Project-Based Experience: How to Format Side Projects on Your Resume

Introduction

A client came to me frustrated. She had built a Chrome extension used by 10,000+ people, contributed to three major open source projects, and designed a complete UI overhaul for a nonprofit—all while working full-time.

None of it was on her resume.

When I asked why, she said: "It's not real work. I wasn't paid."

This is the most expensive resume mistake people make. Side projects are real experience—if you package them correctly. The problem isn't legitimacy; it's formatting. Most people bury side projects in a vague "Projects" section with no dates, no context, and no metrics. Or they omit them entirely because they don't know where they belong.

Here's the truth: recruiters don't care if you were paid. They care about impact, skill demonstration, and proof of initiative. A side project that shipped real value beats a full-time job title where you did nothing measurable.

This guide shows you exactly how to format side projects—freelance work, open source contributions, personal builds, pro bono work—so they count as legitimate experience. For the complete methodology on translating any experience into resume-worthy content, see our Ultimate Experience Translation Guide.

When Side Projects Count as Real Experience

Not all side projects belong on your resume. Here's the filter:

Include a side project if it meets at least 2 of these criteria:

Exclude a side project if:

Example: Include vs Exclude

Project	Include?	Why?
Built a task management SaaS with 500 active users	✅ Yes	Measurable impact, demonstrates full-stack skills, shows initiative
Completed a Udemy React tutorial	❌ No	No original contribution, no measurable outcome
Contributed 15 merged PRs to TensorFlow	✅ Yes	Social proof, demonstrates expertise, relevant to ML roles
Started a blog with 3 posts and no traffic	❌ No	No measurable impact, incomplete execution
Designed a nonprofit website used by 1,000+ visitors/month	✅ Yes	Measurable impact, demonstrates design + web skills, shows initiative

The rule: If you can't quantify the impact or demonstrate a relevant skill, it doesn't belong on your resume.

Where to Place Side Projects on Your Resume

You have three options, depending on the strength and relevance of your projects:

Option 1: Dedicated "Projects" Section (Best for Career Switchers, Juniors, or Gap Fillers)

When to use:

• You're transitioning careers and side projects are more relevant than your employment history
• You're a recent graduate and your projects are stronger than limited work experience
• You have an employment gap and built significant projects during that time

Placement: After Professional Summary, before or after Experience (depending on which is stronger)

Example Structure:

PROJECTS

Personal Finance Tracker (React, Node.js, PostgreSQL)
Founder & Lead Developer | Jan 2025 - Present
- Built full-stack budgeting app serving 2,000+ active users across 15 countries
- Achieved 40% user retention after 30 days through automated expense categorization
- Integrated Plaid API for bank syncing, reducing manual entry time by 70%

Open Source: Kubernetes Documentation
Contributing Technical Writer | Mar 2024 - Dec 2024
- Authored 12 merged PRs improving onboarding documentation for new contributors
- Reduced new contributor setup time by 30% based on maintainer feedback survey

Key formatting rules:

• Treat each project like a job entry: Name (bolded), your role/title, date range
• Include 2-4 bullet points with metrics and outcomes
• Use active ownership language: "Built," "Led," "Designed," not "Helped with"

Option 2: Integrated into "Experience" Section (Best for Freelancers or Active Side Hustles)

When to use:

• You have consistent freelance work that generates income
• Your side hustle is as legitimate as your full-time roles
• You want to show continuous activity across multiple revenue streams

Example Structure:

EXPERIENCE

Senior Product Designer
TechCorp Inc. | Jan 2023 - Present
[standard bullets]

Freelance UX Consultant
Self-Employed | Jun 2022 - Present
- Redesigned checkout flow for e-commerce client, increasing conversion by 18%
- Delivered branding and UI design for 5 SaaS startups (pre-seed to Series A)
- Managed end-to-end client relationships, scoping, and delivery across 12 projects

Frontend Developer
StartupXYZ | Mar 2021 - Dec 2022
[standard bullets]

Key formatting rules:

• Use a professional title: "Freelance [Role]," "Independent Consultant," "Founder," not "Side Project Owner"
• If you have multiple freelance clients, create ONE entry spanning the full date range, then list major clients or project types as bullets
• Focus on deliverables and client outcomes, not just tasks

Option 3: Hybrid Approach (Best for Experienced Professionals with Selective Projects)

When to use:

• You have solid full-time employment history but want to showcase 1-2 standout projects
• Your side projects demonstrate skills not visible in your day job
• You want to show technical depth or thought leadership

Example Structure:

EXPERIENCE
[Full-time roles listed first]

SELECTED PROJECTS

AI-Powered Resume Analyzer (Python, OpenAI API, Flask)
Personal Project | Sep 2024 - Jan 2025
- Built machine learning tool that scores resumes against job descriptions with 85% accuracy
- Processed 500+ resumes in beta testing phase, generating actionable feedback reports
- Published methodology in blog post viewed by 10,000+ readers, featured in 3 newsletters

Key formatting rules:

• Limit to 1-3 most impressive projects to avoid diluting your professional experience
• Place this section after Experience and before Education
• Use the same formatting as job entries (title, role, dates, bullets)

How to Format Different Types of Side Projects

Freelance/Consulting Work

Challenge: You have 10+ freelance clients over 3 years. Listing each one wastes space.

Solution: Create ONE "Freelance [Role]" entry that spans your freelance period, then either:

• List major clients as sub-bullets if they're recognizable names
• Group by project type or industry if clients aren't well-known

Example: Listing Major Clients

Freelance Marketing Consultant
Self-Employed | Jan 2023 - Present
- Clients include: Shopify (content strategy), Buffer (email campaigns), and 3 early-stage SaaS startups
- Increased organic traffic by 40% on average through SEO-optimized blog content
- Managed $50K+ in ad spend across Google, Meta, and LinkedIn campaigns

Example: Grouping by Project Type

Freelance Web Developer
Self-Employed | Jun 2022 - Present
- E-commerce builds: Delivered 5 Shopify storefronts with custom checkout flows, averaging $200K annual GMV
- SaaS MVPs: Built 3 React-based dashboards for early-stage startups, 2 of which secured funding
- Maintenance contracts: Manage ongoing updates for 8 clients, ensuring 99.5% uptime

What to avoid:

• ❌ Listing every single client as a separate job entry
• ❌ Using "Various Clients" without any specificity
• ❌ Focusing on tasks ("Built websites") instead of outcomes ("Increased conversion by 25%")

Open Source Contributions

Challenge: Open source work is often scattered across multiple projects with unclear impact.

Solution: Format by either:

• Project name (if you contributed significantly to one major project)
• "Open Source Contributor" (if you spread contributions across multiple projects)

Example: Single Project Focus

Next.js Framework - Core Contributor
Open Source Developer | Mar 2024 - Present
- Merged 22 PRs improving TypeScript support and dev server performance
- Reduced development build time by 15% through optimized file watching logic
- Maintained documentation for Server Components, used by 2M+ developers

Example: Multiple Projects

Open Source Contributor (React, Vue, Tailwind CSS ecosystems)
Software Engineer | Jan 2023 - Present
- 50+ merged PRs across React Router, Vuex, and Tailwind UI projects
- Fixed critical accessibility bug affecting 100K+ users in React Router v6
- Contributed to 5 major releases, including documentation and test coverage improvements

What to include:

• Number of merged PRs or commits
• Impact of your contributions (users affected, performance gains, features added)
• Maintainer feedback or recognition (if publicly available)

What to avoid:

• ❌ Just listing repository names with no context
• ❌ Claiming ownership of a project you only filed issues for
• ❌ Using vague impact: "Improved codebase" (improved how? measured how?)

Personal Projects (SaaS, Apps, Tools)

Challenge: Personal projects often lack the "legitimacy" signal of a company name.

Solution: Treat your project like a startup. Use a founder or lead role title, include metrics, and show execution.

Example: SaaS Product

BudgetFlow - Personal Finance SaaS
Founder & Full-Stack Developer | Aug 2024 - Present
- Launched MVP in 6 weeks using Next.js, Supabase, and Stripe for subscription billing
- Acquired 1,200 users through ProductHunt launch (ranked #3 Product of the Day)
- Achieved $2,400 MRR within 4 months through freemium pricing model
- Tech stack: React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, Stripe, AWS

Example: Developer Tool

CodeSnap - VS Code Extension for Screenshot Sharing
Creator & Maintainer | Jan 2023 - Present
- Published extension with 50,000+ installs and 4.8-star rating (200+ reviews)
- Featured in VS Code marketplace "Editor's Pick" category
- Reduced screenshot workflow time by 80% through one-click capture and upload

What to include:

• User metrics: Downloads, active users, revenue, engagement rates
• Launch/traction milestones: Featured placements, community recognition, press mentions
• Technical scope: Tech stack, key features, challenges solved

What to avoid:

• ❌ Listing projects that never launched or have zero users
• ❌ Overstating impact: "Built the next Facebook" when you have 10 signups
• ❌ Hiding the fact it's personal work (own it—side projects show initiative)

Pro Bono or Volunteer Work

Challenge: Volunteer work can signal "unpaid = less legitimate."

Solution: Frame by impact and role, not compensation. Lead with the outcome, not the fact it was volunteer.

Example: Nonprofit Work

Design Lead - Local Food Bank Website Redesign
Volunteer Project | Mar 2024 - Jun 2024
- Redesigned donation flow, increasing online contributions by 35% ($50K additional revenue)
- Led 3-person design team through user research, wireframing, and usability testing
- Delivered fully responsive site serving 5,000+ monthly visitors

When to include volunteer work:

• ✅ You delivered measurable impact (increased donations, improved process efficiency, trained users)
• ✅ You held a leadership or specialized role (not just "general volunteer")
• ✅ It demonstrates a skill gap in your work experience

What to avoid:

• ❌ Using "Volunteer" in the title if it diminishes perceived legitimacy (use "Design Lead" not "Volunteer Designer")
• ❌ Listing volunteer work with no measurable outcomes
• ❌ Including outdated or irrelevant volunteer experience

Course Projects or Bootcamp Builds

Challenge: Most course projects are identical across hundreds of students. They signal learning, not execution.

Solution: Only include a course project if you significantly expanded it beyond the tutorial.

Example: Acceptable Course Project

AI Chatbot for Mental Health Check-Ins (Capstone Project)
Developer | Aug 2024 - Dec 2024
- Expanded bootcamp chatbot template to include sentiment analysis and crisis detection
- Integrated Twilio API for SMS-based check-ins, serving 50 beta testers
- Achieved 80% user satisfaction score based on post-interaction surveys

What makes this acceptable:

• It went beyond the original template (added features, integrated APIs, served real users)
• It has measurable outcomes (50 beta testers, 80% satisfaction)
• It demonstrates initiative (expanded scope, shipped to real users)

What to avoid:

• ❌ Listing a project that's identical to the tutorial ("Built a to-do list app in React")
• ❌ No original contribution or user testing
• ❌ Using it as a space filler when you have better experience

Formatting Rules for All Side Projects

Regardless of project type, follow these universal formatting standards:

1. Job Title Format

Use titles that signal ownership and scope, not compensation status:

❌ Weak Titles	✅ Strong Titles
Personal Project Owner	Founder & Lead Developer
Freelancer	Freelance UX Consultant
Volunteer Web Designer	Design Lead (Pro Bono)
Side Gig	Independent Marketing Strategist
Open Source Helper	Core Contributor - [Project Name]

Why this matters: "Freelance UX Consultant" signals expertise and client work. "Freelancer" signals instability and lack of focus.

2. Date Ranges (Always Include Them)

Never list a project without dates. It signals that the project is either:

• Ancient (from 5 years ago, still on your resume for padding)
• Incomplete (you started it but never finished)
• Fabricated (you're hiding when it actually happened)

Examples:

3. Bullet Points (2-4 Per Project, Metrics Required)

Every bullet must answer: What did you build, for whom, with what result?

Formula: [Action Verb] + [What You Built/Did] + [For Whom/Context] + [Measured Outcome]

Examples:

4. Tech Stack (Optional but Valuable for Technical Roles)

If you're applying for developer, data, or technical roles, include the tech stack for each project:

Option A: Inline in Project Title

Personal Finance Tracker (React, Node.js, PostgreSQL)

Option B: As a final bullet point

- Tech stack: Next.js, Supabase, Stripe, AWS Lambda

When to include:

• Technical roles where the stack matters (frontend, backend, data, DevOps)
• You used modern or in-demand tech that aligns with the job posting

When to skip:

• Non-technical roles (marketing, sales, operations)
• The tech is irrelevant to the target role

Common Side Project Formatting Mistakes

Mistake 1: Vague "Projects" Section with No Structure

Bad Example:

PROJECTS
- Built a website
- Did some freelance work
- Contributed to open source

Why it fails:

• No dates (looks like padding)
• No metrics (no proof of impact)
• No context (what website? which clients? which projects?)

Good Example:

SELECTED PROJECTS

Personal Finance SaaS - Founder & Developer | Jan 2025 - Present
- Launched budgeting app serving 1,200 users, generating $2,400 MRR
- Achieved 40% user retention through automated categorization features

Mistake 2: Treating Side Projects Like Hobbies

Bad Example:

HOBBIES & INTERESTS
- I enjoy building websites in my free time

Why it fails:

• "Hobbies" signals leisure, not skill demonstration
• No measurable impact or professional framing

Good Example:

EXPERIENCE

Freelance Web Developer | Jun 2023 - Present
- Delivered 8 client websites, averaging $15K revenue per project

Mistake 3: Hiding the Best Projects in a Resume Footer

Bad Example:

[Full resume content]

Additional: I also built a Chrome extension with 10,000 users

Why it fails:

• Recruiters don't read footers or "Additional Information" sections
• Your best work should be front and center, not buried

Good Example:

PROJECTS [or EXPERIENCE]

Browser Productivity Extension - Creator | Mar 2024 - Present
- Published Chrome extension with 10,000+ active users and 4.7-star rating

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I include side projects if I have a strong employment history?

Yes, if they demonstrate skills not visible in your day job. For example, if you're a backend engineer by day but built a popular design tool, that shows full-stack capability and product thinking. Limit to 1-2 standout projects to avoid diluting your professional experience.

How do I list freelance work if I only had 2-3 clients?

List them individually if they were substantial engagements (6+ months, significant deliverables). If they were short-term projects, group them under one "Freelance Consultant" entry with client names or project types as bullets.

Do GitHub repos count as projects?

Only if they have meaningful usage or contribution activity. A repo with 5 stars and no commits in a year doesn't count. A repo with 1,000+ stars, active issues, and merged PRs from other contributors is legitimate experience.

Can I use side projects to explain employment gaps?

Absolutely. If you spent 6 months building a SaaS, contributing to open source, or doing freelance work during a gap, format those projects with specific date ranges. This shows continuous skill development, not inactivity.

Should I mention if a side project generated revenue?

Yes, especially if applying for product, growth, or entrepreneurial roles. Revenue signals market validation and execution capability. If your side project made $10K MRR, that's more impressive than many full-time jobs.

How do I avoid looking "unfocused" with too many side projects?

Quality over quantity. Limit your resume to 2-3 side projects that are directly relevant to your target role. If you have 10 side projects, pick the ones that best demonstrate the skills the employer cares about.

Final Thoughts

Side projects aren't a resume afterthought—they're proof of initiative, skill, and execution. The only difference between a "real job" and a "side project" is framing. If you treat your side work like professional experience—with clear titles, date ranges, and measurable outcomes—it becomes professional experience.

Stop apologizing for unpaid work. Stop hiding your freelance clients. Stop burying your open source contributions in a footnote.

Your side projects are real experience. Format them that way.