I've looked at thousands of GitHub profiles. Most are wastelands of half-finished tutorials and abandoned repos. But every so often, I see a side project that makes me think "I need to talk to this person." Here's the difference between projects that get ignored and projects that get you hired.
What Actually Impresses Recruiters
Let me be direct: we don't care that you built a todo app or a weather API wrapper. We've seen those 10,000 times. What catches our attention:
1. It Solves a Real Problem
The best projects solve problems you actually had. Not theoretical problems. Real ones.
Good Example:
"I was tired of manually tracking my stock portfolio across 3 platforms, so I built a dashboard that aggregates them all with real-time updates."
Bad Example:
"I built a todo app to learn React."
2. It Has Real Users
Even if it's just 50 people using it, that's validation. It means you had to handle:
- Edge cases you didn't think of
- Feature requests and prioritization
- Bug reports and fixes
- User feedback and iteration
A project with 100 active users is infinitely more impressive than a polished demo with zero users.
3. The Code Quality Is Production-Grade
We don't need perfect code. But we need to see:
- Tests (even basic ones show you care about quality)
- Error handling (not just happy path)
- Readable code (naming, structure, comments where needed)
- Some architectural thinking (separation of concerns)
4. You Can Explain Technical Decisions
When I ask "Why did you choose PostgreSQL over MongoDB?" I want to hear trade-offs, not "I just used what I knew." Best side projects have design docs or READMEs that explain architectural choices.
5. It Shows Technical Depth
You don't need to use every hot new framework. But show depth in something:
- Performance optimization (reduced load time from X to Y)
- Scalability (handles N concurrent users)
- Complex algorithms (implemented X to solve Y problem)
- System design (microservices, caching, queues)
Project Ideas That Actually Work
Forget tutorial projects. Here are categories that consistently impress:
Developer Tools
Tools that make developers' lives easier are gold. Why? They show you understand developer pain points.
Examples:
- • CLI tool that automates a common workflow
- • VSCode extension for a specific use case
- • Linter or code formatter for a niche language
- • Testing framework or assertion library
- • Developer dashboard for monitoring/debugging
Data Projects
Collect, analyze, or visualize interesting data. Shows technical chops + domain curiosity.
Examples:
- • Scrape and analyze trends in X industry
- • Build a dashboard visualizing public datasets
- • Create a prediction model for Y outcome
- • Track and compare metrics across platforms
- • Real-time monitoring of changes in data sources
Open Source Contributions
Contributing to established projects shows you can work in large codebases and collaborate.
How to Stand Out:
- • Don't just fix typos - solve real issues
- • Add meaningful features or optimizations
- • Contribute to tools you actually use
- • Document your thought process in PRs
- • Show sustained contribution over time
SaaS/Products
Building a complete product (even simple) shows end-to-end ownership.
Examples:
- • Chrome extension solving a specific problem
- • Mobile app with real users
- • Web app that automates something tedious
- • API service that provides useful data
- • Platform connecting people/services
Infrastructure/Systems
Deep technical projects that show you understand how things work under the hood.
Examples:
- • Build a simple database or cache from scratch
- • Create a mini container runtime
- • Write a basic web server/framework
- • Implement a distributed system concept
- • Build your own version of X tool (simplified)
The README That Gets You Hired
Your code might be brilliant, but if your README sucks, nobody will care. Here's the structure that works:
1. Hook (2-3 sentences)
What problem does this solve? Why should anyone care?
"Ever tried to compare stock performance across different exchanges? It's a nightmare. StockSync aggregates real-time data from 5+ sources into one dashboard."
2. Demo
Show, don't tell. GIF, screenshot, or live demo link. Make it visual.
3. Key Features
Bullet points. What can it do? Focus on 3-5 core features.
- • Real-time data sync from 5 exchanges
- • Customizable alerts via email/SMS
- • Historical trend analysis
4. Tech Stack
List the main technologies. This helps with recruiter keyword searches.
5. Architecture (Optional but Impressive)
A simple diagram or explanation of how it works. Shows systems thinking.
6. Quick Start
Can I run this locally in under 5 minutes? If not, fix that.
7. Challenges & Learnings
This is GOLD. What was hard? How did you solve it? What would you do differently?
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Project
No README or Generic README
"This is my project" doesn't cut it. If I can't understand what you built in 30 seconds, I'm moving on.
Following Tutorial Code Exactly
We can tell when you just followed a YouTube tutorial. Add your own features, refactor things, make it yours.
Incomplete Projects Everywhere
15 repos, all half-finished. Pick 2-3 and actually complete them. Archive or delete the rest.
Messy Git History
Commit messages like "fix", "update", "asdf" signal amateur. Write descriptive commits: "Add user authentication with JWT" or "Fix memory leak in data processor"
No Tests Whatsoever
You don't need 100% coverage. But zero tests? That tells me you don't care about quality or maintainability.
Using Every New Framework
One project in React, one in Vue, one in Svelte, one in Angular. Pick a stack and go deep. Breadth doesn't impress - depth does.
Overly Complex for No Reason
Using microservices, Kubernetes, and event sourcing for a simple CRUD app? That's not impressive - it shows poor judgment about appropriate tech choices.
How to Talk About Your Projects in Interviews
The STAR Framework (But for Projects)
Situation
"I noticed that tracking expenses across multiple credit cards was tedious..."
Task
"So I set out to build an automated expense tracker that could..."
Action
"I used Plaid API for bank connections, built the backend in Node.js with PostgreSQL, and created a React dashboard. The hardest part was handling duplicate transactions, which I solved by..."
Result
"Now 200 people use it monthly, and I've reduced my own expense tracking time from 2 hours/month to 10 minutes."
Be Ready to Go Deep
Interviewers will probe. Be prepared to answer:
- "Why did you choose X over Y?"
- "What was the hardest bug you encountered?"
- "How would you scale this to 1M users?"
- "What would you do differently if you rebuilt it?"
- "Walk me through the architecture"
If you can't answer these about your own project, that's a red flag.
The ROI of Side Projects
Let's be real about time investment:
Worth It When:
- You're early career and need portfolio work
- You're pivoting to a new tech stack
- You're currently job searching
- You're learning something that helps your day job
- You genuinely enjoy building it
Not Worth It When:
- Your day job is already impressive (Senior+ at top companies)
- You're burning out trying to do both
- It's pure resume padding with no learning or enjoyment
- You could be studying algorithms/system design instead
- Family/health is suffering
A side project should either teach you something valuable, solve a real problem, or bring you joy. Ideally all three. If it's just for your resume, you'll burn out and the project will suck anyway.
Real Examples That Got People Hired
Here are actual projects from engineers I hired:
CLI Tool for AWS Cost Optimization
Analyzed AWS bills and recommended savings opportunities. 500+ stars on GitHub.
Why it worked:
Solved a real pain point, clean documentation, active maintenance, and showed deep AWS knowledge.
Chrome Extension for Code Review
Enhanced GitHub's code review UI with keyboard shortcuts and custom filters. 2K users.
Why it worked:
Real users, regular updates based on feedback, showed understanding of developer workflows.
ML Model for Housing Price Prediction
Scraped real estate data, built prediction model, deployed as API. Complete with blog post explaining approach.
Why it worked:
End-to-end data pipeline, thoughtful feature engineering, production deployment, great documentation.
Mini Database Engine in Rust
Built a simplified key-value store with basic SQL support. No users, just learning project.
Why it worked:
Deep technical project showing systems knowledge, well-documented design decisions, clear learning goals.
The Bottom Line
Side projects aren't about proving you can code - your job already proves that. They're about showing:
- Initiative: You build things without being told to
- Curiosity: You're learning beyond your job requirements
- Judgment: You can identify worthwhile problems and appropriate solutions
- Execution: You can take an idea from concept to completion
One excellent project beats ten mediocre ones. Build something real, document it well, and be able to talk about it deeply. That's what gets you noticed.