26

As the title pretty much says, how should we mention a project name on a resume or CV where the actual name can't be revealed due to a non-disclosure agreement. Funny it may sound, while the technology and overall purpose can be mentioned, the actual name can't be revealed.

How should we go about naming these projects?

Currently, I am using the following convention:

[Name not revealed due to NDA]:

Basic functionality of project...

Tools and Technologies...

Improve this question
3
  • 6
    Personally I'd replace the name of the project with a short description "Foobar Frobnicator based on Quux Technology" instead of "Frobnicatorator2000".
    – Joachim Sauer
    Commented Jul 27, 2012 at 8:08
  • 6
    This is not a problem that's unique to software development.
    – ChrisF
    Commented Jul 27, 2012 at 8:10
  • 1
    Why don't you just list what your job function is at the job instead of listing projects. What projects you worked on tells very little about what your actual skill set is. Somebody working on Office 2013 doesn't have to list they worked on Office only worked in the Office group within Microsoft.
    – Donald
    Commented Jul 30, 2012 at 14:33

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
19

If your Project name is the same as the product name you need to modify it sufficiently enough to not let a person guess the name easily. But don't leave it blank. Use a one line description (really short) which will give an idea of the project.

But make sure you don't de-emphasise the importance of the client. That matters more than the name of the project.

Typically you will modify this:

Project Name: MegaERP System
Client: FloorMart Inc

to:

Project: A large ERP system to handle the entire end to end business of a retailer
Client: The Worlds largest (or "The country's largest") Retailer

If "Worlds largest" is not appropriate as it a dead giveaway you may want to use some ranking such as

Client: Among the top 3 retailers worldwide as per Fortune magazines 2012 ranking of retailers (or any reputed business magazine who conducts such surveys).

Improve this answer
2
  • 5
    +1 When reading resumes, I don't care about the name of the project; "Project FooBar 9000" is meaningless. I want to know what you did and what effect it had on the business.
    – Steven A. Lowe
    Commented Jul 27, 2012 at 19:27
  • Yes, it actually doesn't matter much, but in my country it is the accepted practice. The only time it may become useful is when it is used in an intra-organization resume.
    – DPD
    Commented Jul 30, 2012 at 6:27
6

Another alternative is to have your resume be about tech and not about the project. As someone reading resumes, I don't care about the details of your project. I might care about the domain or the size. But not the name or what it does.

By explaining the basic functionality and tech stack you've covered everything I could reasonably need to know. So why waste a line on the CV saying that you can't say the name. That just calls attention to the fact that it isn't there.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .