How do I write a designer resume and LinkedIn that get callbacks?
One page, results first. Each role gets two or three bullets that start with what changed, not what you did: "Cut onboarding drop-off 30% by redesigning the first-run flow" beats "Designed onboarding." Your LinkedIn headline should say what you design and for whom, and your portfolio link goes in the first line of both.
Recruiters search LinkedIn by keyword, so the words in the job description you want belong in your headline and about section, in plain language. "Product designer, B2B SaaS, design systems" is searchable. "Pixel wrangler and dreamer" is not.
A resume for a design role is a formatting test whether you like it or not. Clean type, generous white space, one column, no icons for skills. Let the portfolio be the creative one.
From Hop mentors who've been there
“Laid off and got a job less than 4 months! I can share my journey if you need a help from layoff!”
Chuck Shin · Senior Product Designer at Microsoft AI · on their Hop profile
“I believe at the core of design are a great story and a clear brand. While anyone can design a solution to a problem, it is the impact of the decisions made along the way that has lasting effects on how that solution performs. That is where I enjoy helping mentees. Early in your career, it is easy to describe your work only by the task: “I built a page,” “I helped with a campaign,” or “I pulled a report.” But the real value often lives underneath that. What problem were you trying to solve? Who was the audience? What decision did you influence? What changed because of your work? For example, a designer may not just create a landing page. They may help clarify the message, reduce friction for the user, support accessibility, improve the path to conversion, and create something that better represents the brand. The finished page is the artifact, but the story is the strategy, collaboration, and judgment behind it. I can help mentees learn how to find that story in their own work. I help them slow down, look at the choices they made, understand the value they added, and translate that into language they can use in a performance review, interview, portfolio, resume, or networking conversation. My goal as a mentor is to help people recognize that their work has a story — and then give them the confidence and structure to tell it well.”
Micah Gast · Digital Designer, Sr. at EAB · on their Hop profile
“Raised 1M on my first startup out of college, won a bunch of competitions, built a really cool product, experienced a lawsuit and having the whole thing fall apart.”
Matthew J. Galley · CEO and Founder at Trustybits Inc · on their Hop profile
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