How to Write a UX/UI Design Resume: Tips and Tricks

UX/UI design is an extremely rewarding and fruitful career choice for those who are starting fresh as an entry-level UX/UI designer and those who are pivoting to a UX/UI career change. This is for many reasons, for starters, companies are itching to hire new UX/UI designers by the day, putting those with training or experience in the career in high demand. It was evident in 2020 when LinkedIn ranked UX/UI design fifth when looking into what jobs were most desirable in the crosshairs of hiring managers. With online stores, websites, and apps booming still to this day, it’s fair to say with confidence that this trend will continue. 

That being said, the rates UX/UI designers are being paid make it a no-brainer to dip a toe into the career. The average base pay is set at around $75,000 annually, but most UX/UI designers that have been in the field for an extended time are earning up to more than $100,000 a year. This primarily depends on if a UX/UI designer is specialized or just doing the basics. Ether way, it’s apparent to say that the career offers excellent pay.

In order to start a career in UX/UI design, one must acquire a few credentials first. 

• A portfolio: This will represent your experience through your work, and should serve as a representation of what you can do based on your experiences.
• References: Mentors, and colleagues that have experience working with you know what you can do.
• A cover letter: This shows gratitude for the opportunity and consideration while also referencing other aspects of your application
• A resume: This will show the bottom line of your credentials and work experience and should also include your references.

As the title alludes, you are here for the resume, a crucial aspect of applying for any job. But what do I need to apply for a job in UX/UI design? That is what we at Avocademy, are here to help with.

General Tips for a UX/UI Resume

Do’s:

• Make it short and skimmable: Like any resume, it should primarily consist of if not one page two at the most. That being said, one page is generally a better option when considering the skimmability of your document. 
• Quantify and Qualify: Show the job you are applying for that you have experience in and try to show the extent of that experience. You are applying for a UX/UI position, therefore, your resume should be an easy read. So consider the user experience, while exemplifying through your experience that you are capable of doing the job. The work within your resume and the resume itself should be a direct representation of your abilities.
• Maintain visual consistency: For example, only one to two fonts should be used, and each heading should be the same as the last. This will help avoid confusion for the people looking to hire you. Again this represents your ability as a UX/UI designer.
• Be specific: Avoid being vague, you don’t want to leave your audience, in this case, someone looking to hire you, asking questions. You want them to have the answers based on your resume.
• Use active voice: This adds a tone of assertiveness to your resume making you appear confident in your work.
• Research good resumes for guidance: There are hundreds of examples of good resumes out there. Use them as a way to structure your resume and shape the look and tone to perfect yours.

Dont’s

• Be too wordy: This will leave your audience confused and leave room for grammatical or punctuational errors on your part. Keep it simple, cut, and dry. This plays back into skimmablity.
• Abbreviate: Again looking at an ability to skim here, abbreviations force readers to stop and think. We don’t want that in a resume, we want to be clear and focused.
• Make it too long: As stated previously, your resume should sit around one to two pages maximum. If you find yourself going over, cut some unnecessary aspects that can be left for the interview. That is your goal, after all, to get you in a chair talking to someone based on your resume.
• Use personal pronouns: Those looking to hire you to know the information on the resume is done by you, so leave it out. There is no room for “I’s” in your resume. 
• List your references: This may come as a shock but it takes up room on your resume that those hiring you don’t want; at least not yet. When they ask for references provide them, but otherwise, wait until you are asked to provide them or provide them upon arrival at an interview. Save yourself more space on your resume to represent you. 

What is the structure for a UX/UI design resume?

• Contact information and summary: This gives the person potentially hiring you the ability to know who you are, where you are from, how they can contact you, and a little background on yourself before diving into the rest of your resume.
• Education: This is one of the most important aspects of your resume, especially for those without real-world experience. It gives you an opportunity to show how and where you learned UX/UI as well as any other additional educational background you may have. It’s all-important because it shows longevity in your interests, especially if you are pivoting careers. Show those who you want to work for that you complete what you set your mind to. 
• Skills and tools: This section should display everything you have the ability to do in the realm of UX/UI design. The job you are applying for probably has specific expectations of what they are looking for in a new hire, so make sure it stands out. This also will exemplify the tools you have experience with when practicing UX/UI design.
• Experience: If you already have job experience in your field, this is where you would reference it. If not, reference assignments and projects you have worked on to give those hiring you an idea of what you can do and have done in the past.

The resume is a vital aspect of your application in any job, especially UX/UI design, and should be taken seriously. It could be the difference between getting an interview or not, so perfect it before putting it out there and make changes to it frequently, as your work experience changes. 

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Author:

Trenton Carlson is a journalist, content writer, and aspiring airline pilot. He likes his avocados baked with an egg in the hole where the pit goes.