Instructional Design / May 19, 2023

ID Transition Step 4: Apply for Instructional Design Jobs

Well, you made it to the final step and are ready to apply for instructional design jobs! In this final phase, we’ll walk through how to apply for instructional design jobs that you qualify for. It’s not as simple as filling out as many online applications as you can! 

If you want your resume to stand out and land you an interview, you’ve got some work to do. But we’ll provide you with some helpful tips and resources so you can be successful.

Need to catch up on steps one, two and three? No problem! We have them all organized in this YouTube playlist!

Set Yourself Up for Success

When it comes to finding a job in instructional design, it’s crucial to assess your skills and qualifications against the job description for the type of instructional design job you’re after. Remember, I encouraged you to narrow your focus in the very first step of this transition plan. While this may seem obvious, it’s easy to overlook, especially if you’re transitioning from another field. 

Even if you had a senior or director-level position in your previous job, in instructional design, you may need to start at an entry-level position. So, it’s important to set realistic expectations and apply for jobs that match your skill level. 

With that said, don’t let one missing skill deter you. You don’t need to have 100% of the skills listed, just the majority of them. By assessing your qualifications and applying for the right level of job, you can increase your chances of finding a position that is a good fit for you.

Get Noticed for an Instructional Design Job

Once you’ve identified an instructional design job that you’re qualified for, you’ve got to stack your career toolkit. This way, you’re more likely to get past the dreaded Applicant Tracking System and land in front of a prospective employer.

Let’s start by talking about the main components of your career toolkit, your resume, portfolio, and LinkedIn.

Resume Tips

I mentioned the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) earlier. This is the automated way that most companies use to sift through the many resumes submitted for a job. The company plugs in the job name and requirements and ATS uses that information to scan all the resumes and assign each applicant a score.

So, let’s say Katie tailored her resume to this specific job posting, so she used the same language to describe her skills that she saw in the requirements. She might get a ranking of 90%. That potential employer can say, “I only want to see candidates that scored 80% or higher when compared to the job description.” So luckily, Katie’s resume will appear on the shortlist.

ATS isn’t good at recognizing synonyms, it’s just a program, so you need to make sure your resume uses similar language for listing keywords and skills as the job description. Here’s an example. A job description lists experience with Canvas as a requirement. Your resume bullet points include your LMS experience. Guess what? If the company only included the keyword ‘Canvas’, ATS won’t recognize that your LMS experience is relevant. You would want to change your resume to include the specific word from the job posting.

Another ATS tip for you: you’re much better off with a plain jane resume. I’m talking bullet points! You can find some really fun resume templates on Canva and Etsy, but many of those templates are not readable by ATS. So, even if you spend hours tailoring your resume to this position, you could score a 0 and never be seen by a real person!

If you’re interested in a deeper dive into resume tips, check out this article!

Portfolio Tips

A resume alone isn’t enough to land most instructional design jobs. In addition to a resume, instructional designers use a portfolio to show off the skills they list on their resume. A great portfolio should give your potential employer confidence that you are the right fit for the open position.

Portfolios should be sharp and professional looking. Choose a good design with an easy-to-view color scheme. 

Ensure any images you use on the landing page are high quality, and all text is error-free. Realistically, potential employers aren’t going to spend a lot of time looking at your work, so want their first impression to be great. Send your finished portfolio to a trusted friend or mentor to spot any spelling mistakes or broken links before you send it off or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Past the landing page, what should you include in your portfolio? Include your most polished projects that demonstrate the skills required for the job. For example, if the job lists storyboarding as a requirement, make sure your portfolio has a completed storyboard. If the job requires Articulate Rise, have a Rise course linked.

Other Necessities for Landing an Instructional Design Job

When you’re on the hunt for an instructional design job, or any job for that matter, the candidate pool can be competitive. That’s why you want to make sure you cover all your bases and prepare to stand out using all the tools at your disposal. 

Here are some other things you can work on that will serve you well as you look for your dream job.

Optimize your LinkedIn Presence

LinkedIn can be an incredibly powerful tool to help you connect with potential employers and get your name out there. For job seekers, LinkedIn is often how you find job postings in the first place. You can also use it as a tool to connect with the recruiters who are hiring for a position you applied for.

In that case, just having a profile isn’t enough. You need to make sure it’s optimized to attract attention from those recruiters or hiring managers. 

First, make sure you have a professional-looking profile picture. You can achieve this easily by setting your phone up in front of a blank wall and editing the background in Canva. Or, pay to have your headshots taken professionally, its a great investment that you can use for years!

Next, complete your full profile. Include the phrase “instructional designer” or “elearning developer” in your heading (depending on the kind of role you’re interested in). Be sure to use up all the characters available in your summary. Where your resume is bullet-pointed and formal, your LinkedIn profile can be more conversational and use full sentences. Use this to your advantage and use the full character limit in each section. Show off your personality and what makes you unique.

Finally, those same keywords you’re adding to your resume can live in the skills section of your LinkedIn profile, so make sure they match before you reach out to recruiters!

Top 4 Tips for Interviewing

The last piece of your career toolkit I’ll share to help you as you apply for instructional design jobs is your interview skills.

1. Review the job posting.

Chances are, you’re not applying for just one job at a time, that’s fine! But landing an interview is a huge accomplishment, don’t blow it by mixing up positions or companies. Be sure to save the job posting when you first apply (sometimes they pull it offline when they have all the candidates they want to interview). Then re-read it thoroughly before the interview.

2. Compile work samples.

As you read through the bullet points on the job posting, find a work sample or jot down a work experience you have that relates to as many of the job requirements as you can. This will give you some great talking points. Also, it’s really common for interviewers to say “tell us about a project where you…” insert common instructional design skills here. And it’s also really normal for your mind to go completely blank and not be able to think of a single project you’ve ever done! It’s okay to be nervous, but if you prepare this ahead of time you’ll have those projects fresh in your memory.

3. Practice answering common interview questions.

Take some time to prepare how you would answer common questions with a friend or family member. We have a whole list of common questions in this article that you can use as a starting point!

4. Prepare questions to ask the interviewer.

This is just as important as answering the interviewer’s questions. Don’t forget, the interview is a chance for you to see if the company is a good fit for you too. So you don’t blank in the moment, write down some questions you have to ask the interviewer ahead of time. Check out this list of 15 questions to ask your interviewer to get your creative juices flowing!

Wrapping it Up

That concludes our four-step instructional design transition plan! We went from identifying your dream job to determining what skills you need to be a good fit. Then, you got to work upskilling so you could confidently apply to instructional design jobs. 

The journey doesn’t end there! Join us in The Hangout Facebook Group for Aspiring Instructional Designers to talk about where you’re at in your instructional design transition and get support from fellow instructional design lovers!