Should You Add Projects to Your CV?

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1. The Problem

I was reviewing for software engineering roles, and at some point I noticed something uncomfortable: my CV had almost no personal projects.

I had professional experience, but there wasn't much I could point to and say, "I built this."

That made me think about whether adding personal projects to a CV is actually important.I also think projects can help fill some gaps in your resume, especially because recruiters often spend only a short amount of time reviewing a resume.

2. Why Work Experience Isn't Always Enough

Professional experience shows that you can work in a team, contribute to a real product, and work with production systems.

But a personal project can show something different: how you approach a problem and build something independently.

There is also another problem. Most developers work with private repos at their jobs. Their contributions, architecture decisions, and day-to-day work aren't publicly visible.

So even if you have several years of professional experience, a recruiter looking at your GitHub might not see much.

A personal project gives them something concrete to look at:

• GitHub repository → How do you write and organize code?
• README → Can you explain what you built?
• Live demo → Can you take an idea and turn it into something usable?
• Tests / Git history → How did you develop and maintain it?

Of course, a project doesn't replace professional experience. But it can give recruiters and hiring managers another way to understand your technical skills.

3. What Makes a Project Worth Adding to a CV?

I don't think every project belongs on a CV.

For example:

• Tutorial clone ❌
• Calculator/weather app with no additional value ❌
• Abandoned repository ❌
• A project copied entirely from an AI tool ❌

Instead, I'd look for a few things:

• Solves a real problem ✅
• Has a clear README ✅
• Has a live demo, if possible ✅
• Demonstrates relevant technologies ✅
• Has meaningful Git history, issues, or tests ✅

I think the main purpose is to have something worth showing.

And that's where I found myself asking another question:

What should I actually build?

To be continued...