Landing a UX writing role in today’s competitive world takes more than just being good with words. Your resume isn’t just a paper; it’s your absolute best UX writing sample, crafted to guide a recruiter right through your professional story. This guide cuts out all the fluffy advice and zeroes in on specific, practical strategies that will turn your resume into a compelling narrative, showing not just what you’ve done, but how you think like a UX writer.
The Foundation: Thinking Like a UX Writer for Your Resume
Before you even type a single word, get this: your resume is a user interface for recruiters. The content is the copy, the layout is the design, and its success? That depends on how easy it is to use. Every single thing on it has to have a purpose: to answer the recruiter’s unspoken questions.
Target Your Audience: The Recruiter’s Persona
Recruiters are swamped. They skim, they don’t read. Their “user journey” through your resume is super fast. What are they looking for? Clarity, conciseness, impact, and relevance. You need to anticipate what they need and remove anything that could slow them down. Your resume isn’t for you; it’s for them.
Optimize for Scannability: Visual Hierarchy and White Space
A big block of text is a Usability Nightmare (UXN). Use plenty of white space, clear headings, and bullet points. Play with font sizes for emphasis (like making job titles bigger than descriptions). Bold important words. This isn’t just about looking good; it’s about leading the recruiter’s eye to the most important stuff, making your resume easier to digest.
For example: Instead of a paragraph describing what you did, try this:
Key Responsibilities:
* Crafted concise, user-centric microcopy for mobile app onboarding flows.
* Collaborated with product designers to define content strategy for new features.
Embrace the “Less is More” Philosophy: Every Word Counts
Just like impactful UX copy is lean and to the point, so should your resume be. Get rid of jargon, passive voice, and repetitive phrases. Focus on results and the impact you made. If a word isn’t directly showing off your skills or achievements, cut it.
The Structure: Designing Your Narrative Flow
A well-structured resume guides the recruiter logically through your experience. Think of it like designing an information architecture.
1. The UX-Optimized Header: Instant Impression
Your header isn’t just for contact info; it’s your chance to brand yourself.
- Name: Big and clear.
- Professional Title: “UX Writer,” “Content Designer,” “Product Content Strategist.” Make sure it matches the job you’re going for.
- Contact Information: Phone, professional email, LinkedIn URL (make it clean and customized), Portfolio URL (this is a must for UX writing).
- Optional: Location (City, State) – helpful for local jobs. Don’t put your full address.
For example:
Javier Ramirez | UX Writer
(555) 123-4567 | javier.ramirez@email.com | linkedin.com/in/javierramirezux | javierramirez.com/portfolio
2. The Compelling Summary/Objective: Your Microcopy Pitch
This short section is your elevator pitch, your hero copy. It should be 2-4 lines, packed with keywords and showing off your value. Skip the generic objectives. Focus on what you bring to the table and what kind of job you’re looking for.
- If you’re experienced: Highlight your years of experience, core skills (UX writing, content strategy, user research), the industries you’ve worked in, and your major achievements.
- If you’re changing careers or just starting out: Emphasize your transferable skills, your passion for UX, your understanding of design principles, and how eager you are to learn.
For example (Experienced):
Results-driven UX Writer with 7+ years of experience crafting intuitive, accessible content for SaaS platforms. Proven ability to translate complex product features into clear, concise microcopy, facilitating user success and driving engagement through robust content strategy.
For example (Junior/Transitioning):
Enthusiastic LIS graduate with a passion for user-centered design, eager to apply strong communication and information architecture skills to UX writing. Committed to crafting clear, helpful content that enhances user journeys and supports product goals.
3. The Skills Section: Your Keyword Inventory
This crucial part lets recruiters quickly find your specific abilities. Break it down into relevant categories.
- Core UX Writing Skills: Microcopy, Content Strategy, Information Architecture, Content Audits, Tone & Voice Guidelines, Localization, Accessibility, User Journeys, Content Style Guides.
- Tools & Platforms: Figma, Sketch, Miro, Jira, Confluence, Content Management Systems (CMS), A/B Testing tools.
- Related Skills: User Research, Copyediting, SEO, Design Thinking, Prototyping, Stakeholder Management, Cross-functional Collaboration.
For example:
UX Writing: Microcopy, Content Strategy, Information Architecture, Style Guide Development, Content Audits, User Flows, A/B Testing, Accessibility.
Tools: Figma, Miro, Jira, Confluence, Google Analytics, CMS (WordPress, Contentful).
Methodologies: Design Thinking, Lean UX, Agile/Scrum, User-Centered Design.
4. Professional Experience: The Story of Your Impact
This is where you show off your past jobs, not just what you did, but what you achieved. For each role, include:
- Job Title: Big and clear.
- Company Name: Obvious.
- Location: City, State.
- Dates of Employment: Month, Year – Month, Year.
Under each role, use strong action verbs and quantifiable results. This is super important for UX writing. Don’t just say what you did; say what kind of impact it had. Each bullet point should be like a tiny case study.
Think about the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) but in a short bullet point.
Avoid Generic Bullet Points (The “Before”):
* Wrote copy for the app.
* Worked with designers.
* Attended meetings.
Optimize with Specificity and Metrics (The “After”):
* Crafted intuitive microcopy for critical onboarding flows across web and mobile platforms, resulting in a 15% reduction in support tickets related to setup.
* Led content strategy for a new feature launch, collaborating with Product and Engineering to define messaging hierarchies and in-app guidance, contributing to +10% feature adoption in the first month.
* Conducted content audits of existing user flows, identifying and rectifying inconsistencies, which improved overall user comprehension by 20% in usability tests.
* Developed and maintained comprehensive content style guides and glossaries, ensuring consistent voice and tone across all product touchpoints and reducing content review cycles by one day per sprint.
* Collaborated cross-functionally with Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers to integrate content early into the design process, reducing content-related scope creep by 25%.
* Optimized error messages and empty states, reducing user frustration and decreasing bounce rates on critical pages by 8%.
* Performed A/B tests on key messaging, leading to copy iterations that increased conversion rates by 5% on call-to-action buttons.
* Translated complex technical concepts into clear, user-friendly language for diverse audiences, enhancing product understanding for non-technical users.
Action Verbs for UX Writers:
* Created: Crafted, Developed, Designed, Formulated
* Optimized: Refined, Improved, Enhanced, Streamlined
* Collaborated: Partnered, Liaised, Coordinated, Integrated
* Analyzed: Audited, Evaluated, Researched, Assessed
* Managed: Orchestrated, Guided, oversaw
* Led: Championed, Directed, Pioneered
* Reduced: Minimized, Decreased, Lowered
* Increased: Boosted, Grew, Expanded, Accelerated
5. Education: The Formal Foundation
List your degrees, the schools you went to, and your graduation dates. For UX writing, if you have a relevant degree (like HCI, English, Journalism, Library Science), definitely highlight it.
For example:
M.S., Human-Computer Interaction | University of Washington | Seattle, WA | May 20XX
B.A., English Literature | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | May 20XX
6. Portfolio: The Non-Negotiable Link
Your portfolio is your proof. It’s where you show, not just tell. Make sure the link is obvious in your header AND maybe again near your experience. Ensure it works well on mobile, is easy to navigate, and shows off a variety of your work. Each case study should explain your UX writing process, the challenges you faced, your solutions, and the impact you made.
The UX Writing Principles Applied to Your Resume
Now, let’s look at how core UX writing principles directly make your resume more effective.
Conciseness: Every Pixel Matters
Just like you wouldn’t write paragraphs for a button label, don’t write wordy descriptions. Get straight to the point. Recruiters are skimming, not reading deeply. Use active voice and strong verbs to convey the most information in the least amount of space.
- Bad: “Was responsible for the creation of new content for the mobile application, working in conjunction with the design team.”
- Good: “Crafted new mobile app content in collaboration with design team.”
Clarity: Eliminate Ambiguity
Your resume should leave no room for confusion. Be precise with your words. Define acronyms if they’re not commonly known. Make sure your achievements are clearly stated and the impact is obvious.
- Ambiguous: “Improved user experience.”
- Clear: “Reduced user abandonment rates by 12% on checkout flow through optimized microcopy and clearer error messages.”
Consistency: Voice, Tone, and Format
Keep your voice (professional, confident), tone (supportive, results-oriented), and formatting consistent throughout your resume. Headings, bullet points, and date formats should all look the same. Inconsistency subtly hints at a lack of attention to detail – a big no-no in UX.
User Empathy: Recruiters are Your Users
Put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. What information do they need? How do they prefer to get it? Design your resume to meet their needs, not just to list your history. This means prioritizing key information, anticipating their questions, and making it easy for them to process.
Accessibility: Ensure Readability for All
- Font Choice: Stick to clean, professional, sans-serif fonts (like Lato, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro) for easy reading.
- Contrast: Make sure there’s enough contrast between the text and the background.
- File Format: Always save it as a PDF. This keeps your formatting consistent across different computers. Never send a Word document unless they specifically ask for it.
Iteration: The Resume is Never “Done”
Just like product content, your resume isn’t something you create once and forget about. It’s a living document. Customize it for every single application. Look at the job description for keywords and specific requirements. If the job focuses on content strategy for e-commerce, make sure your resume highlights those experiences. If it’s big on accessibility, show that off.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Generic Descriptions: Don’t use vague statements like “strong communication skills” or “team player.” Show these skills through your achievements.
- Unquantifiable Achievements: If you can’t put a number to it, try to describe the scale or scope. “Managed content for a product with 100K+ daily active users” is way better than just “managed content.”
- Typos and Grammatical Errors: For a writing job, this is a killer. Proofread like crazy. Ask other people to review it too.
- Irrelevant Information: Hobbies, high school achievements (unless you’re a recent grad with no other experience), or super long lists of software you used once – cut them out ruthlessly.
- Creative but Unreadable Layouts: Don’t sacrifice clarity for “design.” A standard, clean layout is usually better than overly creative designs that make it hard to read.
- One-Size-Fits-All Resume: Customizing for each job is essential.
Submitting Your Optimized Resume
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Most big companies use ATS to filter resumes. To get past these:
- Keywords: Use keywords from the job description in your resume (naturally!). If the job uses “content designer,” use that, even if you prefer “UX writer.”
- Standard Formatting: Simple, clean layouts are best for ATS to read. Avoid complex graphics, tables, or text boxes that might mess up when scanned.
- PDF: As I said, PDF is generally the safest format.
The Final Polish: Your Resume’s Usability Test
Before you hit send:
- Read it aloud: Does it sound good? Does it sound confident and professional?
- Give it to someone else: Ask them, “What do you think I do?” “What are my strengths?” “What’s unclear?”
- Check for scannability: Can you get the main idea of your experience in 30 seconds?
- Confirm all links work: This is vital for your portfolio.
- Proofread one last time: And then proofread again. Seriously.
Your resume is your first, and often only, chance to show off your UX writing skills. Treat it as your most important piece of microcopy. Design it with the user (the recruiter) in mind, optimize for clarity, conciseness, and impact, and make sure every word earns its spot. By following these principles, you’ll transform your resume from just a document into a powerful statement of your abilities, opening doors to your next UX writing role.