If you're a web designer looking for a new job or a career change, you know how important it is to have a resume that showcases your skills and creativity. But how do you make your resume stand out from the crowd and impress potential employers? Here are some tips on how to show off your web design skills in a resume.
The first step is to choose a resume format that suits your web design experience and goals. There are three main types of resume formats: chronological, functional, and hybrid. Chronological resumes list your work history in reverse order, highlighting your achievements and responsibilities. Functional resumes focus on your skills and abilities, rather than your work history. Hybrid resumes combine elements of both, emphasizing your skills and relevant work experience. Depending on your level of expertise, the type of web design projects you've worked on, and the position you're applying for, you may want to use one of these formats or create your own.
Your resume is your digital catwalk for showcasing your web design prowess, so why settle for the fashion of the mundane? Like a web page with all the right elements in place, your resume should rock a well-structured layout, flaunt your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript expertise, and highlight your responsive design wizardry. Quantify your victories, but remember, it's not just about the numbers; it's about the user experience. It's like choosing the perfect font – it matters. Sprinkle in certifications, but don't over-accessorize. Ultimately, your resume should scream, "I design digital landscapes that captivate and convert, and my resume is just a tiny glimpse of my creativity unleashed!"
In my own experience, and in coaching other designers through their career journeys, I've found formatting to be paramount to all other resume factors. This can be especially tricky for creative people as they want to make their resume visually impressive. The reality is, however, boring is better. Most resumes need to pass through an ATS filter before reaching a human. These automated scanners care about relevant keywords—not bells & whistles. In fact, the system can get tripped up and confused if a resume's formatting is too unconventional. You could be the most ideal candidate for a position but never make it through the ATS if it gets lost in your document.
The best possible way to show the web design experience in a resume is to add the portfolio link. This way, the hiring managers can access the link and see the skills. Other ways are to include the achievements and the improvements the web design has made to clients and potentially incorporate their testimonials.
On your resume, list key web design skills such as HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and UX/UI principles. Mention expertise in design tools like Adobe Creative Suite and frameworks like Bootstrap. Highlight successful projects with metrics demonstrating your impact. Include an online portfolio link showcasing diverse designs and note collaborative work in agile teams. Emphasize outcomes, using action verbs to detail your design contributions and any accolades received.
It depends on the format that your audience has access to. In general the lowest common denominator is PDF, most people can read them and most tools can write to them. Of course it not appropriate for examples where you need to show interactivity, you need something for them to click on. Then prototypes come in handy, whether it’s Figma, Sketch or XD
The next step is to highlight your web design skills in your resume. You should include both hard skills and soft skills that are relevant to web design. Hard skills are the technical skills that you use to create and maintain websites, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop, WordPress, etc. Soft skills are the interpersonal and communication skills that you use to work with clients, colleagues, and users, such as creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, attention to detail, etc. You can list your skills in a separate section or integrate them into your work experience and achievements.
I think the resume is not quite a good place to showcase your design abilities, is perfect to provide an overview of what you know along with details on how to and where to find specific resources, which will allow us to really show skills. ??
If you’ve got live URLs, post the links. If they’re a bit long winded, use a URL shortening site. Always check that they’ve live, when you’ve left the company and it’s been years, there’s no guarantee that your hard work will still be there. If you have your own web hosting you could host a backup of your code, but obviously take care that you aren’t breaking any confidentiality or creating any security risk
The most effective way to show off your web design skills in a resume is to showcase your web design portfolio. Your portfolio is a collection of your best web design projects that demonstrate your style, abilities, and results. You should include a link to your online portfolio on your resume, as well as a brief description of each project, highlighting the goals, challenges, solutions, and outcomes. You should also include screenshots or mockups of your projects, if possible. Your portfolio should be updated, relevant, and diverse, showcasing a range of web design skills and types of websites.
This is true but also can be a bit of a stumbling block for App designers that have worked for companies where there work was internal use or otherwise set though privacy agreements. Showing recent work is not always available to show. I myself have the last 6 years of work that I cannot show. When I left the role the work stayed with the company and was not anything I was able to share. This has been a real hurdle when proving the level and years of experience.
Having been in the position of hiring web designers quite often, one aspect that consistently proved exasperating was encountering candidates without a portfolio. Anyone can list creative tools on a resume but showing and explaining their designs is the only way to truly evaluate a designer. I would also bring up several websites in the interview and ask them to tell me the pros and cons of each. You would be surprised how many would be hesitant to criticize the website(s) of the company I worked for. Often claiming 'it looks great' when I knew there were UI/UX fixes needed.
If you are a recent graduate or you aim to change job (so you don't have a big portfolio with clients on it) my suggestion is to do some "fake projects", where you relayout some websites that in your opinion have some UI/UX issues. Of course, in this case, it is important to state that those projects are not real. The advantage is that you can still show your web design abilities and create a visual portfolio.
Maintaining a design portfolio is an ongoing task, even if you’re happy in your job, it never hurts to curate your portfolio as you go. Nobody wants to be reviewing the last few years of work in a short time before you lose access to it. There’s nothing worse than looking at a piece of work from two employers ago and not have the foggiest about it
Another tip to show off your web design skills in a resume is to use keywords and metrics that match the job description and the web design industry. Keywords are the specific words and phrases that employers use to describe the skills, qualifications, and responsibilities they're looking for in a web designer. You should use these keywords throughout your resume, especially in your skills and work experience sections, to show that you're a good fit for the position. Metrics are the numbers and data that measure your web design performance and impact, such as traffic, conversions, user satisfaction, etc. You should use these metrics to quantify your achievements and results, showing how you've added value to your previous or current web design projects.
While keywords are important for being found in searches, I would advise in reviewing them from time to time. As your career develops and you advance or even switch directions, you have to check that your keywords reflect the job you want to do.
The final step is to proofread and test your resume before sending it to potential employers. You should check your resume for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting errors, as well as for clarity, consistency, and relevance. You should also test your resume for readability, usability, and compatibility, especially if you're using a web-based or interactive resume. You can use online tools, such as Grammarly, Hemingway, or Resume Genius, to help you with this process. You should also ask for feedback from trusted friends, colleagues, or mentors, who can give you honest and constructive suggestions on how to improve your resume.
A second or third pair of eyes never hurts. You also need to be consistent with your tone and terms of reference. Someone who isn’t familiar with your career can ask the stupid questions.
I might state the obvious, but if you have worked with big clients, add them to your resume :) Social proof is still an important element that can help the final choice from the HR department.
Designing an impactful web design resume goes beyond listing skills; it's about narrating your design story. Use real examples to illustrate problem-solving abilities. Quantify achievements, like speeding up websites or enhancing engagement. Highlight projects with responsive designs for various devices. Display consistent user experiences across platforms. Highlight growth. Mention courses, workshops, or certifications, showing your dedication to current design trends. Craft a compelling, concise resume telling your design journey, reflecting skills and professionalism. Let it depict your transformation as a web designer.