Created by CakeYou'll learn:Select a format for your instructional design resumeWhat to include in an instructional
designer resume - 8 key sectionsTips for your instructional
designer resume and portfolioShould I use a resume template?Instructional
designer resume sampleIn response to the growing needs of online eLearning platforms, digital product instructional tutorials, and corporate internal or external training, instructional
designers are in much demand. An instructional
designer’s job duty includes applying instructional system designing methodologies to design curriculums, produce instructional materials, and optimize course content or structure for a better learning experience.
An instructional
designer’s resume may be similar to a learning experience
designer’s, eLearning
designer’s, or digital learning architect’s with only slight differences. All of those aim to improve the learning process by analyzing the needs and creating effective courses. See our sample resume for instructional
designers below.
📝Note: The major difference between an instructional
designer CV and resume is its purpose. An instructional
designer CV is used for higher education application, while an instructional
designer resume is used for job searching and interview.Select a format for your instructional design resumeThere are 3 basic formats adopted by most applicants in the job market: chronological format, functional format, and combinational format. You can use these formats to outline your instructional
designer resume.🏷 Chronological resume format
It organizes your experience in a timely order. The chronological resume format is the most commonly accepted format. List the most recent work before those dated back earlier in your instructional
designer resume.
🏷 Functional resume format
A functional format can also be called a “skill-based” format. It uses skills as categories or columns to show your strength and expertise. This is suitable for freshers with less to no experience to create a professional-looking resume.
🏷 Combinational resume format
A combinational resume format presents your work experience along with several of your essential instructional design skills. Although this format can demonstrate everything you want to cover, it can also be lengthy and repetitive.In what format should an instructional
designer resume be sent?
Word formatThe file type you use depends on the application channel you’re using.Follow the specification of the job description before randomly choosing one type.PDF formatAn instructional
designer resume in PDF is recommended since it retains your layout, font style, and margins intact.
❌Note:Unless the company specifically asked for an MS word file, this format is not recommended. It can easily ruin your layout and is unfriendly for platforms except for PCs.How to prepare an entry-level instructional design resume?✅ Advice 1: If you are a fresher without much experience writing an instructional design resume for an internship, a functional (skill-based) format is ideal. Highlight the instructional design skills and other soft skills that are relevant for the application.✅ Advice 2: Adopt a career objective for your instructional
designer resume that outlines your prospects. This shows the hiring manager your ambition and passion.✅ Advice 3: If you don’t have abundant experience to show off, try to make your education section shine by highlighting your educational qualifications. List your GPA (3.5 or above) or extracurricular activities related to the role.
What to include in an instructional
designer resume - 8 key sections1.Resume Profile (Personal Information)List your contact details, including name, email, phone number upfront so that HR can get in touch with you quickly.2.Resume HeadlineA resume headline is a short statement on top of an instructional
designer resume announcing your current or expected position.
Example of a resume headline:Creative Instructional
Designer with 3+ years experience in designing online language learning programs
3.Resume Summary
A summary is 3-4 sentences that summarize your entire instructional
designer resume. In a resume summary, the hiring manager sees your instructional design experience, character, and specialties altogether.
👍Tip:Put the essence of your experience in this paragraph and integrate keywords in the job posting to seize attention.
Example of a resume summary:Agile instructional
designer with 3+ years of experience in developing training programs for IT engineers and managers using Storyline and Captivate authoring tools.
4.Resume Objective
Use an objective instead if you don’t have enough experience to write an outstanding summary in the instructional design resume. A career objective for instructional
designers marks your enthusiasm for an instructional design position.Example of a resume objective:Enthusiastic Instructional
Designer with expertise in the real estate industry. Looking to apply for a position as Senior Instructional
Designer at RE/MAX to empower the company and fully utilize her talent.
5. Skills
In this resume section, list your instructional design skills that prove your competency. See some essential instructional design skills listed below for your job application.Example of skills for an instructional
designer:
Adobe Captivate, XDArticulate StorylineAudacityVISIOxAPIWeb 2.0SharepointEmployee TrainingFacilitationInterpersonal RelationshipLearning Design strategiesMultimedia DesignNeeds AnalysisLearning Management SystemsAgile Learning program competencyAudience/Learner analysisBackground learningCustomer ServiceCourse material creationCurriculum designDesign ThinkingProject ManagementProblem-SolvingResearchUI/UX thinkingWritten/Oral Communication
6.Work Experience
Now it’s showtime. The experience section is where the recruiter will take a closer look at your instructional design resume after a glance at the summary. Before you start writing, take a deep look at the job description. Select the critical keywords and make sure you insert the exact same terms in your content.List your instructional design experience from the most recent to the least. Add 2-4 bullet points to explain concrete achievements and quantified results. Describe your previous duty and project outcomes with measurements.
Example of work experience:Senior Instructional
DesignerBridge Education, GeorgiaJanuary 2014 - 2017Developed customized training program for 5000 employees in 10 companies and received effective feedback with a 95% positive rateOptimized learning efficiency and experience by 15% measured by learner reviewImproved target audience subscription rate by 10% by analyzing audience needs with the marketing teamLearning
DesignerEducake, New YorkReduced course developing time by 30% by creating effective prototypesPerformed quality assurance (QA) reviews on all courseware for internal examination and identified major engineering issue before launching products
7. Education
If you have a handful of working experience and a master’s degree, you can just list your master’s degree and craft your work experience section well.
However, suppose you are just a college newbie applying for an internship in the instructional design field. In that case, you can include your course projects, GPA (3.5 or above), or related activities to validate your skills.8. Additional Information
Before ending your instructional
designer resume, if you got any certificates, awards, side-projects, list them without reserve. Perhaps you have language proficiency, unique expertise, or hobbies. You can put those in the extra section as well.Cake provides the rightinstructional
designerresume templates formats for you to showcase your skills and experiences. Sign up to create and download the bestinstructional
designer resume now for FREE!Start NowTips for your instructional
designer resume and portfolio👍 Tip 1: Tailor the instructional
designer resume to a specific job posting.
You don’t have to write every resume for an instructional
designer position all over from scratch, but you should tailor each resume you send to one application. Use the exact word in the job description to pass ATS (Applicant Tracking System) scanning. For example, a learning
designer resume’s keywords will be different from an instructional
designer resume.
👍 Tip 2: All content should be relevant as possible.
Examine each resume section: Everything you write in an instructional
designer or learning
designer resume should explain your qualification. If your job experience is unrelated, seek a connection or leave it out instead.
👍 Tip 3: Keep formatting styles consistent.
Besides selecting one of the three resume formats, you should also pay attention to font styles, font size, and line spacing. Define different heading with consistent styles and normal text, which are easy to skim.
👍 Tip 4: List your responsibilities clear in a team project.
The recruiters won’t want to guess your role in a collaborative project on your instructional design portfolio. Be clear about your responsibilities and record developing process details in both resumes and portfolio. Honesty is the best policy. Don’t exaggerate the contribution!
👍 Tip 5: Update LinkedIn, portfolio, and other platforms frequently.
Notice that if you have a LinkedIn, online portfolio website, or an instructional
designer portfolio, keep all the information updated and consistent. If they click on your LinkedIn and notice the last time you updated is 3 years ago, or the link to your instructional
designer resume doesn’t work on your website, it won’t leave a positive impression.
The information in your portfolio should align with your resume as well.
👍 Tip 6: Make a good instructional design portfolio with portfolio builder.An online portfolio website is crucial for freelance, entry-level, or even lead instructional
designers' resumes. To make a good instructional design portfolio, use your skills to outline it. Use portfolio builders to save your time on
graphic design and focus on delivering the content.💡 The winning ingredient to an instructional
designer’s portfolio is to provide necessary context for reasons. Why was a syllabus arrangement decision made? Did you apply certain models or designed multimedia materials?Should I use a resume template?Should I use a template for my instructional
designer resume?The benefits of using a template for your instructional
designer resume are you don’t have to spend time doing
graphic design and focus on the content to create attractive and customized resumes.✍🏻Reminder:Most popular templates are too often seen in the market and unable to make you stand out. Some others are not friendly to the ATS system. Select your template wisely based on what and how you want to include.
What is the best template for an instructional
designer resume?For students with no work experience or freshers looking for the first job, you should choose a template that hides your lack of experience and highlights strong instructional design skills or side projects.As for a senior to lead instructional
designer resume template, choose a simple, classic style to bring out your strong background.
Where can I get a free resume template?CakeCake is an online free multimedia resume portfolio builder. You can easily create a unique and eye-catching resume and instructional design portfolio with a videos section and PDF files available for free download. You can also surf through 500+ real resume examples and samples to get inspired.Word Doc. / Google Doc.Word and Google offer free resume templates for their users. Simply fill it in online, and your instructional
designer resume is finished!
Instructional
Designer Resume SamplePatricia Elliot
Instructional
Designer with proven IT training experience
[email protected] 202-555-0172Atlanta, Georgia
Professional Summary
Innovative learning instructional design expert with 8+ years of experience and UX mindset. Developed and managed 50+ multi language online courses and an overall 98% improvement rate. Generate 40% increase in member subscription by designing courses that meet need analysis.
Work ExperienceSenior Instructional
DesignerSmile Language Elearning 2017-present
Conducted needs analysis for 3764 learners to assess 10 course product line developing strategyCollaborated with language experts,
graphic designers, and UX writers to design training materials which generated 3% increase in material satisfaction rateDesigned training solutions to educate 120+ company stakeholders Spanish and Chinese culture to improve organization communicationManaged 50+ multilanguage elearning course performance to generate report and reduced future product developing time
Associate Instructional
DesignerRHJ, Inc. 2014-2017
Applied tested instructional design theories, practices, and methods (ADDIE, SAM) to design learning solutions to empower company associatesDesigned and hold 18+ livestreams, webinars, and e-learning modules for global and cross-department employee trainingReduced training cost by 20% by evaluating and redesigning past learning materials
Education
Stanford University 2011-2013M.S. in Learning Design and Technology
Penn University 2007-2011B.S. in Instructional Design and Technology Online
Skills
Adobe CaptivateArticulate StorylineGoogle SuiteNeeds AnalysisBackground LearningVISIOEpic EHRProject ManagementFacilitationLearning Management Systems (LMSs)Design ThinkingClient/Associate RelationshipChinese (expert), Spanish (advanced), German (advanced)
Certifications
Certified Performance Technologist (CPT)
--- Originally written byWuChaoMin ---