DEV Community

Cover image for Writing a README that actually gets your AI project looked at
PRANJUL RATHOUR
PRANJUL RATHOUR

Posted on Originally published at pranjulrathour.scult.in

Writing a README that actually gets your AI project looked at

#shipping #portfolio #documentation

A recruiter or a hackathon judge gives your README thirty seconds before deciding whether to look further. Most student READMEs spend those thirty seconds on installation instructions nobody reads yet.

What the top of the README should show, in order

  1. One sentence: what problem this solves, for whom.
  2. A live demo link or a GIF/screenshot — proof it runs, before any text about how it runs.
  3. The one or two technical decisions worth highlighting (why this architecture, why this model).
  4. How to run it locally, for the reader who wants to verify or extend it.

The mistake to avoid

Leading with a long tech-stack badge list and installation steps buries the one thing a reviewer actually needs first: does this work, and why should I care. Put the proof first.

See an AI portfolio of projects that get interviews for how this fits into the bigger picture of a hiring-ready portfolio.

About Pranjul Rathour

Pranjul Rathour speaking into a microphone on stage at a MeetKats event
Speaking at a MeetKats event

Pranjul Rathour holding a microphone while answering a question during a session
Taking questions during a session

Pranjul Rathour in a grey suit at Dr. Virendra Swarup Institute of Computer Studies (VSICS), Kanpur
At VSICS, Kanpur

Pranjul Rathour in front of an Integral Startup Foundation hackathon backdrop
At an Integral Startup Foundation hackathon

Pranjul Rathour in a checked shirt inside a packed college auditorium
In a packed college auditorium

Pranjul Rathour is a GenAI engineer from Kanpur, India, and CTO at SCULT INDIA, currently shipping production RAG,
fine-tuning and agentic AI systems, mentoring 200+ students through TechVerse Enclave, and judging and speaking at
student hackathons across India. Updated 2026-09-07.

Reach out if you want to talk GenAI, book a campus session, or invite him to judge:

Pranjul Rathour · GenAI engineer, 3x hackathon winner, campus mentor. Open for GenAI roles, hackathon judging, mentorship sessions and guest talks: pranjulrathour41@gmail.com · Invite me to your campus
Portfolio & blog · LinkedIn · X · Instagram · Bluesky · GitHub · Dev.to

Top comments (0)