How to Put Hackathon On Resume: Short Guide

If you’ve ever taken part in a hackathon, you know just how much skill and knowledge are required to win at such an event. It takes a lot of teamwork and dedication to do well at a hackathon which is why a lot of people want to add it to their CVs.

Even if you’re from an industry other than software engineering, you can still be involved in a hackathon as there are plenty of roles like being a product manager, a communication manager, or a UX designer.

So, if you’ve ever taken part in a ‘hack attack’, should you put it on your CV?  And if you are preparing a hackathon resume, how exactly should you include this experience? We will go over all of these questions in this guide and provide some valuable information about how to put hackathon on resume and what things to focus on.

But First, What Is a Hackathon?

A hackathon is an event in which you have to design and develop a solution to a problem. The problems in such events are based around technology and software, and participants have to provide innovative solutions to the problems that are posed.

There is a time limit that has to be adhered to, so there is a lot of pressure on each team. As mentioned before, a hackathon team consists of more than just engineers. A lot of them have marketing managers and product managers, etc. too.

Should You Put Hackathon On Your Resume?

Answering this question is quite a lot easier than answering something like whether and how to put DnD on a resume because the answer is a simple yes. The experience of participating in a hackathon can be a very good asset for your resume as it showcases your drive, dedication, creativity, and a lot more. If you are from the software engineering field or a similar one, then it’s a no-brainer to include it on your CV.

But even if you belong to another field, you can still add it to your resume as it will show employers your teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Any resume for hackathon winners, or even just participants, should have this experience listed clearly. A lot of the big tech companies, like Google, actually specify this kind of experience when asking for CVs, which says a lot about just how important it can be.

Where To Put Hackathon On Your Resume?

You should include this experience in the ‘Projects’ section of your resume. If you’re adding something you developed on GitHub on resume, your hackathon experience should be nearby. In case of having participated in multiple events, list the top three that you think were the best.

You can also briefly mention a hackathon experience in the Summary of your CV if you did particularly well in it. After that, however, there’s no better place to write about it than in a dedicated section where you talk about your personal projects.

Now that you know where to put it on your resume, you should learn a little about exactly how to put hackathon on resume the right way:

Talk About The Product

First of all, briefly talk about the project that you created. Define what the commercial value of your solution is and how you came up with the idea to develop it. This idea should be linked to the theme of the particular hackathon that you’re writing about. It will give employers a very good idea of your thought process and your problem-solving skills. Once you’ve done that, talk about how the product works and its technical feasibility.

Also, mention technical challenges that you faced and how you overcame them.

Talk About Your Role

Clearly mention your role in the event you’re listing. Did you work as an engineer, a developer, a product manager, or in some other position? When you mention what role you worked in, the person reading your resume will be able to identify your key skills. After mentioning your role, talk about what exactly you did within that role.

Mention the technicalities of your job and your ideas, etc. to give the recruiter a clear picture of how you approached the problem. Be sure to write about how you assisted or led your team towards the final goal, as teamwork means a lot to recruiters these days.

Talk About The Results

If you were able to get any positive results in terms of an award or certificate, mention that as well. However, if you didn’t win anything, then you can avoid this portion. But does that mean you shouldn’t put this experience on your resume? No!

You definitely should add a hackathon to your resume even if you didn’t win anything. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t necessarily need to win in order to count it as an achievement. You can make it to the top 10 or the top 5 and mention that too. It’s all about how you word your achievements in your CV.

Conclusion

A lot of people these days wonder how to put startup on resume or how to put an experience with GitHub on resume. But what a lot of people don’t do is put their hackathon experience on their CVs.

This is, in fact, a very strong addition to your resume because it not only showcases your creative and design skills to recruiters but it also shows them that you are ready to take on real-world problems. It tells them that you can build a functional product if given the right tools and come up with an innovative solution if presented with a difficult problem.

If you haven’t yet joined such an event and want to test yourself and get some experience under your belt, go ahead and join one! The experience you gain from a hackathon can push your career further and give you some significant insight into your own abilities. And when you finally get that experience, be sure to include it in your resume!