Instructional Designer Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

One of the key tasks of an instructional designer is to develop a storyboard that will explain the problem you are solving. 

Your resume serves the same purpose—you are just telling your story. 

You have to show that you have relevant experience and a strong work ethic, and prove that you’re the perfect candidate for the job. Discover how to do it with our step-by-step instructions! 

In this guide:

• An instructional designer resume sample that gets jobs.
• How to ace your instructional designer job description on a resume.
• How to write a resume for an instructional designer that gets the interview.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing an instructional designer job.

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Instructional design is not your cup of tea? Check out these guides:

• Academic Resume
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• Graphic Designer Resume
• School Counselor Resume
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Couldn't find your resume? See best resume examples for every job.

Instructional Designer Resume Example

Instructional designers develop and deploy curriculums within dedicated learning management systems. The purpose of your instructional designer resume is to highlight your abilities to develop learning programs. You also need to demonstrate a range of analytical and people skills. 

Here’s how to write an instructional designer resume that meets every requirement:

1. Start with the Right Instructional Designer Resume Format

Like a well-designed course, your resume needs to follow a particular format. 

A clear resume format will help the hiring manager save some time—they will be able to spot all information pertinent to the job ad at once. 

How to make your instructional designer resume magnetize the reader?

Take a look at our bulletproof resume format!

Instructional Designer Resume Format

• Create a logical order—go for the reverse-chronological resume layout. This way, you’ll bring your most recent achievements to the front. 
• Use easy-to-read and professional resume font, set to 11–12 points. Calibri or Arial are always a good idea. 
• Stick to 1” resume margins on all sides of the document. 
• Be specific. A one-page resume should suffice in most cases. You should only submit a two-page resume if you have many years of experience and plenty of achievements to show off.
• Add the right resume sections: header, summary, experience, education, skills, and additional information that is relevant to the job. 

Always save your resume as a PDF file. The resume layout will stay intact, and the document will be ATS-friendly (ATS = Applicant Tracking Systems, or software that scans and parses incoming applications in most companies these days).

2. Start Your Resume for Instructional Designers with a Career Objective or Summary

This section of your resume is as important as the first story you put on your board. If you nail your resume profile section, you will catch the reader’s attention. 

The question is—how to do that in summary for an instructional designer?

This structure will show you how to create a compelling resume summary:

1. Anadjective (passionate, efficient, diligent)
2. Job title (Instructional Designer)
3. Years of experience (5+, 6+)
4. What you’ll bring to the table (provide excellent design skills)
5. Best 2–3 professional achievements (implemented the project 1 month before the deadline, reduced onboarding time by 40%)

Are you applying for an entry-level instructional designer job? Go for a resume objective instead. Rather than listing career accomplishments, focus on your experience from other gigs or any other transferable skills you can offer. 

Expert Hint: Write your career profile at the very end. It will be easier to pick the juicier bits from your experience and education once you have every other resume section ready. 

3. Add the Perfect Instructional Designer Job Description and Skills Sections

You have a vast array of experience and skills that match the job perfectly.

Now you have to make the work experience section on your resume look appealing. 

How to write the perfect job description for an instructional designer:

1. Read the job posting carefully. 
2. Be on the watch for resume keywords. Resume keywords are skills and requirements the hiring manager is looking for in a candidate. 
3. Analyze your previous work. Make a list of projects or situations where you’ve used those skills. 
4. Turn those examples into bullet points. If possible, use numbers and action words to prove your work's impact on the company. 

But that’s not all!

Just as you can’t design one course to serve every employee, you can’t send the same resume to every company. 

Each instructional designer resume should target a specific job ad.

Moreover, focus on the professional achievements you’re proud of, don’t just stick to essential duties. 

Apart from the job description, the recruiter will also look at the skills section of your resume to determine whether you’re likely to be the right fit for the role. 

Target your skills section to the job ad. Go back to the previous exercise and look at the resume keywords. Can you use any of them here?

Listing 5–10 of your most relevant skills in a separate section will please not only the recruiter, but also the ATS!

Here’s a list of instructional designer skills to inspire you: 

Instructional Designer Resume Skills

• Facilitation
• Innovation
• Adaptability
• Adobe Suite
• HTML
• Curriculum Design
• Learning Management
• VISIO
• Mobile Learning
• Blended Learning
• Employee Training
• AGILE Instructional Design
• Needs Analysis
• Interpersonal Skills
• Communication Skills
• Computer Skills
• Technical Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Conceptual Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills
• Time Management Skills

Include both hard and soft skills in your resume to give your potential employer a fuller picture of your capabilities. 

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4. Make Your Instructional Designer Education Great

A good education section is essential in any resume, doubly so for instructional designers—a specific degree is usually necessary for landing a job in your field. 

So don’t keep recruiters guessing or force them to make any assumptions—

If you already have some experience in the field, list the school name, degree, and graduation date for your highest level of schooling. 

However, if you’re writing a resume with no experience, consider boosting this section with extra modules:

• Add bullet points with extracurricular activities, relevant coursework, projects, and academic achievements (like scholarships, making the Dean’s List, honors on your diploma, and so on)
• State your GPA (if it’s 3.7 or above)

5. Include Extra Sections on Your Instructional Designer Resume

You’re doing great so far! But you’re bound to be aware that every resume will have good work experience and education sections. How can you make yourself stand out from the crowd? 

With extra sections that show skills related to your dream job. 

Consider adding a couple of these at the end of your resume: 

• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Awards
• Hobbies and Interests
• Volunteering
• Certifications
• Professional References

Expert hint: Write a cover letter and submit it along with your resume. A cover letter gives you extra space to show your expertise and encourages the hiring manager to invite you to the interview. 

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Key Points

Here’s how to write a job-winning resume for instructional designers:

• Use clear resume formatting. It will make the hiring manager’s life easier and help your application pass the ATS test. 
• Introduce yourself with a summary or objective. Clearly state your accomplishments or any transferable skills from other gigs. 
• Focus on experience and skills relevant to the job. Put them in the job description, skills, and career summary sections. 
• Include a cover letter. A cover letter is another chance to prove you’re the right fit for the job. 

Hope you enjoyed the article! Still not sure about something to do with writing a resume for instructional designer jobs? Got any tips of your own to share? We’d love to read them! Just post in the comments below.