I recently posted a message to a popular usability discussion list to learn more about usability-oriented resumes and portfolios. I come from a technical background and my résumé lists common technologies and software. I am interested in creating a version of my resume with a focus on usability, so I wondered what types of information usability practitioners list on their resumes, as well as what usability employers look for. I was also looking for advice regarding online portfolios. Do people prefer online to paper? What types of work should I include?

I received a lot of great responses. Everyone believes having an online resume and portfolio is important. Several people said it is important to tailor your resume and portfolio for each job opportunity. I agree with that, but would add that it is important to maintain a comprehensive version of both online, and then tailor the printed versions for each job.

It was also pointed out that the HR person who finds your resume may not be interested in the details, but the person you interview with will. Therefore, it is important to provide enough information up front to get an interview, and be prepared to present more information at the interview.

Several people included links to their online resumes and portfolios. I realized that I lost valuable design documents (sketches, content organization, and such) from sites that I created because I didn’t realize their importance at the time.

My mind is now racing with ideas for my site. My original plan was to modify my existing, technology-focused resume and portfolio, but I’ve since decided to start from scratch. Starting from scratch will allow me to better incorporate the great advice I received from everyone, including the following responses.

Recently when I was looking for a job, I put together a portfolio of screen shots from GUIs that I had designed, and took it with me to job interviews. When describing a GUI, I found it much easier to talk from a picture than to try to describe a screen with words, or to make a drawing on a white board. The only bad thing was that a couple of interviewers made marks on the screen shots with a pen. I wasn’t going to say, "don’t make any marks" to a person who was interviewing me, but it was a drag because some of the shots were not replaceable.

I believe that you must tailor your résumé to the role for which you’re applying. Look at the job requirements and determine how your skills match the skills required in the posting. Matching your skill sets to the ones requested is a test of your usability skills when developing a usable résumé for the recruiter.

As far as maintaining a portfolio, I think the same argument holds true. You need to understand the role you’re applying for and learn as much about the recruiter’s needs as possible. Some recruiters love to see all this extra stuff. Some recruiters don’t have the time to look at it and provide you with the response that you deserve if you’ve put a lot of work into it.

I teach HCI classes at DePaul and am a frequent job hunter. I have been trying to work on my own résumé and portfolio as well as teach my students how to do the same. Usability portfolios are especially difficult, as so much of what we do is proprietary. The information is so often document-oriented, it’s hard to encapsulate into a portfolio.

A portfolio is extremely useful during the interview process. It is very difficult to describe what you know and what you have done without referring to specific examples. Keep in mind that recruiters probably won’t review your portfolio, so they may not ask you to provide one. Your challenge is to create a résumé that will communicate to HR, professionals and recruiters how well you fit the position, and create a portfolio for the interview team that will illustrate your competencies; these two audiences have very different needs.

Presenting your work samples to the interview team can help you break the ice, and guide them to ask more specific questions during the interview. If you take the time to maintain a good portfolio of your best work, all you have to do is create a new index or introductory page to highlight the samples that specifically illustrate your fit whenever you interview for a new position.

I highly recommend that you pay the reasonable fee to www.e-resume.net. Those folks turned my long and painful job search into a happy process and an even happier outcome in just a few weeks. I thought I was an exceptionally good résumé writer; however, the folks at e-resume.netare, without question, far better.

I’ve hired quite a few usability specialists over the last twelve years or so. Here are some items that I look for:

• Mention specific usability methods like UI inspections, paper prototyping, field interviews, survey design, and cognitive walkthroughs. Be honest about your experience and note when you have a method rather than having studied it in a course. I tend to verify this during an interview. Be specific. For example, specify that you have done benchmark (summative) testing versus think-aloud (formative) testing.
• Since usability people often must assimilate technology quickly (especially consultants), list technical skills and courses that may give you an edge. For example, I took a course in networking technologies. It had nothing to do with usability, but it helped me get jobs when I had a clue what the interviewers were talking about. Every year or so I like to take a technical course to show that I keep up with new technologies. For example, you may not use JSP technology, but knowing something about it may give you the edge over a less technical usability candidate.
• From work that I’ve done with recruiters, breadth on a résumé is critical now. Don’t be afraid to list your technical and usability skills in detail, and be clear about when you know a little or a lot about an area. I like to see candidates who have kept up with the field, so list any workshops, courses, classes, and seminars that are relevant. These could be from conferences, certificate classes, graduate programs, etc. While some people (HR screeners) may not care, I am also interested if you have taken courses from people who are renowned in their field. For example, Joe Dumas, co-author of one of the best books on usability testing, teaches a certificate and a graduate course at Bentley College. Others may feel like this is name-dropping, but I think it is OK if you just list the course and the name of the teacher.

Portfolios are tricky because they may involve proprietary information. Companies are sensitive to those issues since UI and business method patents may be involved. Consider including some screen shots or a PowerPoint presentation that has before and after screens showing things that you changed to improve either usability or design, and why you changed them. Include any papers, presentations, style guides, test scripts, and proposals (minus the financial pieces).