Michelle Pakron, MBA, UXC, CUA’s Post

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Usability and Information Access Branch Chief | CX@DHS | Accessibility means access for EVERYONE

Are you a UXer generalist or designer looking for resume tips? Cool, get some from someone who fits that description, and is a hiring manager, so me, I am talking about me. ➡️ Here are 5 quick resume tips for UX Designers/Generalists/Product Designers 1️⃣ Tip #1: Have your portfolio link right at the top, and obvious. I get it, portfolios are pain to create and keep updated. And I know that people like me, with decades of experience, we have the worst time keeping them updated and often have little visuals to show once we transition to leadership, but for design-oriented positions, I just gotta see your portfolio. It's too easy for folks to BS their way through an interview and get a job they are not qualified for. I need to see some proof to go along with the talk. Make it easy for me to get to the proof. 2️⃣ Tip #2: Please stop with the cutesy avatars that look like they popped out of an Apple ad. Stop it. I am all for folks having personality, but reserve that for your portfolio, not your resume. And knock it off with the waving hands icons. Last time I hired, I went through over 400 resumes and portfolios, and the amount of avatars and waving hands I saw made my eyes hurt. Just leave images off your resume, period. 3️⃣ Tip #3: If you are a newish UXer (less than 5 years experience), don't overstate your accomplishments. You don't need fluff like "I craft harmonious solutions to the world's most discordant problems!" Just say simply "UX Designer focused on enterprise solutions to improve employee experience". Or whatever it is you specialize in. And watch out for the overused fluff words like "craft", and "seasoned" (are you steak?). 4️⃣ Tip #4: Don't add those dumb slider thingies saying you are 23.5% CSS, or whatever. Only share skills you are confident enough to perform, so if you suck at CSS, maybe not include it, and if you are amazeballs at Figma, just say "Figma". 5️⃣  Tip #5: Do not add a photo of yourself to your resume, and if you add it to your portfolio, don't put it on the home page unless you are very well established and have a "brand" (like, you are known personality and people know you are). This protects the job seeker by not automatically biasing the reviewer. Indicators of age (eww, wrinkles, gray hair!), ethnicity, religion, disability, etc., can all poison the well of impression with the reviewer, so don't give folks any reason for their lizard brains to reject you. This also protects the reviewer. I cringe when I see a photo on a resume because I don't want to be put in a position to be sued if I reject the applicant and then they claim it's because of XYZ that was apparent due to the photo. ------------ I have more thoughts on resumes (and portfolios) but that's enough for now. Questions, thoughts- let me know, I'll do my best to address them. 😸 And remember-I'm not your cat, I don't tell you what to do or rule your life. If you don't like my advice or it doesn't apply to you, ignore it! :)

  • Resume tips for UXers from a Hiring Manager
Umar Shareef

Helping you help Users

6mo

The 5th one is kinda debatable in my opinion. Many encourage a photo and also an about me page in the online portfolio to connect better with the Human reading the page as a Human. Maybe the about me page is unnecessary. But having a Human touch can add more likingness to a profile and in the age of Gen AI where content can be created easily to fill up and Optimize for SEO and ATS for resumes, I'd say a decent photograph is necessary. I know images can be AI generated too. But what's the chance of one willing to show up with an artificially generated image to a one on one interview vs artificially generated content on resume or portfolio on the same? I believe the difference is drastic. Also, It's completely okay if there are privacy concerns on uploading a profile image But other than that, I feel it's a good thing to have on one's portfolio.

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Amit Patel

Senior Product Designer | YouTube Shorts

6mo

What do you think about single column (optimized for ATS) vs dual column (optimized for humans) resumes?

Leanne Kolpin

Service-oriented Software Designer | Crafting digital products & experiences | 10+ Years in my creative journey

6mo

“Do not add a photo of yourself to your resume” In countries like Denmark, this is completely the opposite.

Pat Mondezie

Product & UX Designer for early stage startups | Product, Web, Brand, and Marketing Design

6mo

Great tips!

Niloufar Khanipour

UI/UX Designer | Social Media Marketer

6mo

Useful tips thanks a lot 😍

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