Why Projects Speak Louder Than Marksheets | How Engineering Students Are Getting Hired in 2025

Placements are near. Will your marksheet impress recruiters from Google, Microsoft, or Amazon? It’s 2025 and the game has changed.

From Theory to Reality

You’ve heard, “Get a good CGPA and the job will follow.” That worked in 2015. Today, hiring managers barely glance at transcripts. They scan your GitHub / Leetcode for proof that you can build things that work in the real world.

At UnsaidTalks, 1200+ students have learned from 50+ mentors from Google, Amazon, and IITs. The pattern is clear:

Projects get you interviews.
Mentorship gets you offers.

The New Hiring Language

Recruiters now speak the language of proof. What seals interviews in 2025 isn’t GPA it’s a live, evolving portfolio that says: A well-crafted project signals, “I don’t just know concepts, I solve problems and create solutions”.

How the Trend Shifted

Knowing C, C++, and DSA is no longer enough. Companies expect you to demonstrate with next-gen projects, think GenAI features, recommendation engines, or intelligent chatbots.

A static website used to be “impressive”; now, projects that don’t innovate get passed over.

Even Elon Musk said, “The value of a person is measured by what they create, not what they memorize.”

Then vs Now: How the Hiring Trends Have Evolved

2015–2018: The “Marks & Theory” Era

Recruiters looked for high CGPAs and good communication.
College toppers automatically got shortlisted.
Interviewers focused more on textbook knowledge and aptitude.
Projects were just a formality, something done for internal marks.

2019–2022: The “DSA & Competitive Coding” Craze

Companies shifted to online tests and coding rounds.
Students spent hours grinding on LeetCode, CodeChef, and GFG.
A good DSA profile was enough to impress product companies.

Projects still mattered less as long as you could solve problems fast.

2023–2025: The “Real-World + AI Skills” Era

Everything changed.

Now, recruiters don’t just ask “Can you code?” they ask “Can you build?”
Companies want engineers who understand product thinking and can ship usable apps, not just algorithms.
AI and automation have become part of almost every job description from web dev to data analysis.
Portfolios and GitHub repos are now your second resume.

So while your CGPA shows effort, your projects show employability.

The Students Who Build, Win

Let’s take Aayush, one of our UMP students. He started just like most engineering students unsure where to begin, and confused about what actually mattered for placements.

But instead of chasing marks, he focused on building. With constant guidance from mentors at Google and Microsoft, Aayush worked on real projects that showcased his skills not just theory.

Fast forward a few months, and he cracked a dream offer proving that execution and mentorship beat random prep any day.

Aayush’s journey is the perfect example of what happens when you combine clarity, mentorship, and consistency.
You stop preparing.
You start becoming.

The Harsh Truth

Every year, lakhs of engineers graduate few are truly job-ready. Not because of lack of potential, but because they haven’t built real things. Tutorials teach you syntax; projects immerse you in reality.

Ready to Build Your Proof?

That’s the mission behind Build4Hire a 3-month, mentor-led program to:

Master Web Dev + GenAI
Build real-world projects with top mentors
Create a portfolio recruiters actually care about

We skip endless lectures and focus on execution. Because marks fade projects stay.

The Final Thought

Marksheets show how well you studied. Projects reveal how far you can go. Before refreshing your CGPA, open a new repo start building, start learning, start proving your talent. In today’s world, your portfolio is your passport.

In today’s world your portfolio is your passport.