How to include projects on your Resume A Fresh Graduate’s Guide

In today's competitive job market, simply listing your skills and education  isn't enough to make your resume stand out. Highlighting your project and accomplishments is a powerful way to demonstrate your value to potential employers. Accomplishments and projects show not only what you did but also how well you did it and the impact you had. In this article we will explain how you can include your accomplishments on your resume.

Why should your need to add accomplishments on your resume

Achievements, accomplishments and projects are great ways to show your deep knowledge in that particular field. It is mostly used to show your practical skills that you have applied during your education or job. Most of the organizations consider accomplishments is a good way to judge the people who are looking for the job role. It shows how deep knowledge is acquired by the people who want that job.

Here are some examples of how to articulate accomplishments as a fresh graduate:

Academic Projects:

• "Led a team of four in developing a mobile app for a class project, resulting in a 95% grade and positive feedback from the professor."

  
  

• "Conducted a comprehensive market analysis for a business course, identifying key trends and presenting findings to the class, earning top marks."

Internships:

• "Completed a three-month marketing internship at XYZ Company, where I created social media content that increased follower engagement by 20%."

  
  

• "Assisted in the development of a new filing system during my internship at ABC Corp, which reduced document retrieval times by 50%."

Extracurricular Activities:

• "Served as president of the university debate club, organizing events and leading the team to win regional competitions."

  
  

• "Volunteered as a coordinator for the annual charity run, raising over $5,000 for local nonprofits."

Skills and Certifications:

• "Certified in Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), demonstrating advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint."

  
  

• "Completed an online course in digital marketing, gaining skills in SEO, content creation, and analytics."

1. Understanding the Importance of Projects and Accomplishments

Accomplishments highlight your contributions and the results you achieved, setting you apart from other candidates. It showcase your impact and quantify your achievements

2. Identify Your Accomplishments

Reflect on your academic and extracurricular experiences to identify accomplishments. Consider: it could be your academic projects, internships, Extracurricular Activities, Awards and Recognition and Your technical skills and certifications.

3. Use the STAR Method

The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is a useful framework for articulating your accomplishments: 

• Situation: Describe the context or challenge you faced.

  
  

• Task: Explain the task you were responsible for.

  
  

• Action: Detail the specific actions you took to address the task.

  
  

• Result: Highlight the outcome of your actions, using quantifiable metrics where possible.

4. Where to Write achievements and accomplishments in your Resume

• Generally accomplishments are written at the end of the resume. Because in the above section there is already written your other details like: Contact information, profile summary, skills and education.

  
  

• Try to add small lines under your accomplishments. So it will easily add in one page.

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

When including accomplishments on your resume, avoid these common pitfalls:

• Vagueness: Be specific and provide context for your achievements.

  
  

• Overuse of Buzzwords: While it's important to use action verbs, avoid overloading your resume with jargon.

  
  

• Neglecting to Quantify: Whenever possible, use numbers to quantify your accomplishments.

Including accomplishments on your resume is a strategic way to highlight your potential to employers, even as a fresh graduate. By identifying key achievements, using the STAR method, and tailoring your resume to the job, you can create a compelling document that stands out in the competitive job market. Remember, your resume is often your first impression—make it count by showcasing what you have accomplished and the impact you can bring to your next role.