Web designers harness the full range of both the creative and technical abilities necessary to build and sustain a website.
Let’s be real, in most creative work, it is often overlooked how much technical knowledge is needed to, well, create.
Web designing might just be simultaneously one of the most creative and technical jobs a person could have.
You need to have a grasp on graphic design, computer programing, marketing, social media, customer service – I mean come on; we’ve already listed five complete industries that somewhat make up this one job.
The odds are that if you are a web designer, you’ve got a pretty good grasp on what people want to see and how to make it look good.
While many of your skills can spill over into writing a good web designer resume, there are still some things that you might not have considered.
So while you’re ready to get busy building the future – we’re going to help you get the job that is going to get you started.
Summary
- Resume Template
- Formatting
- Writing Your Resume Summary
- Areas of Expertise
- Writing Your Work Experience
- Writing Your Education Section
- Additional Sections
- Resume Points to Remember
- Resume “Don’ts” to Remember
- Some Helpful Tools
Let’s begin with a sample web designer resume to demonstrate how all the resume pieces fit together. Then we will break each section down to really drill into how to write the best web designer resume you possibly can.
Web Designer Resume (Text Version)
CONTACT INFO:
Austin Paley
[email protected]
1 (534) 555-1155
Charlotte, NC
github.com/AustinP123
SUMMARY STATEMENT
Web Designer: Lead web designer on 50+ projects across a wide range of industries with demonstrable ability to work well in a collaborative environment to create digital brands desired by clients. Multitasker capable of bringing multiple web page creation and repair projects to completion without error.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Java
- Swift
- C#
- NET
- Microsoft Azure
- Git
- GitHub SQL
- MySQL
- Amazon Web Services
- HTML5
- CSS3
- JavaScript
- Bootstrap
- jQuery
- Vue.js
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Big Designs, Charlotte, NC
SENIOR WEB DESIGNER | June 2019 – Present
- Coordinate 10+ projects with varying needs in digital design and programming
- Maintain teamwork with copywriters while creating unique concepts for ads
- Tabulate site update reports to upper management
- Mentor assistant designers on techniques to use in advertising & web design
Digi Da Design, Charlotte, NC
LEAD WEB DESIGNER| May 2016 – June 2019
- Provided clients with exceptional marketing and web design solutions
- Designed and developed user-friendly websites that enhance user experience
- Led 3-designer team on brand strategies for clients across multiple industries
- Ensured accuracy of website content by thoroughly editing copy
Face Marketing, Charlotte, NC
ASSISTANT WEB DESIGNER | April 2015 – May 2016
- Improving several clients’ website UX/UI with WordPress and/or Wix
- Enhanced SEO of websites through JSON-LD scripts and meta tags
- Programmed custom components on websites using jQuery and CSS3
PROJECTS
Getta App, Charlotte, NC
LEAD WEB DESIGNER | May 2013 – June 2014
- Led team of 6 designers & developers to troubleshoot before launch
- Used JavaScript, Vue.js, HTML5, P5.js, Bootstrap, Git/GitHub, ARIA
EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Class of 2015
Formatting
Just like the layout of a website, the format of your resume is instrumental in drawing people in visually.
Since hiring managers only spend about 6-seconds reviewing a resume before moving on, catching their attention is critical.
You want your web designer resume to be easy to read and understand, and you want to draw attention to the most important details.
Since your only visuals are going to be words on the page, your creativity will have to come through with what words you decide to include.
However, selecting a layout that includes proper spacing and a legible font is essential if you are going to guide your reader’s eye to the correct details and words you want them to notice.
You will want to list details in reverse chronological order so that your most impactful and up-to-date information can be seen first.
These basic rules should get you started.
Start With Your Resume Summary
The goal of your summary statement is to introduce yourself as a web designer by highlighting some of your best skills and qualifications in just a few sentences.
Think of this part of your resume like you would think about an “elevator pitch.”
You want to include the significant details and cut out any fluff.
The key details you select should pertain directly to the job you are applying for.
Yes!
Lead web designer on 50+ projects across a wide range of industries with demonstrable ability to work well in a collaborative environment to create digital brands desired by clients. Multitasker capable of bringing multiple web page creation and repair projects to completion without error.
No!
Web designer of countless projects in many industries. Ability to work in a collaborative environment to make brands desired by clients. Able to complete web page creation and repair projects.
The “Yes!” example uses particular and varied details to describe their abilities and previous work as a web designer.
The “No!” example does not lend specifics and avoids the use of diverse and powerful diction when describing their work.
PRO TIP: When describing yourself and your abilities in your summary, it is crucial to quantify and qualify details whenever possible. Explaining that you have worked on “many” projects as opposed to “50+ successful” projects makes less of an impact.
Key Accomplishments/ Skills & Qualifications
While a paragraph summary is necessary – you will also want to include a list of skills, qualifications, and accomplishments that are easier to notice at a glance.
This list should be laid out in bullet points for them to stand out as important details to take note of.
Always include any specific areas of knowledge that you possess that could make you a standout candidate.
When creating this list, make sure you reference the job posting and include any skills and qualifications they have stated they are looking for.
Example:
- Java
- Swift
- C#
- NET
- Microsoft Azure
- Git
- GitHub SQL
- MySQL
- Amazon Web Services
- HTML5
- CSS3
- JavaScript
- Bootstrap
- jQuery
- Vue.js
As you create this list, you will want to consider that there are two main types of skills to include:
Hard skills:
- Teachable
- Practicable
- Easy to Quantify
- Technical
And soft skills:
- Personality Traits
- Subjective
- Harder to Quantify
- Innate
- Not necessarily teachable
When you work in a field that requires a wide range of technical knowledge, it is imperative to list out as many hard skills as you can; however, that doesn’t mean your soft skills can fall by the wayside.
Depending on your capabilities and areas of expertise, you will have to weigh what the correct balance of hard and soft skills should be in this section of your web designer resume.
It is also judicious to consider to whom you are sending this resume: someone who is well versed in your field or a client with little technical knowledge?
Considering your audience is always key – if they are familiar with coding and web design, they will want to know what hard skills you are capable of using.
If you are dealing with a client who only knows they want someone “creative” and “efficient,” you might want to include those soft skills as opposed to listing out software they don’t recognize.
In general, hard skills should “rule” in this section of your resume, but if you choose to pass up on soft skills here, be sure to include them noticeably in other areas.
PRO TIP: Reference the job posting you are responding to when creating this list of skills and qualifications. Make sure to include any skills that they state they are looking for in a candidate.
(See below for a helpful table of some suggested hard and soft skills to include in your resume.)
Writing Your Work Experience
In most cases, your job history will make up the bulk of your web designer resume.
The goal of this section is to include jobs that are recent, relevant, and impressive.
To accomplish this, you will want to list your previous work in reverse chronological order so that your most recent work comes first.
For each job that you select, you will include a brief description of it in about three to five bullet points.
Be sure to include details that directly relate to the job you are applying to whenever possible.
The way you describe the job should always “back-up” the skills you listed in your summary.
This section is your opportunity to show off that you can do more than just “talk the talk” – in your work history, you can strut.
Yes!
Big Designs | Charlotte, NC | Senior Web Designer | June 2019 – Present
- Coordinate 10+ projects requiring digital design & programming
- Maintain teamwork with copywriters while creating concepts for ads
- Tabulate site update reports to upper management
- Mentor assistant designers in web design & ad techniques
No!
Big Designs | Charlotte, NC | Senior Web Designer | June 2019 – Present
- Coordinate projects requiring digital design and programming
- Teamwork with copywriters
- List site update reports
- Guide assistant designers
The “Yes!” example quantifies and qualifies the work tasks their job entailed by including specific details to paint a full picture of the work they completed.
The “No!” example lists basic tasks with little to no detail, minimizing the candidate’s impact and involvement in the position.
PRO TIP: If you have an overlap of similar work in multiple jobs, try to include the most impressive details in the first job you list, and don’t repeat the same skills in another job example.
(If you lack work experience, see below for a helpful section.)
More About Bots
When describing your work history, keep in mind that just like most other things today, hiring has become a bit more “automated.”
Bots sort through resumes and search for particular keywords that are associated with “good candidate potential.”
If your web designer resume doesn’t get flagged by a bot, it will likely never be seen by the eyes of the hiring manager.
To combat this, some people opt to write their resumes in paragraph format as opposed to using bullet points.
Standard Bullet Point Format:
Digi Da Design | Charlotte, NC | Lead Web Designer| May 2016 – June 2019
- Provided clients with exceptional marketing and web design solutions
- Designed and developed user-friendly websites that enhance user experience
- Led 3-designer team on brand strategies for clients across multiple industries
- Ensured accuracy of website content by thoroughly editing copy
Paragraph Format:
Digi Da Design | Charlotte, NC | Lead Web Designer| May 2016 – June 2019
Provided companies and clients with exceptional marketing and web design solutions, and designed and developed user-friendly websites that emphasize personal promotional work and graphic design to ensure high traffic and enhance the user experience. Lead a team of three designers to work with marketing and communication colleagues on brand and strategies for a variety of clients across multiple industries. Ensured accuracy of website content by thoroughly editing copy.
In some cases, people use a mixture of both styles by writing their work history in paragraph format and then including a few bullet points below.
Paragraph Hybrid
Digi Da Design | Charlotte, NC | Lead Web Designer| May 2016 – June 2019
Provided companies and clients with exceptional marketing and web design solutions, and designed and developed user-friendly websites that emphasize personal promotional work and graphic design to ensure high traffic and enhance the user experience. Lead a team of three designers to work with marketing and communication colleagues on brand and strategies for a variety of clients across multiple industries. Ensured accuracy of website content by thoroughly editing copy.
- JavaScript & jQuery Hand Coding
- 10+ websites launched and maintained
Whatever method you decide to use, keep in mind that it is still possible to be descriptive and include many keywords while using bullet points.
At Big Interview, we believe bullet points are the best method when trying to please a hiring manager, and they are versatile enough to get past a bot as well.
Writing Your Education Section
Most likely, the most straightforward section of your resume will be your education section.
In this section, you will lay out a list of your degrees in order of magnitude, starting with the most impressive (e.g., Master’s, bachelor’s, associates)
While this might sound like there is little room for flexibility, depending on your background, there is room for creativity.
However, let’s start with the basics.
Make sure you list out the name of your degree, the school you attended, and the year you graduated.
Example:
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Class of 2015
If you have any additional certifications or workshops to list, include those as well.
Example:
- Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)
- Microsoft Certified Professional Developer
Possible Sections to Include
Once you have included a summary, list of skills and qualifications, work history, and an education section, you might consider including some additional parts as well.
Some sections to consider including are:
- Awards and honors
- Publications
- Noteworthy Projects
- Social Media Influence
- Speaking Engagements
- Hobbies/Interests
- Volunteer Work
What if You Have No Experience?
If you are a new graduate or you have just recently switched career paths, you might be concerned about a lack of professional work experience.
If this is the case for you, there are still many ways to make your web designer resume stand out for all the right reasons.
One of the first things to consider is moving your education section just below your summary.
If you lack any work experience in this field, your education is likely more relevant and impressive than either a shortage of work or work that is unrelated.
Whether or not you make this shift, you will want to enhance your education section a bit.
Including a high GPA, honors, awards, or specifically related coursework can help flesh this section out more.
Aside from your education, you will also want to strongly consider including an additional section or two.
If you have volunteer work or any internships that relate to the field, those things can be quite impressive in the absence of paid work.
You likely have more experience and skills to work with than you realize, so layout everything you’ve got, and remain confident.
Resume Points to Remember
Review and revise
Make sure you are taking your time to look over your resume before you hand it in. To check things over properly, make sure you get a second opinion whenever possible. If that’s not feasible, try reading your web designer resume aloud – you might be surprised at how different things sound in your head.
It’s the simple things
Make sure that all the basic details are in order. It can be easy to get wrapped up in all the more complicated aspects of resume writing; however, including the fundamental information is still important and can be easily forgotten. Make sure you are including locations, dates, and names for all previous work, and that you are listing your own name and contact information.
Look at the job post
Utilize the job posting as a sort of cheat sheet. If they list skills and qualifications, make sure you include as many as you can in your resume. It’s not cheating to check for the right answers.
Try to Avoid
No need to repeat
When you are describing yourself, or a previous job, make sure you aren’t reusing the same keywords. Include a good deal of variance so that you don’t come off one-dimensional.
Don’t forget form
While your web designer resume is all about you, it is a huge resume writing “no-no” to include the words “I” and “me” when talking about your skills and work history.
Don’t be self-involved
Obviously, your resume is all about you, but in all seriousness, avoid using the words “I” and “me.” These words are seen as awkward in resume writing, and either way, it goes without saying that you are referring to yourself.
(See below for a helpful table of some suggested power words.)
Helpful Tools
Web Designer Resume Power Words
- Administered
- Founded
- Adept
- Formulated
- Built
- Implemented
- Created
- Improved
- Consolidated
- Initiated
- Coordinated
- Launched
- Developed
- Pioneered
- Designed
- Organized<
Web Designer Resume Skills List
Hard Skills | Soft Skills |
JavaScript | Creative |
WordPress | Organized |
HTML5 | Collaborative |
NET | Cutting-edge |
Vue.js | Problem-solving |