The goal of the Projects section of your CV is to showcase your practical experience, technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and your ability to apply your knowledge to real-world scenarios.
For students and graduates, it is a crucial section of your CV that will help you to make a great first impression and secure an interview.
Use the P.A.R. technique to write a Projects section that makes an impact on the hiring team.
P.A.R. stands for Problem, Action, Result. By using this method, you will write a Projects section that is focused on the results you achieved from the problems that you encountered.
Start by writing down a technical problem that you had to solve. This may be a slow database query or a critical bug. Then write down the action that you tool to solve the problem. For instance, you may have implemented Redis cache to reduce the load on the database. Finally, say what the result was from the action that you took. An example of a result is an API that is 500ms faster, or deployment time reduced by 20%.
Using this information, write a bullet point on your CV that summarises the action you took and the result that you achieved.
The P.A.R. technique is a great way to communicate the impact of your contributions in each project.
Here’s a breakdown of the P.A.R. technique.
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Problem: Focus on a significant challenge that you faced while working on a project. Think in terms of obstacles that you needed to overcome in order for the project to be a success. Be specific about the problem.
Action: Describe the actions that you took to solve the problem. Include the technologies that you used. You can also describe how you used transferable skills such as communication and problem-solving.
Result: Be specific about the result that was achieved from your actions. Including numbers and percentages is a great way to show the impact of your contributions. Results demonstrate the value that you can bring to an employer.
P.A.R. EXAMPLE #1
Problem: Security bug allowing non-authenticated user access to data
Action: Implemented OAuth authentication using Python and Flask framework. Used JWT for token based authentication
Result: Achieved a 100% success rate in preventing non-authenticated user access to protected data
P.A.R. EXAMPLE #2
Problem: System outages affecting application uptime and providing poor user experience
Action: Improved scalability of application using Redis Cache to cache frequently accessed data and reduce load on the database. Performed load testing and performance testing.
Result: Reduced application downtime by 80%, resulting in better user experience. Achieved 50% decrease in response times for frequently accessed database queries
P.A.R. EXAMPLE #3
Problem: Deployment process of application contains manual steps resulting in frequent errors and failed deployments
Action: Automated entire deployment process using GitHub Actions CI/CD pipelines and Powershell scripts. Integrated unit testing frameworks to validate application functionality prior to deployment.
Result: Achieved a 90% reduction in deployment errors and failed deployments, resulting in increased deployment reliability and stability. Decreased deployment time by 70%, allowing for faster delivery of application updates and bug fixes.
Now that you understand the P.A.R. technique, use it to write a Projects section that is engaging to read and focused on results. Define the problem clearly and use technical terms when describing the actions you took.
