Instructional Design / May 5, 2020

No matter how talented of an instructional designer you are, interviewing for an instructional design job with a new company (or any job, for that matter) can be overwhelming! Sometimes, the stress of the interview alone can throw you off your game. Before I share my secrets for landing your dream instructional design job, drop down to the comments and tell me your go-to tip to help you feel at ease in any interview.

Before you walk into an interview, take a deep breath, and remember that every one you’ll talk to that day has been in your shoes. We all understand interview nerves! With that said, I’ve got some excellent advice about how to prepare for your interview. I’ve pulled together some What-if scenarios that you should be ready for, and finally, a few tips to help you stand out amongst the other talent.

Tips to Land Your Dream Instructional Design Job

Preparation is Key

I know prepping for an interview is a given. Still, the best way to feel confident when you’re interviewing for an instructional design job is to be over-prepared. Instructional design requires a high level of focus and organization. Prove to your potential employer that you’ve got those skills by nailing your interview questions and be ready to provide any additional resources that may be required.

Here’s a checklist of ways you can prepare before interviewing for an instructional design job.

● Organize your Work Samples

Choosing which samples to showcase is a time-consuming task, but it’s essential when interviewing for an instructional design job. It’s worth the initial time investment because you can prepare it way ahead of time. You’ll also be able to reuse it (with minor tweaks and updates) for all your job interviews.

I recommend creating a portfolio of your work. There are many online platforms available to help you do this. Create a Google Site for free (check out this simple, step-by-step guide) or build a professional portfolio using premium sites like Squarespace or Adobe Portfolio.

What should you include in your portfolio? Don’t worry. I didn’t forget about that! I’ve got some tips for making your portfolio – pop down below to see them!

● Prepare for Questions

I know this is a given, but it’s also one of the best ways to appear confident and knowledgeable when you’re interviewing for an instructional design job.

My best advice (especially if you get nervous or tongue-tied in a high-stakes environment) is to write out your answers to the typical interview questions. Not only are you more likely to remember your response if you’ve written it out instead of just thinking about it, but you can also edit each answer to make sure you’re as concise as possible.

If you are interviewing for one job, you might be interviewing for multiple jobs so writing down your responses allows you to refresh your thoughts before each and every interview.

Here are some questions I’ve encountered that I’m glad I didn’t have to think up answers for on the spot:

1. How would you deal with a subject matter expert that’s not responsive to your requests for information?

2. What tools and software do you have experience using to build courses and course materials? Make sure you have specific names for this and be honest!

3. If this is your first instructional design position, how does your previous experience align with the skills needed? Teachers you have a ton of experience that is applicable to instructional design!

For more ideas, there’s a great list here of questions that you should expect when you’re interviewing for an instructional design position.

TAYTAY TIP: “Look at the job posting and write down at least one experience, knowledge, skill, ability or interest for every single item listed on the job posting. Odds are that the job posting was built for very specific needs so the interviewer will be checking to see that you can perform the task.”

● Research the Company

Doing your research ahead of time is a must for any job. Don’t just glance at the company website’s landing page and read their mission statement.

Read their recent blog posts and make a note of any topics of interest (find a way to bring them up in the interview or work it into your response to a question they ask you).

Check out their employee data on Linkedin (like where most of their employees are from, where they’ve studied), and see if you can make any connections. Search their most recent posts on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Many companies showcase well-known clients of theirs. This is a great way to see their work in action and can make for an interesting conversation starter.

Most importantly, return to this research at least a day before your interview to make sure this specific business sticks out in your memory. Even the most well-intentioned interviewee can mix up companies when they’re in the thick of their job search!

● Write a list of questions to ask

Use your research on the company to ask important questions during your interview (and it should go without saying, but these questions should not be related to money or benefits). Ask what their team’s preferred workflow is, how they collect data on the courses they’ve built, what mediums are they building for the most – mobile, desktop, live, and etc.

The benefit of these types of questions is twofold. First, by asking thoughtful questions, you’re showing genuine interest in the company, the work they do, and the work you could potentially do for them. Second, you might learn something about the position that you can add to your pros or cons column. Then, if you end up with multiple offers, the questions you asked in that initial interview could end up being the tiebreaker.

Bottom line: you should always ask at least one question when you’re interviewing for an instructional design job. You are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you. It is important that you know enough about the company to make sure that the company, the job, and the organizational culture is a good fit for YOU!

● Know what is trending in learning

If you aren’t keeping up with trends in the learning industry, now is the time to brush up and get up to speed. It is important that you can talk the talk and walk the walk. So, take the time to learn about augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) and anything else that is trending. Know about your tools – what version is the most recent, what are it’s full capabilities, what is happening at the company, and etc.

What ifs: Scenarios to Expect

I love to prepare for every scenario! I know that it’s impossible to plan for every single ‘what-if’ situation, but here are a few common ones that you should keep in mind when you’re preparing for interviews.

What if the employer asks me to create a course?

It’s not uncommon for interviewers to ask you to follow up on the interview by sending an example they ask you to create. The good news? You’ve made it through to the second part of the interview! Your interviewers probably wouldn’t have asked you if they weren’t considering you as a serious candidate for the position!

The bad news is there’s usually a quick turn-around, so it’s good to expect you might have a project with a 2-day deadline right after an instructional design interview. The product you’re asked to complete will vary depending on the specific job and the company. Some common interview follow-up tasks are using the company’s template to create a storyboard and creating engagement activities or knowledge checks.

Some companies may ask you to build an eLearning lesson. It isn’t uncommon for the phrase instructional design to mean eLearning.

Don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions, and give the project your all. If you have a chance to exercise your creativity, this is a great way to help you stand out.

What if all my work samples are protected by an NDA?

This is a widespread issue for existing instructional designers- you’ve worked on countless projects for your current company. Still, an NDA you sign with past clients or employers protects all that work.

Here’s a useful workaround that prevents you from having to create something from scratch but also allows you to comply with the legally binding document you’ve signed.

Take the project you’re most proud of, that best showcases your skills. Repurpose the template you used but replace all the text (using a Latin word generator is a quick and fun way to fill in the text. I like pirate latin). Replace any logos and other sensitive documents with logical images and fake logos.

What if the employer asks if you have experience with a skill you’ve never tried?

Honesty is the best policy, so don’t pretend you know how to use Captivate or another tool you’ve never used. At the same time, you can still use your response to showcase your talents.

Instead of saying ‘no, I’ve never used that before,’ try saying ‘Oh, I have always wanted to work more with X, but have spent most of my time using Y. I am a quick study and would be happy to apply my current skills to the new software. I am confident it would be a smooth transition.”

It also doesn’t hurt to brush up on some standard practices and make sure you’re comfortable with basic eLearning terms before interviewing for the instructional design job.

What if it’s a phone or video interview?

It’s not uncommon for instructional design positions to be remote, so a phone or video interview isn’t off the table. All the same preparation rules apply, but now you also need to make sure you have a comfortable and quiet space with stable internet or good reception for the duration of the interview.

Test out the connection ahead of time. The first time I used Zoom, I had a friend send me a meeting request, and we did a practice run. That way, I wasn’t looking at the meeting interface for the first time during an interview. For a phone interview, make a call from the exact spot you’ll be sitting in during the interview to eliminate being thrown off by a bad connection.

Make sure you have links to all your resources readily available, even if you’ve sent them ahead of time. For online interviews, always be prepared to share videos. Open up your computer’s webcam and check out what’s in the background. Make sure you’re dressed professionally and have decent light. Usually, your interviewer will give you a heads up if you’ll be asked to join via video, but better to be safe than sit through an interview in your workout clothes!

How to Stand Out 

Here’s some good news, if you’ve been taking notes, chances are you’re already going to stand out amid a vast talent pool. Here are a few things you can do during an interview that will really help put you over the edge.

• Share your range in your portfolio by including projects that show off your visual design, templates you’ve created, and projects for different types of instruction.

• Have printed copies of your digital portfolio put together in professional binders and copies of your resume on high-quality paper to hand to each person interviewing you.

• Send a thank-you note (even for an online interview) and try to include a personal connection instead of just the standard, “thank you for this opportunity…” message.

• Make a personal or professional connection to the company’s mission or the goals of the organization.

• Prepare a pitch where you highlight your training and skills like you’re selling a product. Think of it as an elevator pitch for yourself!

With that said, there’s no way you won’t ace this interview! Preparation, expecting the unexpected, and putting in that extra effort to stand out are great ways to land the instructional design job of your dreams but my last piece of advice? Be yourself! If you show confidence in your abilities, your future employers will too.

If you have any other questions about interviewing for an instructional design job, head over to my Facebook community, and join the conversation!

Are you looking for a proven path to go from teaching to full-time instructional design and eLearning development, without getting another degree? Check out my 12-week immersive program: Instructional Design & Tech Accelerator Certificate Program.

JOIN OUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK OF IDCers!