Build a winning resume in UX Design: a comprehensive guide (no experience needed)
As a new or aspiring UX designer, crafting a compelling resume is crucial to grabbing the attention of potential employers and securing a job. Your resume serves as a first impression and should effectively showcase your skills, experiences, and potential contributions as a UX designer. Here are some key points to consider when creating a resume that will get you hired.
At the end you will find examples of resumes, their key takeaways, and where they have opportunity to improve.
Don’t forget the basics
(very important)
Make sure to include your full name, email, and clickable links to your LinkedIn profile & portfolio. It’s also good to include your phone number but be careful if you have your resume public
Start with a strong summary
(somewhat important)
Begin your resume with a concise and engaging summary statement that highlights your key strengths and goals as a UX designer. This section should provide a snapshot of your expertise, relevant experience, and what you bring to the table. Grab the reader’s attention and make them eager to learn more about your qualifications. But keep this short and sweet.
Emphasize relevant skills
(very important)
Prominently highlight both hard & soft skills relevant to UX. Tailor these skills to align with the job description and emphasize those that are most sought after in the industry. Skills such as user research, prototyping, usability testing, information architecture, as well as stakeholder management, storytelling, and collaboration are highly valued in the UX field. Listing these also helps you get past application screeners.
List relevant tools
(somewhat important)
The tools section is a great place to showcase your experience with industry-standard tools but don’t go overboard here the tools don’t matter nearly as much what you can do with them (skills).
Showcase relevant projects & experience
Include a section that showcases your most relevant projects in order of most recent. Choose projects that demonstrate your ability to solve complex design problems, consider user needs, and deliver innovative solutions. Provide a brief description of each project, outlining the challenges faced, your design process, and the outcomes achieved.
No real work experience? No problem.
Even if you are just starting your career, make sure to include any internships, volunteer work, or freelance projects related to UX design. These experiences demonstrate your practical application of design principles and your ability to work in real-world scenarios. Highlight specific contributions you made, the skills you developed, and the positive outcomes you achieved.
- Focus on your education. As a student or recent graduate, you’re not likely to have much work experience. That’s fine! Include the most relevant projects you’ve completed.
- Emphasize relevant experience. It’s okay to include things that aren’t directly related to design. Mention relevant experiences that used any skills that relate or are adjacent to UX (communication, time management, organisation, etc). Experience can come from things like volunteer work or extracurricular activities.
- Highlight your internship. Internships are a significant accomplishment that can give you an edge. Even if you did not hold a leadership position, you likely learned new skills and made valuable contributions to the team. Consider how your work helped the product or company.
Still not feeling like you’ve got quite enough to show? I’ve got some recommendations for you on how to find projects in this video.
Focus on results and impact
Employers value measurable results, so whenever possible, quantify your achievements. For example, highlight improvements you made to the user experience, increases in conversion rates, or positive feedback from users or clients. Quantifying your impact demonstrates your ability to create meaningful results and adds credibility to your resume.
When possible, support your achievements with hard metrics and numbers. Instead of “conducted user tests,” a statement like “conducted user testing with a 78% task completion rate” shows the impact of your actions.
Demonstrate collaborative skills
Effective UX design often involves collaboration with cross-functional teams, so it’s crucial to showcase your ability to work well with others. Highlight experiences where you collaborated with developers, product managers, or other stakeholders. Share examples of successful teamwork, effective communication, and your ability to adapt to different perspectives.
Things to keep in mind
Simple is key. Make your resume as simple as possible so that it is easy to scan. Don’t include any visual elements on a resume that is information-heavy. Your portfolio is more the place to show off your creativity if you want to include a fun design or illustration.
Optimize your info for your career level. If you’re starting out, highlight your education and notable accomplishments. Focus more on your leadership and your direct impact if you are advancing your career.
Include relevant keywords. Use keyword phrases from the job description to ensure your resume gets past application filters and ends up in the hands of a recruiter.
Keep it tidy & scannable. Hiring managers are going to skim most resumes, so make sure your essential skills are noticeable. Show the company that you “speak their language” and are the kind of person they’d like to have as a candidate. Organize your layout so the reader can find what they need quickly. Don’t overcrowd the page or add unnecessary material that gets in the way.
A little extra
The UX field is constantly evolving, and staying updated on the latest trends and tools is important. Mention any continuing education, relevant certifications, side projects or industry events you have attended. This demonstrates your commitment to professional growth and your dedication to staying at the forefront of the UX design field.
Example time
Key takeaways from this resume
Very clear hierarchy so it’s easy to scan. Descriptions are concise and clear, highlighting key deliverables and skills used.
How they could take it up a notch
Including the measurable impact of their projects would add more credibility. This resume is great and straight to the facts but would be nice to see any additional side projects, continued education, or community involvement.
Key takeaways from resume
Got the basics covered. Very clear section hierarchy and clear description of the focus on each piece of work.
How they could take it up a notch
The excessive use of bold fonts reduces the scan-ability of this resume. They could have included more of the process and measurable impact of their work to show off more of their skillset and increase credibility.
Key takeaways from this resume
Separate sections for project and software skills increases the chance of recruiters finding what they’re looking for. Extremely clear descriptions with highlights on collaboration & measure-able impact for each project. Very nice way to highlight relevant education as it applies to the job they are applying for.
How they could take it up a notch
This resume is a great example, I wouldn’t change anything but a slight increase in the font tracking on in the left column ;)
Key takeaways from this resume:
Work experience highlights clear role responsibilities and deliverables. Really nice way to breakup skills section.
How they could take it up a notch
The description for the first project is a bit verbose. Cutting this down will help increase the chances of recruiters reading through it. Including the measurable impact of their projects would add more credibility.
Key takeaways from this resume
Work experience highlights clear role responsibilities and deliverables. Really nice touch of personality without going overboard with the “ask me about” section and name treatment. Clear showcase of community involvement and awards giving more credibility and a nice way to differentiate.
How they could take it up a notch
Including the measurable impact and outcomes of their projects would add more credibility to their work
Grab this resume template!
I’ve put all this guidance into a template you can use and customise
“It was extremely helpful. Funnily enough everything you said in the TikTok video not to do- I did. And with your templates I’ve had call backs and feel like I’m actually making progress in application processes.”
- Happy Designer
Conclusion
Your resume is often the first thing a recruiter or hiring manager will see so be sure to highlight your unique skills and experiences as they relate to the job you want. By following these key points, you can create a resume that effectively communicates your value, showcases your expertise, and increases your chances of landing a job as a designer in tech.
If you want more tips on how to make sure you land a job check out my other article:
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