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How to create an attractive project for companies to consider it as work experience?
I am a senior in college and I would like to create a portfolio of projects that can help me get the job of my dreams, but I don't know where to start.
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12 answers
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Abby’s Answer
To create a project that companies will recognize as valuable work experience, start by identifying a real-world problem or need that interests you and is related to the field you want to pursue. For example, you might build a website for a local business, design an app, or create a digital art portfolio. Carefully plan your project, set clear goals, and keep track of your progress from beginning to end. Be sure to highlight the skills you used, such as teamwork, coding, design, or research, and clearly show the results or impact of your work.
When presenting your project, organize your work in a portfolio or on a simple website. Clearly explain what you did, why you chose the project, and what you learned along the way. Adding visuals, screenshots, or a short video will help make your project more engaging. This approach demonstrates your initiative and skills, giving companies a concrete example of your abilities and making your project stand out as meaningful experience.
When presenting your project, organize your work in a portfolio or on a simple website. Clearly explain what you did, why you chose the project, and what you learned along the way. Adding visuals, screenshots, or a short video will help make your project more engaging. This approach demonstrates your initiative and skills, giving companies a concrete example of your abilities and making your project stand out as meaningful experience.
Sandesh Gawali
Director of Enterprise Architecture, Product and Engineering
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Sandesh’s Answer
It's great that you're already thinking about how to stand out from other job applicants. I suggest you look for opportunities to volunteer in open-source projects. Even if you take on small roles, getting involved in these projects is valuable. Tech companies really appreciate contributions to open-source projects, and you can show your work to future hiring managers. Sometimes, these project teams create commercial versions of their projects, which can lead to big opportunities in promising tech startups.
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Tracy’s Answer
Hey! It's great to focus on projects that show real-world uses and highlight important skills. Working on things like sustainability or AI can really make a difference because they tackle big issues today. Even if your idea isn't perfect, a project that's easy to relate to and makes people think can inspire companies to dig deeper and see things in new ways.
Wishing you all the best and good luck! :)
Wishing you all the best and good luck! :)
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CHUNTING’s Answer
Hi Irving,
If you're in Mexico and thinking about your career, here are some ideas. If you want to work in IT, try projects in software development, data analysis, or web design. You could make a simple mobile app or build a website for a local business. If you're interested in marketing, think about creating a marketing campaign for a small local brand.
If you're in Mexico and thinking about your career, here are some ideas. If you want to work in IT, try projects in software development, data analysis, or web design. You could make a simple mobile app or build a website for a local business. If you're interested in marketing, think about creating a marketing campaign for a small local brand.
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Christian’s Answer
The best thing you can do is start a project (or several) that you're really interested in. For instance, if you love baking, consider creating a website for bakers. You could include features like ingredient conversions or adjusting recipe sizes (since not all ingredients can be halved).
If you're into bowling, think about making a bowling app. It could let users score each frame or predict the final score based on earlier frames. You might even make your own version of an existing website.
The project you choose is up to you. The reason I suggest picking something you're passionate about is that if it comes up in an interview, you'll be excited to discuss it. When I interview candidates, I always prefer those who show enthusiasm for their work.
Here are some tips for whatever you decide to build. Break your project into small parts that you can test individually. If you didn't learn about unit testing in school, it's a valuable skill to pick up. It's just as crucial as coding itself. Aim for low coupling and high cohesion in your code. I've seen many cases where a change in one part of the code affects something unrelated.
Most of all, have fun with it.
Good luck!
If you're into bowling, think about making a bowling app. It could let users score each frame or predict the final score based on earlier frames. You might even make your own version of an existing website.
The project you choose is up to you. The reason I suggest picking something you're passionate about is that if it comes up in an interview, you'll be excited to discuss it. When I interview candidates, I always prefer those who show enthusiasm for their work.
Here are some tips for whatever you decide to build. Break your project into small parts that you can test individually. If you didn't learn about unit testing in school, it's a valuable skill to pick up. It's just as crucial as coding itself. Aim for low coupling and high cohesion in your code. I've seen many cases where a change in one part of the code affects something unrelated.
Most of all, have fun with it.
Good luck!
Updated
Queenie’s Answer
Start by paying close attention to market gaps and real world problems- look for unmet needs or inefficiencies that you can address. Building a project around a genuine market demand shows you understand business priorities and are capable of delivering value, not just creating “nice to haves”. To strengthen this mindset, tap into proven frameworks that guide problem-solving and value creation. A great resource is the Disciplined Entrepreneurship method by Bill Ailey from MIT, which breaks down startup building into structured, actionable steps.
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Tejus’s Answer
That's a fantastic question to consider! Think about a project that truly excites you, ties into what you're learning in your degree, or tackles a problem you're keen to solve. The sweet spot could be a project that hits all three!
To really highlight this as experience, make sure you clearly define the problem you're addressing – why it matters to you, who will benefit, and what the potential positive outcomes are. If you can collaborate with peers, that's a great way to demonstrate teamwork and leadership (though not essential). Grounding your project's goals with some data will also show a strong, data-informed mindset. For this, I would recommend conducting a survey to show why you chose a specific project or idea, backed by numbers, not just intuition.
A well-structured project plan will demonstrate your ability to turn big ideas into actions. Be sure to outline your timelines, budget (if applicable), who your key stakeholders are, and the resources you utilized. Once you've completed your project, think about how you shared it with others and how you measured its reach – things like page views, document downloads, or time spent engaging with your work are excellent indicators.
You've got this!
To really highlight this as experience, make sure you clearly define the problem you're addressing – why it matters to you, who will benefit, and what the potential positive outcomes are. If you can collaborate with peers, that's a great way to demonstrate teamwork and leadership (though not essential). Grounding your project's goals with some data will also show a strong, data-informed mindset. For this, I would recommend conducting a survey to show why you chose a specific project or idea, backed by numbers, not just intuition.
A well-structured project plan will demonstrate your ability to turn big ideas into actions. Be sure to outline your timelines, budget (if applicable), who your key stakeholders are, and the resources you utilized. Once you've completed your project, think about how you shared it with others and how you measured its reach – things like page views, document downloads, or time spent engaging with your work are excellent indicators.
You've got this!
Updated
Ujala’s Answer
Hi Irving,
A wonderful starting point is to focus on an area of study you love. Think about real-life challenges in industries that interest you. These could involve analytics, creating an app, simplifying processes, or even sustainability.
The problems don't have to be huge, just genuine. Consider interning at companies to work on real-world situations. Break down the problems into small, manageable parts and develop a solution. As you do this, explore how your solution might apply to other industries or areas.
This is a great chance to showcase your skills and learn new ones. You've got this!
All the best!
A wonderful starting point is to focus on an area of study you love. Think about real-life challenges in industries that interest you. These could involve analytics, creating an app, simplifying processes, or even sustainability.
The problems don't have to be huge, just genuine. Consider interning at companies to work on real-world situations. Break down the problems into small, manageable parts and develop a solution. As you do this, explore how your solution might apply to other industries or areas.
This is a great chance to showcase your skills and learn new ones. You've got this!
All the best!
Updated
Teklemuz Ayenew’s Answer
To attract employers, create portfolio projects that resemble real-world applications and showcase relevant skills. Build projects based on the key skills and technologies listed in job postings, such as full-stack apps, scalable APIs, microservices, or interactive dashboards. Add creativity with AI-powered apps, browser extensions, or offline-first PWAs. Ensure your projects are production-ready with proper documentation, testing, and measurable impact. Deploy them for free on platforms like Vercel or Netlify and share live links with potential employers.
Use GitHub professionally with clean commits and branches, and share your development process through blog posts or LinkedIn to demonstrate communication skills. Networking is also key—connect with professionals on LinkedIn, attend meetups, conferences, and participate in hackathons to expand your network. Contribute to open-source projects to further showcase your collaboration skills. Additionally, consider virtual experiences like Forage, which offer hands-on, simulated projects from top companies, allowing you to gain relevant industry experience and showcase it on your resume. Present your work on a personal website, showcasing live demos, project descriptions, and links to your code. This approach not only turns your projects into credible work experience but also demonstrates your initiative, teamwork, and commitment to learning. Keep refining your work, engaging with the community, and leveraging virtual experiences, as each project and connection is a step closer to landing your dream job.
Use GitHub professionally with clean commits and branches, and share your development process through blog posts or LinkedIn to demonstrate communication skills. Networking is also key—connect with professionals on LinkedIn, attend meetups, conferences, and participate in hackathons to expand your network. Contribute to open-source projects to further showcase your collaboration skills. Additionally, consider virtual experiences like Forage, which offer hands-on, simulated projects from top companies, allowing you to gain relevant industry experience and showcase it on your resume. Present your work on a personal website, showcasing live demos, project descriptions, and links to your code. This approach not only turns your projects into credible work experience but also demonstrates your initiative, teamwork, and commitment to learning. Keep refining your work, engaging with the community, and leveraging virtual experiences, as each project and connection is a step closer to landing your dream job.
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Andres’s Answer
You could start a website or blog! Dive into different methods that catch your interest and write about them in your blog posts. Mix theory with practical examples to showcase the methods you're exploring using real-world data. This approach not only enhances your learning but also highlights your technical skills and writing talents. While it might not be considered traditional work experience, it provides companies with valuable insight into your skillset.
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Peng’s Answer
Hi Irving,
To create an attractive project that companies may consider as equivalent to work experience, focus on solving a real-world problem with measurable outcomes and clearly document your process from start to finish. Select a domain aligned with your career interest (e.g., food safety, analytics, supply chain, sustainability). Make sure you clearly explain what you did, why you did it, and what results you got. Share your work online on GitHub, LinkedIn, or a personal website so others can see it!
Do also search for case competitions to participate in your area. For example, Kaggle competitions to practise solving real data problems (https://www.kaggle.com/competitions). Many of these case competitions involves real world problems that individuals/companies are trying to solve and it is a great way to build your portfolio and stand out when applying for internships or jobs.
You've got this! :)
To create an attractive project that companies may consider as equivalent to work experience, focus on solving a real-world problem with measurable outcomes and clearly document your process from start to finish. Select a domain aligned with your career interest (e.g., food safety, analytics, supply chain, sustainability). Make sure you clearly explain what you did, why you did it, and what results you got. Share your work online on GitHub, LinkedIn, or a personal website so others can see it!
Do also search for case competitions to participate in your area. For example, Kaggle competitions to practise solving real data problems (https://www.kaggle.com/competitions). Many of these case competitions involves real world problems that individuals/companies are trying to solve and it is a great way to build your portfolio and stand out when applying for internships or jobs.
You've got this! :)
Updated
Jori’s Answer
Doing a free project for a nonprofit or small business is a great way to build your resume. It gives you real-world experience, shows that you can apply your skills outside the classroom, and demonstrates initiative. Whether you help design a website, set up a basic IT system, or create a social media plan, you’ll have a concrete example of your work to talk about in interviews or include in a portfolio. Plus, it’s a chance to make connections, learn how to work with clients, and make a positive impact in your community at the same time.