7 Tips for the Best UX and UI Resumé & Portfolio

I want to preface this article with the note that this is what works for hiring staff who know what UX and UI are. If you are applying for a corporate position at a faceless company, well then, you are going to have to try to make it through to someone who knows our field.

Having just come off the rounds of hiring sprees for several positions, I wanted to let you in on the "secret" in our industry to getting a job where you will be valued for the quality of your knowledge and work.

Your resumé just opens the door. Your portfolio is what will land you the job.

One of the questions that auto filters out candidates for me is whether they are including a link to their portfolio. The importance of this hiring tool should be obvious—it's where the rubber hits the pavement and you show me what you got.

In theory, if you are reading this, you have a deep understanding of user motivation. When hiring on LinkedIn or another platform, it is typical for me to receive 40+ applications a day. In this most recent round of finding a UX designer I went through more than 120 individual applications. I spent around a minute looking at the resumé itself, (preferably) clicked into the portfolio, spent around 3-5 minutes clicking through the portfolio, and then forwarded the portfolio link onto my team for their thoughts.

Resumé Tips

Do this:

1. Be unique. I mean, you're a designer—why are you trying to fit in? You can still provide relevant information while being creative. I'm not talking about throwing icons and graphics all over the page, but your resumé needs to grab attention.
2. Be relevant. I really don't need to see that you worked at Dairy Queen. We've all had jobs before our career. Show me only the things that will make me want more about you.
3. Make it a PDF. This format will allow us to just click to your portfolio and any other links you leave on the page. I am so, so tired of opening word documents.
4. Get me to click that portfolio link. Your resumé should be a narrative, a summary, that entices me to learn more about you.

Don't do this:

1. Put your photo on it. It feels too market-ty. You want someone who is going to value you for your abilities, not your looks, so why muddy the water?
2. Use a template or be derivative. Trust me, we can tell. Those little bar graphs showing your skills . . . what do those even mean? You are 85% in InDesign?
3. Make me download and open a word file. Please.

These tips will probably get you passed the filtering stage, depending on your design chops. Once you've got me to click, you have just a few seconds to keep me there, and this is where your design capabilities are hopefully enough to entice me.

I have now seen a ton of portfolio sites, so I would like to think that I am something of a connoisseur. A good way to look at your portfolio site is that it is basically a sales funnel, and the product is you. You need to tell me your story in a way that is going to get me to call you and want to work with you.

Portfolio Tips

Do this:

1. Make your first page a slam dunk. In most cases, I look at the home page and know immediately if I am going to interview someone. I'm not saying only use neon pink and make your images spin—but maybe a little neon might help. If I hit your portfolio and I am greeted with 3 paragraphs of text with no immediate sense of who you are, then you lost a huge opportunity.
2. Provide structure. Tell your story in an order that makes sense to you. Think about first impression, and how you can introduce new items to your reader in a way that makes you memorable.
3. Give me 3 projects. 3 very compelling and unique projects. My last hire got me with just one project—and I know it was a school project, because it was for a time-travel service—but it was so good that it was all I needed to see. If I see one more poor clone of Airbnb I am going to lose it. Projects don't even need to be complete websites, you could show me a redesign of a single page of a website with your reasoning and that would be compelling.
4. Show process. So much of what we do as designers is behind-the-scenes. Show your portfolio pieces, but also how you designed them.
5. Go all out. This is your shot, so take it. Use everything in your arsenal to make this experience compelling. You need to convince me that you will be a huge asset to a team. Push yourself to do unique things.
6. Get personal. Most people spend more time with their coworkers than their spouses on a day to day basis. You should use your portfolio to make it clear who you are and what type of environment you want to be in. My coworkers sometimes play DnD together, do you?

Don't do this:

1. Rely on exposition. I have a particular goal, and that is to find my candidates within a reasonable time frame. In most cases I read headlines of portfolio pieces to make sure that you are considering what I expect a UI or UX designer to consider. Yes, include your thoughts and methods, but use a little but of text and a lot of imagery.

You might be that UX designer who isn't exactly the most gifted at graphic design, and that's ok. I say embrace it. Make your website a literal wireframe! Or, team up with another designer and make a combined portfolio site. You don't have to do this alone. There are many programmers who's portfolio sites could benefit from your expertise, offer to design theirs if they code yours.

Following the tips I have listed above is going to give you a major advantage over other candidates and launch you into a short list, at least in a company that knows what UI and UX designers actually do.

Happy job hunting!

Think I missed anything or have any questions? Leave a comment.