11 Instructional Designer Resume Examples for 2025

In this article, we'll explore effective resumes for instructional designers. You will see strong examples and receive strategic advice. We'll cover how to highlight skills, experience, and achievements. Whether you're an experienced professional or new to the field, this guide will help you create a resume that gets noticed by hiring managers.

  Compiled and approved by Jason Lewis
  Last updated on See history of changes

  Next update scheduled for

At a Glance

Here's what we see in the best resumes for instructional designers.

  • Show Impact Using Numbers: The best resumes show impact with numbers. Look for metrics like 20% increase in time savings, 30% reduction in customer support issues, improved course completion rates by 15%, and reduced training costs by 25%. This shows the value you bring.

  • Include Relevant Skills: Include skills on your resume that you have and are mentioned on the job description. Some popular ones are e-learning development, instructional design software, content authoring tools, SCORM, and LMS administration. But don't include all of them, choose the ones you have and are mentioned in the JD.

  • Highlight Elearning Trends: Mention elearning trends in your resume. Phrases like gamification techniques or microlearning modules show you're up-to-date.

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Education section placement

If you recently completed a significant program like a master's degree or certificate in instructional design, list your education section first. This explains any gaps in employment and highlights your new qualifications.

However, if you have substantial work experience, especially in instructional design, place your education section after your experience. This allows employers to quickly see your practical skills and how they align with the job.

Emphasize collaboration skills

Instructional design often requires you to work with subject matter experts and other team members. Highlight your ability to collaborate to create effective training materials.

Mention any experience you have working on cross-functional teams, and give examples of projects where you successfully integrated input from various stakeholders.

Ideal resume length

Your resume as an instructional designer should be concise. If you have less than ten years of relevant experience or are at an early-stage in your career, aim for a one-page document. This ensures that you highlight the most critical information succinctly. For those with a broader range of projects or senior-level expertise, extending to a two-page resume is acceptable. The key is to present your background effectively and show that you can organize content, a vital skill in instructional design.

Focus on showcasing clear, relevant experiences and achievements that reflect your abilities to design effective learning experiences. Remove less significant roles or details that don't add value to your instructional design credentials. Keep the layout clean and ensure that essential information is visible on the first page, as this is where hiring managers focus their initial attention. Remember, clarity and prioritization of content are fundamental in instructional design and in your resume as well.

Showcase e-learning experience

Highlight any experience you have with e-learning platforms and tools, such as Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, or Moodle. Specific software knowledge can set you apart in this field.

Include examples of courses or training programs you have designed. Mention metrics like completion rates or user satisfaction to demonstrate the effectiveness of your work.

Navigate applicant tracking systems

When you apply for jobs, your resume may first be seen by a computer, not a person. This is because companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to sort and rank resumes. To get past these systems, you need to make sure your resume is easy for them to read.

Here are ways to help your instructional design resume get noticed:

  • Use keywords from the job description. For example, include terms like 'e-learning' or 'curriculum development'.
  • Format your resume simply. Use standard headings like 'work experience' and avoid columns or tables.

These steps can increase the chance that your resume will reach a hiring manager.

Customize with relevant skills

You need to show the skills that match what employers want. Read job descriptions carefully. Use words from the job ad on your resume to show you're a good match.

  • Show experience with learning tools like Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate.
  • List skills in creating courses that work on computers and phones.
  • Mention if you have worked with subject matter experts to make training material.

Show success, not just tasks

When you list only tasks on your resume, you miss showing how you shine as an instructional designer. Your resume should show your impact. Here's how to do that:

  • Transform a task into an accomplishment by adding how you improved the learning experience or the outcome. For example, change 'Created online learning modules' to 'Developed engaging online learning modules that increased course completion rates by 20%'.
  • Instead of simply stating 'Led training sessions,' you could write 'Facilitated training sessions that improved employee performance productivity by 30%' to show the actual value you added.

These changes help you stand out by showing your strong impact, not just the work you did. Do this, and your resume will better catch the eye of hiring managers.

Use strong action verbs

As an instructional designer crafting your resume, you want to show your ability to create engaging content and manage educational projects. Start your bullet points with strong action verbs that highlight your impact. These verbs give life to your experiences and can help you stand out to a hiring manager.

Think about what you do every day. Do you design, develop, or coordinate? Your choice of verbs should match the tasks you have completed. Here are some good examples you can use:

  • To show your ability to create educational materials, use developed, designed, crafted, constructed, produced.
  • To demonstrate your project management skills, include verbs like led, coordinated, managed, executed, oversaw.
  • If you have worked on team projects, verbs such as collaborated, partnered, contributed, engaged, merged show teamwork.
  • To highlight your technical skills, use verbs like integrated, implemented, programmed, automated, customized.
  • For your ability to improve learning experiences, consider verbs like enhanced, refined, optimized, revised, tailored.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Performed, Juggle, Determined, Utilize, Helped.

Show leadership growth

When you apply for a job that involves creating training materials, it's good to show how you have grown into roles with more responsibility, especially leadership roles. If you have moved up in your career, make sure you highlight this on your resume.

Here are ways you might show your leadership experience or promotions:

  • List job titles in order, starting from the most recent, and include dates to show when you moved up.
  • For each role, add bullet points that show what you led or managed. For example, you could say 'Oversaw a team of content creators' or 'Led a project that improved course completion rates by 20%'.

Even if you are not sure if you have held a formal leadership role, think about times when you took the lead on a project or guided others. You can still list these experiences to show your leadership skills.

Key skills for instructional design

When crafting your resume as an instructional designer, highlighting your technical skills is vital. These are the tools and techniques you'll use daily, so you want to show you're well-versed in them. Consider where to list these skills – they can fit into a dedicated skills section for easy scanning or be woven into your work experience descriptions to add context.

  • Curriculum development
  • E-learning software
  • Learning management systems (LMS)
  • Storyboarding
  • Graphic design
  • Video editing
  • HTML/CSS
  • JavaScript
  • Assessment design
  • Project management

Remember, you don't need to list every skill you have. Focus on those that align with the job you want. For example, if you're aiming for a role that requires strong technical skills, emphasize your proficiency in e-learning software and learning management systems.

Many employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter resumes. They look for specific keywords, so including these skills can help your resume get noticed. Place your strongest, most relevant skills at the top of your list. This can increase your chances of passing the ATS and catching the hiring manager's eye.

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