Talk about your side projects whenever you get a chance. When you do, remember to start with the problem, talk about how you approached it, share the challenges you faced, express the outcome of your efforts, and end by defining what you’d do differently if you had to do it all over again.
I remember sitting down for my first interview at Facebook.
Back then, the feeling I had deep in my stomach was mostly excitement but also a bubbling fear. Fear I was somehow being pranked. Fear they had the wrong guy. Fear I would walk in, embarrass myself, and return home defeated.
My career at that time had consisted almost entirely of online marketing work. I was applying for the role of a Product Designer but everything in my portfolio was about email
What’s changed? Has your solution shown results? Why do you think it has or hasn’t?
Follow-up with what you would do differently
The last thing to talk about is probably one of the most important: if you could go back and do it all again, what would you differently?
Self-awareness is a key trait in critical thinking and personal growth. Knowing where you failed or flubbed, where you succeeded, and what you would do again if you had the chance, can demonstrate your awareness and lessons learned.
Did you learn any shortcuts through the project? Did you learn any new skills, or any traits about yourself you didn’t realize you had? What might you have done to speed up the work, or to polish it a bit more? How do you think you might translate what you learned from the side project to your next project or something more substantial?
Talking about your side projects can be powerful. It got me where I am today, and I’m constantly looking for ways to incorporate what I learn on the job into my side projects and vice versa.
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