results were.

For example:

As you can see, one of the entries in the table mentions inquisitiveness. Anyone can say they are curious.

Yet, the entry proves that the individual’s inquisitiveness has helped them achieve some success at work.

Think about your professional contributions. Talk about how your work has impacted others around you.

Take a look at the table below. It holds some of the trendiest social talents for CS experts. Use them to brainstorm some ideas for your resume:

35 quintessential soft skills for computer science specialists:

Highlight your specialty with your computer science certificates.

Having a CS degree shows that you know your basics. But what would really make you stand out among other candidates is what you specialize in.

Even better if you have a certificate to support your claims.

This is why the certificates section on your resume is crucial. Don’t forget to:

• State the name of your certificate accurately
• List the name of the issuing organization
• Mention the year of obtainment or expected time of completion
• Date of validity (if applicable)

There are tons of certificates you can list. If you have many, don’t include all of them. Stay relevant to the job description.

But if you’re a recent college grad and you’re not sure which ones will get you noticed, here are some recommendations:

20 essential computer science certificates for your resume:

• Network and Systems Professionals Association (NASPA)

Support your application with other relevant sections

By now you may be thinking that your resume will look like any other CS college grad out there. That’s why you should consider supplementing your resume with extra sections.

So far we’ve discussed contributions to open source projects. Other noteworthy mentions for your resume are:

• Club and association memberships
• Side projects , products and services you’ve worked on
• Competitions, hackathons and awards
• Papers, patents , and conference presentations

Again, take into account what’s relevant to the available position by reading the job offer.

Pair your computer scientist resume with a compatible cover letter

This is another trick to make your resume outstanding.

Writing a cover letter is your chance to appeal directly to the company and the hiring managers.

Explain why you want to work for them and how they can benefit from your experience.

Generally, the cover letter is divided into three main section:

• Like the resume summary, the first paragraph focuses on your top professional achievements.
• The second section elaborates on your talents, your relevant qualifications and credentials.
• The final paragraph includes a call to action. Invite the hiring manager to a further discussion of your application. Remember to mention when you are available to talk.

Finally, don’t forget to thank the recruiter for the job opportunity.

Key takeaways

Computer science resume examples.

Explore additional computer science resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

Looking to build your own Computer Science resume?

• Resume Examples

Marissa Mayer: ''Thank you for a great resume!''

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How to write a killer Software Engineering résumé

An in-depth analysis of the résumé that got me interviews at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and more.

This résumé got me interviews at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple.

I obtained these interviews by sending my résumé to the résumé black hole , also known as applying online.

Applying online is the most common way people go about applying for a job and therefore the least effective way to land an interview due to competition. Yet that is exactly how I obtained all my interviews.

How did I accomplish this?

In this article, I will go through a line-by-line analysis of my résumé for the following purposes:

• explaining the choices that I made in creating my résumé
• why I believe this résumé worked to help me land those interviews, and
• how you can create an even better résumé!

I decided to write this article because I struggled a lot with landing interviews when I first started looking for a job. It would have been extremely helpful for me to have a real-life example résumé to look at.

This article is organized into the following sections:

• The All Too Familiar Way of Not Landing an Interview - a short anecdote of my frustrations when I first started applying for jobs
• Evaluating the Options: Moving Forward - a reflection on different strategies to improve the odds of landing interviews
• Learning How to Write a Killer Résumé By Example - the step-by-step analysis of my résumé with each of the following sections corresponding to my résumé:

The Essentials from a Glance

• Who Are You
• Contact Information
• Personal Projects

The All Too Familiar Way of Not Landing an Interview

Applying online.

You probably know the link that every company provides for online applications. It’s the classic career site that shows you a bunch of job titles which you think you are totally qualified for until you open the job description and read the minimum requirements.

A job description with a bunch of words that you have never heard of, may have heard of, or hoped you had heard of. And it has an innocent-looking “ Apply” button .

Despite the uncertainty you may feel about your qualifications, you apply anyway because you want a job.

So you fill out the application form, press submit — and wait and hope for a positive response.

Your results will be varied:

• Phone Interview ? (yay, a chance at employment!!!)
• Immediate Rejection ? (darn, back to the drawing board)
• No reply  ? (ugh, at least give me the courtesy of having some closure)

Repeat Until Success… Right?

Sadly, this is the typical process that many people go through when looking for a job/internship.

Apply to a couple of companies. Get a couple of rejections or no replies. Apply to a couple more companies. Get a couple more rejections or no replies. Over, and over, and over again.

Why do we do this to ourselves? We spend all this time doing the same repetitive task to obtain the same, disappointing results.

Because this is what everyone does to get an interview, right? Because at least we’re working towards the right direction and have a glimmer of hope, right? How else are you supposed to get an interview?

Evaluating the Options: Moving Forward

“Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” - Dale Carnegie, (author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People”)

We can think of approaching the problem of not getting interviews in two ways:

• Putting your application/ résumé under the microscope
• Questioning the process in which you go about obtaining an interview

This article focuses on the former, because no matter what avenue you end up taking to get an interview, essentially every company utilizes your résumé as a basis for evaluation . Therefore, we will examine my résumé under a microscope and focus on learning how to write a remarkable résumé.

Getting an interview via online application is extremely challenging because your résumé has to pass numerous stages before it gets into the hands of the hiring manager.

It has to bypass online keyword filters , stand out to a recruiter who reviews it for about 6 seconds and meet the expectations of the hiring manager who decides whether you are worth interviewing.

Yet, despite all those hurdles, I obtained all my interviews by applying online. How? Trial and error . I’ve applied to hundreds of different software engineering positions since my sophomore year of college.

When I first started applying, I faced a staggering number of rejections, but over time I learned how to adapt. By the time I was a senior, I was extremely successful in landing interviews from almost every company I applied to.

The résumé that landed me all those interviews is the exact one in this article.

It took me four years of iteration and real-life testing to get to this point. From this experience, I have come up with a list of résumé writing principles to help you write an even better software résumé. These are principles that have helped me land my dream job and are principles that can help you land yours.

While it took me four years of college to figure this all out, you don’t have to go through all the leaps and bounds because you can learn all of it right here, right now.

My goal is to be the one-stop hub for all your questions on how to obtain a software engineering interview. That way, you don’t have to waste countless hours cross-referencing Google search results to find the best answer on how to write a software engineering résumé that gets interviews.

Your valuable time could be better spent on writing your killer résumé.

So start here and now with this article. Reap the benefits from my past experiences and let’s begin the step-by-step walkthrough of my résumé!

Learning How to Write a Killer Résumé — By Example

“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let’s take another look at this résumé:

One-page résumé

Recruiters do not have all day to read your résumé. On average they view it for less than 6 seconds. Keep it short and concise .

Sections (Header, Education, Employment, Software Projects, Skills)

Place sections in order of importance from top to bottom. The ‘ Personal Projects ’ section is a unique, must-have for people looking for a software engineering position.

Consistent layout + font per section

Make sure each section contains a uniform look. Consistent style is important as it enhances the readability. Readability is essential.

So why does this résumé work? Let’s explore the numbered bullet points.

Who Are You (1)

Target Audience: Anyone writing a résumé

Starting off real easy. Your name. Place your name at the top of your résumé in a large legible font.

No need to be all fancy about it with extravagant colors or fancy fonts. Plain and simple does the trick. You want the recruiter to see this easily from a mile away because you want them to know who you are. A recruiter who has to do minimum work is a happy recruiter. A happy recruiter is one who is more likely to give you an interview.

Recap: Make it ridiculously easy for the recruiter to read and find your name.

Contact Information (2)

Your contact info should be as easy as identifying your name. This is so important. Of all the things in the world, please do not mess this one up because how else on earth will the recruiter contact you?

Recap: Put in the correct contact information or you’ll never be contacted.

Education (3)

Target Audience: Anyone writing a résumé with a degree

If you are attending or attended college, this should be the first section of your résumé, because going to college is a huge accomplishment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only “66.7 percent of 2017 high school graduates age 16 to 24 enrolled in colleges or universities”. So be proud of it and include it!

Right off the bat, this tells the recruiter that you are invested in education and learning, which is crucial because technology is continuously changing. Furthermore, this information serves as an indicator of your successes, so be sure to put it down.

Recap: Put down where you got educated.

Be sure to include relevant coursework corresponding to the position that you are applying for. While a course on the History of Italian Gastronomy sounds exceptionally appetizing, it doesn’t have a place in a résumé that is trying to get you a job in computer science.

This will significantly improve the ability of the recruiter and the hiring manager looking at your résumé in deciding whether you are a good fit for the position. And as previously mentioned, a happy recruiter is more likely to give you an interview.

Recap: Only include relevant coursework.

Okay. GPA. Before we talk about this, let’s remind ourselves of the main purpose of a résumé.

The main purpose of a résumé is to highlight your knowledge, skills, and accomplishments succinctly. You want to include things on your résumé that you are proud of, but also things that will impress. You want to paint a picture of yourself in the best light possible so that recruiters and hiring managers want to interview you.

Now back to your GPA. It should be fairly obvious whether or not your GPA is impressive. If your GPA is below a 3.0, don’t put it on your résumé. There’s nothing wrong with excluding your GPA from your résumé if it only harms your chances.

If you have a GPA between 3.0–3.2, this is a judgment call. From personal experience, I have talked to some companies that require a minimum GPA of 3.2, but these were primarily financial or quantitative companies. Most software companies have little regard for your GPA. If you have anything above a 3.2, I would place it on your résumé.

If you have a low GPA, fear not, as this gives you the opportunity to be creative! My overall GPA was a 3.2 due to poor grades from my freshman engineering prerequisites and humanities classes. But once I finished and started taking courses within my major, my in-major GPA (GPA calculated from courses in my major) was a 3.44, which was significantly higher. So that’s what I put down (but make sure to qualify it as a departmental GPA).

There are many ways of going about presenting yourself in the best light possible, even when it may seem like the odds are stacked against you. I only provided one example of accomplishing this, but there are many more ways waiting to be discovered by you. Fully embrace your failures and accomplishments because they make up who are you. Be honest and truthful, and always focus on highlighting the best parts about yourself.

Recap: Your GPA does not define you. The purpose of your résumé is to present yourself in the best light. Never forget that! Be creative when going about this and DON’T LIE.

Employment (4)

Target Audience: Students with software engineering work experience

If you are a college student without any experience, don’t be afraid! This was my senior year résumé when I was applying for a full-time job. I was fortunate enough to have accumulated relevant work experience from summer internships, but this isn’t absolutely necessary to get an interview. If you find that you don’t have much to put in section, jump down to the ‘ Personal Projects ’ section.

While it is great to have past work experience, not all work experience is treated equally when it comes to looking for a job in software engineering. Focus only on including work experience that has relevance to the job that you are applying for. For instance, if you have experience working as a cashier in retail or a waiter in the food industry, don’t include it! Unfortunately, your abilities to handle money or serve food did not provide any indication that you will succeed as a software engineer.

A recruiter’s goal is to match candidates with jobs that fit the candidates’ skill sets. Therefore it is essential only to include past work experience that has some relation to the position that you are currently applying to, on your résumé.

Part of accomplishing this means creating a collection of various résumés, each tailored specifically for the different job that you are interested in. This is analogous to the college application process, where you had to write separate essays for each university that you applied to. Each college has its own values, culture, and vision, making it nearly impossible to write a generic, one-size-fits-all college essay. Therefore, tailor your résumé to the job that you are applying for.

Lastly, a note on dates. Order your experiences in descending order starting with your most recent experiences. For undergraduates, this means being mindful of including experiences that are both recent and relevant. Sadly, no one cares about whatever accomplishments you had in middle school or high school. If the experience is outdated, leave it out.

Recap: Have various versions of your résumé tailored for each job you are applying for. There is no one-size-fits-all résumé.

The hardest part about résumé writing is having descriptions that fully encapsulate your accomplishments from past work experiences in a meaningful and impressive way.

What does it mean for your descriptions to be meaningful and impressive? It means getting the recruiter to think: “This is someone that has the skill sets we are looking for. This is someone that has made a significant impact in their past jobs. This is someone we would like to interview and potentially hire.”

The primary objective of the Employment section is to show the impact and value that you had while working at an established institution. Your goal is to show recruiters that you are a candidate that can get things done and do them well.

To best showcase my accomplishments in my résumé, I adopted the following powerful formula, created by the Former SVP of People Operations at Google, Laszlo Bock:

“Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]” — Laszlo Bock

You can see this very clearly in the very first bullet point of this section on my résumé.

Improved device’s battery lifespan by 8% by integrating a fuel gauge sensor and establishing a battery saving state

Let’s break it down:

Accomplished [X]- Improved device’s battery lifespan

Measured by [Y]- by 8%

By Doing [Z]- integrating a fuel gauge sensor and establishing a battery saving state

I leveraged this formula in some shape or form in almost every sentence in my résumé.

To help you along this process, below is a word bank of excellent verbs you can and should use:

Here are some examples of fill-in the blank sentences that I have come up with for you to get started:

• Reduced _____ by _____ by _____.
• Redesigned _____ for _____.
• Implemented _____ for _____ by _____.
• Improved _____ by _____ through _____.
• Utilized _____ to _____ for _____.
• Increased _____ by _____ through _____.
• Integrated _____ by _____ for _____.
• Incorporated _____ for _____ by _____.

Recap: Use the “Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]” formula. It’s the most effective and most apparent way of showing recruiters/managers your impact.

Lastly, I end each work experience with a leveraged knowledge bullet point. The utility behind this last bit is it enables the reader to really get a sense of the technology I am familiar with by explicitly stating the technologies that I used for the project.

This also allows me to have a concise, but clean ‘Skills’ section located at the bottom of my résumé. Recruiters can then look at the bottom to immediately obtain a sense of my capabilities by seeing which computer languages I am familiar with. If they are looking to see if I have specific knowledge in a particular tool, framework, or library, then they can find this out by looking at my projects.

Recap: Including technologies that you used in your descriptions will help you bypass online keyword filters when applying online. This will also give recruiters a clearer idea of your experiences and knowledge.

Personal Projects (5)

Target Audience: Students looking for software engineering internships/full-time positions + Unique section for software engineering applicants

Maybe if I say it enough times, you will understand the importance of this section, especially for those that do not have work experience .

Personal projects are integral to piquing recruiters and hiring managers interest as it shows you are passionate about programming.

A personal project can be anything programming related, whether it be a Python script, Java program, web page, mobile application, etc. These projects show that you are genuinely interested in computer science and you have strong desires to work as a software engineer because you are willing to go beyond your schoolwork and create something on your own.

Taking the initiative to build something on your own is extremely impressive. It shows that you are dedicated to expanding your knowledge of computer science and that you are not afraid of putting in the extra work to do so. Ultimately, it is a fantastic way to demonstrate self-initiative and genuine interest in this field.

The other benefit of doing personal projects is that you inevitably gain the skills that apply to work in the real world. Things that you don’t usually do at school, but you will do at work such as using standard frameworks/libraries, understanding full-stack web development, creating mobile applications, setting up a development environment, or programming efficiently with Vim.

Tip: Create a personal website that showcases and documents all of your personal projects. This is a little hack that ‘virtually extends’ your résumé beyond the one-page limit.

To reiterate one last time, personal projects show your passion and dedication towards developing the necessary skills needed for a job that you don’t yet have. This is a must-have on any software engineering resume.

“Build some iPhone apps, web apps, whatever! Honestly it doesn’t matter that much what you’re building as long as you’re building something. You can build a fairly meaty project in one weekend. This means that with about 3–4 weekends of work, you can make your résumé go from so-so to fantastic. Seriously — I’ve seen lots of people do this.” - Gayle McDowell, former Google Engineer and Author of Cracking the Coding Interview

If there is a specific company that you really want to work at, one of the best ways to stand out is doing a personal project that is directly related to the job that you are applying for.

I got my internship at Autodesk by taking a free online interactive computer graphics course on Udacity. The course taught me to use a JavaScript library called three.js , and it just so happened that there was a software engineering internship opening at Autodesk looking for someone with full-stack website and knowledge in three.js (aka ME).

A word of caution on this technique. This strategy is not perfect. This only really works for companies like Autodesk which do not have generalized software engineering internships like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. When starting off early in your career, it is better to generalize and figure out the different disciplines of computer science. Nonetheless, this is an excellent method worth trying if there is a specific company you want.

Recap: Personal projects are imperative. If you haven’t already, start NOW! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Target Audience: Anyone looking for a software engineering job

The title explains it all. Keep this section dumb, simple, and clean. List all the relevant skills that you want the recruiter to know you have. The more skills you have listed here that match key technical words in the qualification section of the job description, the better your chances!

This will allow you to bypass the online keyword scanner easily. However, this is not a fool-proof method of circumventing the scanner. Ultimately it is a recruiter who gets their hands on your résumé that decides, but they will also be more inclined to give you an interview if they see you as a good fit for the job!

A thing to note about the skills section is to NOT simply list all the keywords on the job description just for the sake of showing you’re a good fit. It will come back to bite you as you will be questioned on the skills you claim to know.

Part of giving yourself some leeway in this is including an indication of your proficiency level. Since you are probably not practicing every language you’ve ever encountered on a day to day basis, including a proficiency level can help the recruiter know your strongest languages at a moment in time and other languages that you are familiar with.

I’ve opted to use two tiers:

• Proficient - Languages that I am very familiar with, feel very comfortable using, and can interview with right now.
• Familiar - Languages that I have utilized in the past but may not be as knowledgeable in currently, but can pick back up given time.

Other valid options include:

• Intermediate
• Working Knowledge
• Basic Knowledge

Recap: When applying for a specific job online, cross-reference the job description and add essential technical keywords on your résumé to increase your chance of getting an interview.

Key Takeaways

• Make sure your name and contact information is correct and legible
• Be sure to include your education. If your GPA is low, leave it out or be creative!
• Utilize the “Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]” formula to effectively show the impact that you had in your past employment
• Do personal projects — especially if you do not have past experience working in tech

Final Thoughts

While this résumé got me interviews at numerous software engineering companies, there is no guarantee that following all the principles and techniques I have explained here will yield the same results for you.

This was my senior year résumé in 2017. It is a showcase of my journey and interest in software engineering. Copying it will do you no good, as technology is constantly evolving and the talent search is an ever-changing process. Instead, use this as a reference.

Use my résumé and this article as a resource to become a better résumé writer and a more effective communicator. Focus on learning how to best convey your skills and achievements to others. This in itself is an invaluable, lifelong skill that you will need wherever you go.

As you write your résumé, please remember — be yourself!

Your résumé is a list of your own accomplishments, achievements, and interests. Your goal is to craft the most polished version of yourself. Lastly, have fun and enjoy the process!

For anyone interested in using this resume template, I obtained it from CareerCup which was founded by Gayle Laakmann McDowell, author of Cracking The Coding Interview .

From personal experience, what’s most important is the content. The resume writing principles discussed above can be applied to any template!

Also, check out my new website, memlayout.com , which helps students learn programming through visualizing their python code line-by-line.

software engineer @tesla. consider donating to https://oeop.mit.edu/. visualize python code line-by-line with https://memlayout.com/

If this article was helpful, share it .

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12+ Best Programming Projects for a Resume

Struggling with creating your perfect programming resume? Make it better by adding personal projects and specific expertise. Here is the list of the projects you may create on your own, plus winning tips for improving your resume with their help.

How do you get your foot in the door if you are a newbie in the field of IT? How do you jump over toothy competitors if you already have experience? There is one answer to both of these questions - start with your resume, as it creates the first (and usually right impression of you). In this article, we suggest adding some personal projects to your portfolio to make it even more impressive. Below is a list of ideas you can use to boost your resume and give yourself a better chance of being noticed by a great company.

Why Should You Have Personal Programming Projects on a Resume?

The IT field is not only dynamic - it is quite competitive. What is more, the entrance level is quite low. In other words, everyone who has the basic skills and knowledge gained with the help of computer science courses and self-leaning has the opportunity to become a cutting-edge IT specialist. Therefore, if you want to be a part of the most innovative and money-promising industry, you will have to be creative to get your dream job. Having some personal programming projects for your resume is one way to attract your future employer’s attention and leverage your chances of being hired. Here is why.

Show Your Skills

Your personal project is a way to improve your skills and show them on your resume. For example, you can claim that you are excellent at programming in JavaScript, but a mobile application created using this language and its frameworks will tell much more about your coding skills.

Show Your Passion

Willingness to do work in your free time is a sign of true passion and love for your job. Of course, the development of a personal project takes time, but the presence of such a project shows you as a person who sincerely invests their time and soul into this process.

Show Your Readiness to Learn

Any personal project can have pitfalls, especially if you are at the beginning of your journey. In the process of creating them, you are faced with problems and tasks that you need to solve. This is an excellent opportunity for self-study in a relaxed environment free from the pressure of deadlines. Therefore, use it.

Prompt! When adding your personal projects to your resume, you can also briefly indicate a list of specific tasks, challenges, and pitfalls you have encountered. But be prepared to explain how you overcame them when a technical specialist interviews you.

Thus, personal projects reflected in the resume is a tremendous competitive advantage for a beginner specialist. However, do experienced programmers need personal projects? Or is solid experience enough to find a new job?

Indeed, a personal programming project works equally well for beginners and professionals alike. Of course, projects created by Senior coders will be much more difficult, and this is another reason to add them to your resume since complex projects show your advanced skills and specific expertise.

The List of Good Programming Projects for Resume

So, what are some interesting programming projects to put on a resume? Here are 13 alternatives you may consider. Each of them requires specific knowledge, skills, and technology usage, so make sure to pick up the ones that suit your specialization best.

1. A simple website or blog

If you're a beginner or self-learning web developer , start by creating a simple website or blog. To do this, you don't need to know more than the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. But remember - your solution shouldn't be too simple. There is Wix that does not require an ordinary user to be a genius to put together a site or blog piece by piece. So your task is to come up with something original.

For example, you can think about site scaling possibilities and foresee them in your structure in advance. Or pay attention to the design. For example, create a sales-boosting website using graphic elements and motivating colors.

2. An eCommerce website prototype

eCommerce websites are laborious to create since you need to come up with a lot of sections, listings, integrations, and, most importantly, make outstanding user experience and a smooth sales funnel your top priority. We suggest focusing on one of your future store’s components and matching it with your best skills.

For example, if you are good at user interface prototyping, suggest a prototype that will generate sales and profits. As for the technologies to use, everything will depend on your initial idea - you may create an eCommerce store in the form of a native app or a website powered by Shopify and other specific solutions.

3. A cryptocurrency wallet

A cryptocurrency wallet is also a reasonably simple solution, even though it may sound incomprehensible to someone who hears this term for the first time. To do it, it will be enough to use Bitcoin SDK or Coinbase SDK and synchronize your future wallet with the blockchain ecosystem using APIs.

Great idea! If you create an eCommerce website as your personal project, consider adding Bitcoin as a payment option. This is an advanced way to pay, and more and more websites will embed this function very soon.

4. A listing website

Obviously, you shouldn’t create a jaw-dropping solution like Zillow. However, you still should show your web development skills. To create such a solution, you need basic HTML/CSS and basic programming skills, plus design thinking abilities. What is more, your personal listing shouldn’t be for listing accommodations only. For example, you may create an ads placement platform, a job board, or a car selling website.

5. A simple game

The most important thing in a game is dynamics and high-quality content. To prove your creative talents, come up with some really cool, interesting, and highly demanding characters that will meet the expectations of today's gamers. Among the technologies you need for this is Unity 3D, Visual Studio, and C++.

6. A data analysis model

Models for data analysis are in great demand, and what's more, it's not that hard to create one if you have a dataset. To further improve your self-presentation, create several data models that will work on the principle of regression analysis and classification.

7. A forecasting software

Predictive analytics is another capability of data analysis software. What is more, you may reuse your data analysis model explained in the previous paragraph to turn it into a predictive tool.

8. A chatbot

Creating chatbots is very simple. However, you may make your chatbot more innovative by enabling it with speech and image recognition functions.

9. A simple task manager

There is nothing complex about creating task management software like Trello or Evernote. Take these apps as an example, and come up with your solution. Creating this app, you could show how you understand the Kanban approach - this will be a significant plus for an employee who follows it.

10. A food diary

Weight management and nutritional apps are trendy. Create it to spice up your portfolio. Such applications do not need a lot of features. The most important thing is to make it user-friendly. What is more, you can create such a solution for both iOS and Android using the appropriate programming languages or create a cross-platform application.

An interesting function that you can implement! Add a barcode scanner so a potential user can add meals to the diary using the camera. It will show how you handle the integration of embedded applications with your solution.

An even more fun feature! How about creating a tool for recognizing a meal and its ingredients? Yes, you will have to create an artificial intelligence solution that can recognize images; however, you must agree, this is an entirely different level of professionalism.

11. An instant messenger

Creating an instant messenger, you may showcase your skills for instant data transfer solution creation plus API integration and entertainment features development. Instant messengers are not so difficult to create - their branding will definitely take more time, so this is your chance to strengthen your resume with a trendy application example.

12. A payment gateway

Creating a payment gateway is quite a challenging task; however, it will significantly enrich your portfolio. Developing this solution will require using different APIs and paying close attention to the security features. For example, you may integrate a machine-learning fraud detection algorithm and make an outstanding fintech solution.

13. A recommendation engine

A recommendation engine is an AI-powered tool; however, it shouldn’t be a part of an eCommerce store exclusively. For example, you could develop a book recommendation app that suggests a book based on age, preferences, and previously read stories. To create it, you need an AI programming platform, plus a database.

Enhancing Programming Resume Tips and Lifehacks

Adding your personal programming projects to your resume is a good strategy to highlight your skills, showcase achievements, and stand out from the competition, especially if you are a newcomer to the field of IT. However, there are some pitfalls you should avoid. Below are some winning tips and life hacks that will help you improve your resume, balance personal project development with job search, and attract your future employee’s attention.

Focus on Your Core Skills

You undoubtedly have enough skills to create any projects listed above; however, you should stick only to the most suitable ones. Unfortunately, if you create ten different projects that require entirely different skills, this will not improve your resume . It will give the impression that you do not know what you do best and just try everything.

For example, if you are an iOS developer, there is no point in creating an Android mobile app to add to your resume. Instead, pick up the ideas that suit your knowledge, skills, and competencies best, then focus on the overall quality of your personal projects.

Don’t Bite off More Than You Can Chew

Your passion for software projects and development is undoubtedly good, but you need to assess your strengths sensibly. Cool and popular projects are created by whole teams of specialists from different fields, but you will have to act alone when creating your personal project.

Therefore, before you get to work, make sure you can handle what you have in mind. Start by being clear about the skills you need to complete the project and anticipate potential pitfalls.

For example, if you are a good Python programmer but feel you lack UI design skills, prepare educational materials to find answers and find useful forums where you can ask for help in advance.

Manage Your Time

Looking for a new or first job is time-consuming. You should do a lot of preparatory work, research the open positions, and personally get in touch with each company you are interested in working. Therefore, you need to plan your time correctly and maintain an optimal balance. For example, you might spend three hours a day developing your personal project, and after that, devote three hours to finding new jobs, improving your resume, and writing cover letters .

Show Your Problem-Solving Abilities

Don't create your personal projects just to fill in blank lines on your resume. Templated solutions that are too simple, like a blog quickly designed on Wix, will not surprise your employer but rather spoil the experience. Instead, solve a specific user problem, even if it is hypothetical.

Make Your Code Accessible

GitHub is the best place to store your code, share it with other programmers, and ask the more experienced professionals to give you feedback. This is also a good place for your personal projects. At the technical interview stage, the team lead will definitely ask you to talk about your professional and personal projects and show the code you created.

Prompt! Make sure your code is easy to read and understand, do not create spaghetti - for this, ask other GitHub community members for an opinion before you show your code to a potential employer.

Showcase Your Projects on Your Resume

Once your projects are in place, it's time to add them to your resume to amplify a positive impression and show your best abilities right away. How to add programming projects to your resume?

To do this, you need to include a new section titled Personal Project and list them in the following sequence:

• The name of the project - for example, a Weather App for Android
• The set of technologies been used - for example, Java, Weather API
• The set of skills - for example, general programming, database management, API integration

Optionally, you may track the time needed to create each of the projects and specify the timing to let your potential employee evaluate your working speed and the quality of the code you create.

Get More Attention With the Help of a Cover Letter

Having a logical, structured, and beautiful resume that reflects your personal and professional projects is half the battle in the hiring process. However, you can do one more thing to increase your chances of being interviewed and hired —a cover letter that you send every time you offer your candidacy for a position.

With the help of a cover letter, you show yourself as a candidate who is really interested in working for this particular company. This is an excellent opportunity for you to say the most important things about your skills, abilities, and competencies and explain to a potential employer why you are a great candidate for an open position.

However, writing code and writing persuasive texts are not the same things. That is why creating an eye-catching cover letter with the help of our automated solution will be a better strategy.

The IT industry is dynamic and rapidly growing. There is a free space for everyone who is open to new knowledge and innovations and is ready to learn on the go. What's more, the industry is hiring the best talents, as only the best can innovate by solving problems in new ways. Feel like you want to belong to this industry? You already know what to do.

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Can’t Find Eclipse Glasses? Here’s What to Do.

You can watch a projection of the eclipse using some common household items.

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By Katrina Miller

Follow our live updates on the total solar eclipse .

Reliable paper-framed glasses are by far the most popular option for safely watching the total solar eclipse on Monday. But they’ve gotten more difficult to find in some places ahead of the event.

If you’ve checked everywhere — your local planetarium, public library and even online — fear not: There is still a way to watch the eclipse safely, using items around the house. Here are a few options.

Use your hands

Palms up, position one hand over the other at a 90-degree angle. Open your fingers slightly in a waffle pattern, and allow sunlight to stream through the spaces onto the ground, or another surface. During the eclipse, you will see a projection of the moon obscuring the surface of the sun.

This method works with anything with holes, such as a straw hat, a strainer, a cheese grater or even a perforated spoon. You will also notice this effect when light from the partially eclipsed sun streams through leaves on a tree.

Set up a cardstock screen

For this option, you need a couple of white index cards or two sheets of cardstock paper. First, punch a small hole in the middle of one of the cards using a thumbtack or a pin.

Then, facing away from the sun, allow light to stream through this pinhole. Position the second card underneath to function as a screen. Adjust the spacing between the two cards to make the projection of the sun larger or smaller.

Make a box projector

If you’re up for a bit of crafting, you can make a more sophisticated pinhole projector . Start with a cardboard box — empty cereal boxes are often used, but you can use a larger box, too. You’ll also need scissors, white paper, tape, aluminum foil and a pin or thumbtack.

Cut the piece of paper to fit the inside bottom of the cardboard box to act as a screen. Use tape to hold it in place.

On the top of the box, cut two rectangular holes on either side. (The middle should be left intact — you can use tape to secure this if needed.)

Tape a piece of aluminum foil over one of the rectangular cutouts. Punch a tiny hole in the middle of the foil with the tack or pin. The other cutout will serve as a view hole.

With your back to the sun, position the foil side of the box over your shoulder, letting light stream through the pinhole. An image of the sun will project onto the screen at the bottom of the box, which you can see through the view hole. A bigger box will create a bigger image.

Enjoy the show through any of these makeshift pinholes. And remember, during totality, you can view the sun directly with your naked eye. But you should stop looking at the sun as soon as it reappears.

Katrina Miller is a science reporting fellow for The Times. She recently earned her Ph.D. in particle physics from the University of Chicago. More about Katrina Miller