Recruiters will typically check your resume first to gauge your work experience and skills. If they see that your previous experiences are relevant to the role or position you're applying for, they then check your portfolio to get a more detailed look at your projects and design process.
On this page, we cover what content you need on your resume and the value of writing a cover letter. We talk about Creating a Portfolio later.
<aside> 🛠️ Below are some of the tools the designers we interviewed used to create their resume:
Figma (recommended, free) With Figma, you can easily design your resume and link the design to other people for feedback.
Sketch (costs $99 but has student discount) Not recommended for people starting out because of the steep price. Figma has all the tools that Sketch has (and more) and is totally free.
Adobe InDesign (requires a paid Adobe subscription) Not recommended for people starting out because of the steep price and complicated interface. Figma has all the tools you need for designing a resume and is totally free.
Google Docs This is the easiest to use but is the least flexible.
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<aside> 📎 What information belongs in a resume? In general, make sure to include work experience that is relevant to the position you're applying for. Your resume should be focused specifically on UX/Product Design work if you're applying for a Product Designer role. For students with little to no work experience, feel free to list down your in-class projects or personal design projects on your resume.
****Header Your name and contact information (email, phone number, portfolio website, LinkedIn link)
Body
Work Experience: if you have previous internships, showcase them first before the side projects you've worked on
Education: if you don't have much work experience, put your education section before your work experience section. If you have work experience, put your education section at the bottom.
Skills: include your skillset Ex: wireframing, interaction design, product strategy, etc.
Tools: include software or coding languages you know how to use Ex: Figma, Sketch, Principle, HTML/CSS, etc.
Optional: if there is enough space, you can mention any activities, speaking opportunities, or hackathons you participated in at the bottom (or side)
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<aside> 🏆 Best practices • A recommended best practice is to tailor your resume (even just a little bit) to the job you're applying to. Look at the job description and find key buzzwords to include that were mentioned in the job posting. By speaking their language, you can give recruiters (or applicant tracking systems that review resumes in bulk) a better signal that you are a right fit for the role.
• In the Work Experience section, add numerical values (e.g. increased retention by x%, helped increase/decrease/do x for y number of people) to help add credibility to your projects and show recruiters that your designs bring results to the table.
• Some designers prefer to communicate their experience in bullet points, while others do so in short paragraphs. Regardless of which method you choose, make sure to keep things as short and readable as possible.
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<aside> 📐 Do you have any tips for designing a resume? "I also think that the actual layout of your portfolio can be a great first impression of your design skills, so be aware of things like typography, white space, and color." – Gina
General advice Design your resume in a way that makes it easy for recruiters to scan it for crucial pieces of information. Recruiters typically take only a few seconds to look at your resume before making a decision about whether to move you forward in the interview process or not.
Layout Laying out information in 2 columns allows you to pack more information into the resume without overcrowding it. Make sure that text is properly aligned or follows a grid so that it's easy to browse.
Design Establish information hierarchy using font styles (size, weight), spacing, and color. Hyperlink parts of your resume where appropriate (portfolio or email link).
If you're feeling stuck, check out Bestfolios for resume and portfolio inspiration and observe how the resumes on that site optimize for simplicity and scannability.
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<aside> 🏆 Best Practices • Do NOT over-design your resume.
• Make your resume consistent in branding with your portfolio website.
• Some recruiters use scrapers/applicant tracking systems to read your information, so be sure to format your resume efficiently and in the right order and hierarchy.
• Do not use ambiguous graphics to showcase your skill levels on tools or methods. Because they are subjective, they don't communicate much about your skill level to the recruiter.
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<aside> 💌 Cover Letters The general consensus from our designers and recruiters is that UX/UI or product design roles in the US typically do not require nor expect you to make cover letters (although it may be different depending on the industry or in Canada and other parts of the world).
Recruiters from a lot of big tech companies don't require or read cover letters due to the volume of applications they receive. Instead, they look at your website's About Page to learn more about you and your interests outside of work. Recruiters are more interested in your portfolio, so be sure to focus on that instead of making a cover letter.
If you think a cover letter would help boost your chances and decide to create one anyway, dig up the company's blog to find their core mission and what skills or values they care about. Write about what you can bring to the table and how your skills could move the company closer to their mission.
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