How to highlight your UX design skills

Whether you've got a firm grasp on the fundamentals of user experience design after taking UX training at the American Graphics Institute or are just starting to explore this exciting creative discipline, there is little doubt that demand for UX professionals has never been higher. However, if you're new to the field, how do you show off what you can do, or highlight your UX design chops?

Skills first
One way to promote your newfound UX design skills is by doing precisely that with your resume. Adopting a skills-based resume format is an ideal opportunity to present your UX design skills in a clear, concise manner that potential employers will be able to see quickly.

For example, you could list your UX skills toward the top of your resume, before moving onto the work experience section. This allows hiring managers to see, at a glance, what you can do before learning more about your professional background. This is crucial for individuals who may know how to design and craft engaging user experiences, but who lack that vital first position often necessary to secure a job. Common UX design skills you could emphasize include Web analytics reporting, heuristic evaluations, stakeholder interviews, SWOT analysis, usability testing and affinity mapping.

Prove it
One common mistake people in all fields make when transitioning into a new career or attempting to advance in their current profession is making claims on their resume that aren't backed up by their actual experience. This means that a candidate might claim to be a team player or possess excellent interpersonal communication skills, but fail to provide demonstrable examples of how these skills served them in the past.

This principle of being able to prove what you can do is essential when seeking a UX design position. Some UX creatives assume that showcasing a range of their project deliverables in a portfolio is sufficient to at least land them an interview, when in fact the relationship between the process and the final product is often much more nuanced. When it comes to proving your skills, the end result is only one part of the puzzle. Most hiring managers will expect to see a narrative in your work - how you applied your UX design sensibilities to an evolving and adapting project. Don't just rely on a sleek software product - tell a story with the examples in your portfolio.