Should I put my GitHub on my resume if it's mostly empty?

Include the link if at least your featured projects are there and readable. If your profile is nearly empty and your best work is private, you can leave it off and describe the work in your Experience section instead.

Do recruiters actually look at GitHub?

Recruiters often only glance at it; engineers on the interview panel are more likely to open a repository you've featured. That's why the projects you list should be the ones you're happy to have read.

Should I list GitHub stars?

Only when they're meaningful, typically dozens or more, or when combined with real usage. Small numbers don't add much; describing who uses the project is often stronger.

What projects should I put on my resume?

Two or three that match the job: something deployed with real users, something that shows the stack in the posting, or a meaningful open-source contribution. Front end roles favour live UIs, backend roles favour APIs and data, data roles favour analyses with a clear finding.

What are good computer science projects for a resume?

Projects that solve a real problem and are finished: a deployed web app with users, a tool other students use, a systems project like a small database or compiler, or a data project with a clear finding.

How to put GitHub projects on a software engineer resume

By Mubeen Jawed, founder of ResumeForDev · Updated November 7, 2026

Short answer

Put your GitHub profile link in the resume header, then list two or three of your strongest repositories in a Projects section: project name, a one-line tech stack, and 1–3 bullets on what it does, what was technically interesting, and evidence of use (users, stars, downloads, a live URL). Pick projects with a real problem and a clear README over tutorial clones, and list open-source contributions by what you added and whether it was merged.

Key points

GitHub link in the header; individual repo links only for featured projects.
Two or three strong projects beat eight small ones.
Describe the problem and your decisions, not just the stack.
Before applying, pin those repos and make sure each has a README.

Which projects to choose

Deciding which GitHub projects belong on your resume
Include it if…	Leave it off if…
Someone other than you uses it	It's an unfinished starter or empty repo
It solves a real problem you had	It's a straight copy of a tutorial
It uses the stack the job asks for	The stack is unrelated and the project is small
It has a README, tests or a live demo	The code is something you'd rather not discuss
You made notable contributions to someone else's project	Your only contribution was a typo fix

How to format a project entry

In the Jake-style layout, a project line has the name in bold, the stack in italics, and the date on the right, followed by bullets. Keep the repository link short (github.com/you/project) or link the project name in the PDF.

Before and after

Before:pg-backup-tool: a tool for backups. Python, Docker.

After:Wrote an open-source CLI in Python that streams PostgreSQL backups to S3 with incremental snapshots and restore verification; 420 GitHub stars and used in production by three companies that opened issues.

Listing open-source contributions

Name the project, what you added, and that it was merged: “Added streaming response support to the HTTP client (merged, shipped in v3.2)”.
Group many small contributions to one project into a single entry.
Well-known projects can go in Experience if your involvement was sustained, like a maintainer role.

Clean up GitHub before you apply

Pin the repos you put on the resume.
Give each a README: what it does, how to run it, a screenshot, and why you made the choices you did.
Archive or make private anything embarrassing or abandoned that's prominent.
Check that the live demo links still work.

ResumeForDev's contact check gives points for a GitHub link in your header, and its Projects step asks follow-ups about users and stack so each project gets bullets with real evidence. Self-taught? See the self-taught developer resume guide.

Frequently asked questions

Should I put my GitHub on my resume if it's mostly empty?: Include the link if at least your featured projects are there and readable. If your profile is nearly empty and your best work is private, you can leave it off and describe the work in your Experience section instead.
Do recruiters actually look at GitHub?: Recruiters often only glance at it; engineers on the interview panel are more likely to open a repository you've featured. That's why the projects you list should be the ones you're happy to have read.
Should I list GitHub stars?: Only when they're meaningful, typically dozens or more, or when combined with real usage. Small numbers don't add much; describing who uses the project is often stronger.
What projects should I put on my resume?: Two or three that match the job: something deployed with real users, something that shows the stack in the posting, or a meaningful open-source contribution. Front end roles favour live UIs, backend roles favour APIs and data, data roles favour analyses with a clear finding.
What are good computer science projects for a resume?: Projects that solve a real problem and are finished: a deployed web app with users, a tool other students use, a systems project like a small database or compiler, or a data project with a clear finding.