The Resume Mistakes That Are Costing You UX Jobs
How to Create a Designer Resume That Stands Out (for the Right Reasons)
Let’s face it: Resumes are tough.
For designers, they’re even tougher. Your work speaks for itself in portfolios and case studies, but your resume still needs to do the heavy lifting to get you through the door.
The truth is, a cluttered or outdated resume can quietly hold you back. Today, we’re sharing exactly what not to include on your designer resume in 2025—and how to make every word count.
Today’s Highlights
Key Insight: What Not to Include on Your Designer Resume in 2025
The Overused Buzzwords That Kill Your Credibility
Why Listing Every Job You’ve Ever Had Hurts You
Outdated Design Trends to Leave Behind
Market Insights: The Designer Hiring Trends of 2025
Practical Tips: How to Tailor Your Resume for Each Role
Community Spotlight: What’s the Best Piece of Resume Advice You’ve Ever Received?
Webinar: Crafting Resumes That Land Interviews
Job Board: Designer Roles You Don’t Want to Miss
Resource Corner: Tools and Templates for Better Resumes
Feature Spotlight: Join Us at UXCon25
Tool of the Week: Resume Worded – Analyze and Improve Your Resume
Key Insight: What Not to Include on Your Designer Resume in 2025
Your resume isn’t a storage space for everything you’ve ever done; it’s a strategic document to get you noticed. Including the wrong details can dilute your impact and make it harder for recruiters to understand why you’re the perfect fit.
Here’s what to skip—and what to do instead.
1. The Overused Buzzwords That Kill Your Credibility
We’ve all seen resumes filled with phrases like:
"Results-driven UX designer."
"Passionate team player."
"Creative problem solver."
Why this doesn’t work: Everyone claims these traits, so they’re meaningless without specifics. Instead, back your claims with evidence:
Example:
Before: “Strong communicator with cross-functional teams.”
After: “Facilitated weekly design reviews with product managers and engineers, reducing implementation delays by 30%.”
2. Why Listing Every Job You’ve Ever Had Hurts You
Recruiters only spend 6–7 seconds on an initial resume scan (Source). Listing irrelevant roles or early career jobs—like that summer internship from 2015—creates noise and distracts from your strongest qualifications.
What to do: Focus on the last 5–7 years of experience and prioritize roles that align with the job you’re applying for.
3. Outdated Design Trends to Leave Behind
Your resume design matters almost as much as its content. In 2025, here’s what hiring managers don’t want to see:
Overly Visual Resumes: Avoid using overly complex layouts with excessive graphics or charts. These may confuse Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Objective Statements: Nobody needs to see “Seeking a challenging role to grow my skills…” anymore. Replace this with a concise professional summary that highlights what you bring to the table.
Pro Tip: Use a clean, ATS-friendly format (like Google Docs or PDF) with clear sections and readable fonts like Arial or Roboto.
Market Insights: Designer Hiring Trends in 2025
Demand for Specialized Roles: Companies are hiring for niche positions like Accessibility UX Specialists and Motion Designers to create more inclusive and engaging experiences (Source).
Shorter Time-to-Hire: The average time-to-hire for design roles has dropped to 19 days—meaning your resume has to make an impression quickly (Source).
An Upwork survey indicates that 73% of all departments are likely to have remote workers by 2028. (NovoResume).
Practical Tips: How to Tailor Your Resume for Each Role
Recruiters know when you’re sending out generic resumes. Stand out by tailoring your application to the specific role.
Mirror the Job Description: Highlight keywords and skills listed in the job post (e.g., “prototyping in Figma” or “UX research synthesis”).
Show Impact: Instead of listing duties, focus on results. For example: “Redesigned checkout flow, reducing cart abandonment by 15%.”
Prioritize Your Skills Section: Place your core tools and technologies—like Sketch, Adobe XD, and user research methods—front and center.
This week’s question: What’s the Best Piece of Resume Advice You’ve Ever Received?
This Week’s Answer
"Your resume is about what you can do for them—not what they can do for you."
Focus on showing how your skills will solve the company’s challenges.
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Resource Corner: Tools and Templates for Better Resumes
Tool: Resume Worded – Analyze your resume and get feedback on ATS optimization.
Template: Figma Resume Templates – Beautiful, ATS-friendly designs you can customize.
Book: Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett – Learn how to align your career with your goals.
Feature Spotlight: Join Us at UXCon25
Join us at UXCon25, where the brightest minds in UX come together to share insights, learn, and connect. Early bird tickets are now available, offering you the chance to be part of this transformative experience. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to elevate your skills and network with industry leaders.
Tool of the Week: Resume Worded – Analyze and Improve Your Resume
Here’s what Resume Worded can do for you:
Instantly spot and fix resume issues with AI-powered insights.
Optimize for ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) to get past automated screenings.
Benchmark your resume against industry standards.
Final Note | Your Resume is a Story—Make It Memorable
Your resume isn’t just a list of qualifications—it’s your professional story. Keep it concise, clear, and tailored to each opportunity.
Remember: What you leave out is just as important as what you include.