How to turn a class project into a portfolio piece

Your laptop has more versions of PowerPoints and Excel sheets than Netflix has shows.

But at the back of your mind, you’re wondering: how do I make all this work mean something beyond grades?

Because after graduation, recruiters won’t ask how many assignments you submitted.
They’ll ask: “Can you get the job done?”
And more importantly, “Do you have proof to show that?”

In the hustle of student life, it’s easy to see assignments as something you have to do, not as opportunities to prove what you’re capable of.

But every assignment, every case study, every presentation is a micro-proof of your ability to solve problems and deliver results.

The question is: are you using them to build credibility, or just to chase grades?

If you said or aren’t sure keep reading. We’ll share interesting ways to help you turn your class projects into credible proof of work.

No matter the class assignment, there's a process you need to follow—one your professor expects and the one you create on your own.

Use that to your advantage to display how you think, deal with minor setbacks, and solve problems.

Be descriptive. Rather than saying, “created a strategy for {X] company," walk them through your 3 key decisions — the trade-offs, data sources, or tools used.

Group projects are goldmines for showing teamwork, leadership, and accountability.

Whether you led the project or managed one piece of it, make your role visible.

If you led the project management project, you can say: “Led {X}-member team for a Capstone project focused on optimizing construction timelines; implemented Gantt-based workflow reducing delay risk by 15%.”

Making your role visible helps recruiters understand what kind of contributor you are and what strengths you bring to a team.

Whether you’re in an interview, adding key project on your LinkedIn, or talking to a potential recruiter at an networking event, change the way you talk about your class projects.

Instead of saying, “researched market entry,” say, “Developed market expansion strategy for Canadian EdTech firm entering the UK; recommended localization and pricing adjustments. Brownie points if you can make your work relevant to the person you’re talking to or company you’re applying for.

Gather your best and most relevant assignments and turn them into a short slide deck or a 2-page summary.

Include the following:

Go a step further by creating a short pitch targeting the recruiter with short section titled, ‘What I’d Do Next’ to show forward-thinking.

Reframing your class projects is a great start.

But credibility also depends on visibility Here’s how to make your work seen:

✅ Post about your process on LinkedIn: Share what you learned and tag your teammates or mentors. People love seeing the “behind the scenes.”

✅ Add your project documents on LinkedIn: Add a PDF or document file of your project on LinkedIn under ‘Add projects’ section

✅ Create a simple portfolio: Create a portfolio on sited like Google Slides, Canva, or Notion and link it to in your resume, just like this one below. 👇🏼

You’ve already done the hard work. Now it’s time to show it and use it to build the credibility that helps you stand out.

Our founder, Ritika Saraswat, said it best in one of her posts: building your reputation is non-negotiable.

When you do the work intentionally and keep showing up, even when no one’s watching, you move one step ahead of the crowd, every single time.

And, if you’re thinking about what your next step should be, we say join the Re-defined community. As a member, you’ll find newcomers just like you, make friends from all over the world, and meet professional leaders from your dream companies.

Last week, we had our first ever international event at University of Illinois, Chicago where Sohan Sethi, represented Re-defined in front of 60+ international students.

It was an event full of learnings and we are here to share some of the key learnings from Sohan, who was one of the panelists.

Want to be part of the community and meet professionals in real-life? Check out our upcoming list of events and reserve your spot today!

That’s it for this newsletter edition. Keep doing the great work.

Until next time,

Ciao 👋🏼