Instructional designer CV examples for this year

Instructional designers are essential for any student taking classroom instruction or online courses. They are subject matter experts (SMEs) who are key to course development. They create training materials and job aids teachers use when leading their classes. Materials may include teaching manuals, lesson plans and student guides. Because this role impacts many people, a hiring manager wants to ensure that candidates have the skills to help others learn the subject matter.

In this article, you will learn which CV structure best fits your professional profile and the elements and skills you should include in your CV to land your next instructional designer position.

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Those wanting to land an instructional designer job will need to highlight specific skills and work experiences that make them valid candidates for the role they are applying for. Considering your best professional skills and the job requirements listed in the job description is the best way to ensure you highlight the right skills. Some elements to highlight on your instructional designer CV are:

• Experience in the instructional design industry
• Cover desirable skills such as e-learning and project management
• Educational aspects and certifications

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Before writing your instructional designer CV, you must decide which CV format to use. When choosing a CV format, it is important to consider your work experience and skill level. This is because each CV format has its function. Here are the three CV formats and an explanation of when to use them:

• Functional: If you don’t have much work experience or have gaps in your work history, choosing a functional CV format will be a good choice. You can list various skills you have gained through volunteer work and education. 
• Chronological: If you have several years of experience, choosing a chronological CV format is best since the focus is on your work history. 
• Combination: If you are changing careers or have three to nine years of experience, you can opt for a combination CV format.

Once you have selected your CV format, you can add your information to the following CV sections:

Header

The header is the first section of your CV. Add all your contact information, including your name, phone number and email address. You can add your professional portfolio links to the header if you have an instructional design portfolio. You can also include your professional social media links, such as your LinkedIn profile.

Professional summary or career objective

Your professional summary is a great way to highlight your professional profile to the hiring manager in 2-3 attention-grabbing sentences. Therefore, it is important to highlight your most exciting and relevant accomplishments. Here is an example of a professional summary:

“Qualified senior instructional designer with five years of experience in providing students with interactive learning experiences and e-learning courses. Expert in multimedia and writing articulate storylines. Created over 200 mathematics training courses that have been successfully implemented in 50 secondary schools.”

Skills

Your skills section shows that you have the skill set required to succeed in the instructional designer role you are applying for. Studying the skills noted in the job description will give you the best chance to understand the skills needed in the specific job you are applying for. Here are some skills you can list on your CV:

• Ability to use Adobe Captivate and Camtasia software
• Create learning solutions and conduct needs analysis
• Conduct training programmes and training materials
• Understanding of the ADDIE model
• Creating storyboards and learning management systems (LMS) 
• Develop e-learning training modules
• Experience with adult learning
• Curriculum design and curriculum development
• Ability to provide facilitator guides and course materials
• Develop learning materials, learning objectives and learning programmes
• Microsoft PowerPoint and Word
• Soft skills, such as communication skills

Work experience

Add your work experience to your professional CV in reverse-chronological order, with your most recent job listed first. This way, the hiring manager can first see your most recent and relevant experience. Add 3-5 bullets describing your responsibilities and best accomplishments for each of your previous jobs. Also include the company name and dates of employment.

Education

The education section for an instructional designer job is important, a master’s degree in a given subject matter area. In addition to their subject matter knowledge, they must also understand instructional design theory, visual design and instructional systems. Therefore, an instructional designer may also have a master’s in instructional design or an Advanced Certificate in Learning Design. Be sure to list all your training in the education section of your CV to stand out to recruiters.

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Here are a few more tips that will help you when it comes to writing your CV:

Do:

• Use a CV template to ensure that your CV is professional and easy for the hiring manager to read.
• Highlight your most relevant experiences.
• Mention your soft skills, such as teamwork and communication. You will often be working closely with others to develop course materials.

Don’t:

• Include any false information on your qualifications and skill abilities.
• Write lengthy statements or paragraphs. Use concise bullet points to make your CV easy to read.
• Include personal information such as your age or hobbies.

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