ResumeHow to write projects and internships in a resume
For a fresher, the project section does the work that job history does for others. Write it as work, because it was.
What to include
- Internships, summer training, in-plant training and apprenticeships.
- The final year project and one or two other substantial ones.
- Live projects done for a real business or client.
- Personal projects: an app, a website, a small business, a research survey, a design portfolio.
- Competitions and hackathons where something was built.
Two or three items described well are better than six listed by title. Choose those nearest to the job you want.
How to write each one
Line 1: Title, then where or with what, then the period. "Library Seat Booking App | React, Node.js, PostgreSQL | Aug to Nov 2025". "Accounts Intern, a CA firm, Pune | May to Jun 2025".
Then two to four points, each answering one of these:
- What was it for? One line a stranger can understand.
- What did you do? In a group project, your own part.
- With what tools or methods?
- How big was it? Users, data, components, people surveyed, parts made.
- What came of it? It worked, it was used, it was marked, it changed something.
Project: Inventory Management System using Java and MySQL.
Inventory System for a Stationery Shop | Java, MySQL
Built a desktop program that records stock in and out for about 400 items and warns when an item falls below its reorder level. Designed the database and wrote the billing screen; the shop used it for a two week trial.
Examples by stream
- Commerce: Studied the working capital of a local garment retailer over two years; calculated liquidity and turnover ratios and suggested a shorter credit period for two slow-paying customers.
- Management: Surveyed 210 customers of a bakery on a 12 question form; found evening stock-outs were the main complaint, and the owner extended baking hours.
- Mechanical: Designed and fabricated a pedal-operated hacksaw; did the welding and assembly; the model cut a 20 mm mild steel bar in the demonstration.
- Civil: Prepared the estimate and bar bending schedule for a two storey residence from the structural drawings, as part of site training.
- Electrical: Built a single-phase motor protection circuit that trips on overload; tested it on a 1 HP motor in the college lab.
- Computer science: Wrote a REST API with 12 endpoints for splitting shared expenses; added unit tests covering 20 cases.
- Science: Tested water samples from eight borewells in the district for hardness and pH; presented the results at the college science day.
- Arts and social work: Interviewed 40 street vendors on access to bank credit for a sociology dissertation; summarised findings in a 30 page report.
- Education: Taught 40 lessons to Classes 6 to 8 during teaching practice; made a set of low-cost models for the chapter on light.
Internships: write them like jobs
Give the role, the organisation (or its type, if you prefer not to name it), the place and the dates. Then points with action words and numbers, exactly as on the experience points page. Even routine tasks count when stated plainly: "Filed and indexed client bills", "Updated 400 employee records". If the internship was long or was real paid work, you can place it under Work experience instead.
Group projects
Say the team size and your part. "Team of four; I designed the database and wrote the billing screen." Interviewers always ask "what exactly did you do?", and a resume that has already answered it makes a good impression. Never claim the whole of a shared project.
Online courses and their projects
A project you built by following a tutorial step by step is not really yours. If you changed or extended it, describe the part you added. Otherwise list the course under certificates and build something small of your own to put here.
Links
If the work can be seen (a code repository, a website, a portfolio, a published report), add one short link in your contact line. Check that it opens without logging in, and that what it shows is finished enough to be seen.
If you have nothing yet
You can make a project in two or three weeks. Keep the books of a relative's shop for a month in a spreadsheet. Build a one-page website for a local business. Survey fifty people on a question in your subject and write up the result. Small and real is far better than large and imaginary, and it gives you something true to talk about in the interview.
Questions people ask
How many projects should I put on my resume?
Two or three that you know thoroughly and that relate to the job. Describe each in two to four points.
Can I include a group project?
Yes. State the team size and describe your own part clearly.
Should I name the company where I interned?
Usually yes. If you would rather not, describe it by type and city, such as "a CA firm, Pune".
More guides
Sample resumes
General guidance. This page gives general suggestions on writing a resume, reviewed in November 2026. Employers differ: if an advertisement or application form asks for a particular format or detail, follow it. Every name, employer and college in our examples is invented. Nothing here promises an interview or a job.