How to write a web designer CV (with template and example)

By Indeed Editorial Team

Updated 6 November 2022

Published 30 November 2021

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

A digital presence is one of the most important things a business can have, meaning web designers are in demand. Web designers plan, design, create and code a site, so they typically rely on a range of skills. When it comes to writing your CV, knowing how to highlight your technical knowledge is important for getting through to the interview stage. In this article, we explore what makes the perfect web designer CV and offer a template and example that you can use to help create your own.

What to include in a web designer CV

Outlining your skills is important for such a multi-disciplined role, but there's a range of other information worth adding to your web designer CV. This includes the fundamental information that an employer expects to know. These details are essential for any role and provide a quick summary of your current situation and previous work history. They might include:

personal details, including your name, address and contact information
your education history, including achievements and relevant grades
work experience from previous roles
references from your former employers or colleagues
technical skills that may be relevant to the role

For a web designer, the last point is the most important. While some roles may heavily rely on technical skills, an employer looking for a web designer is likely to want to see competency in certain programs and coding languages and evidence of technical certifications.

How to write a CV for a web designer

The following steps can help you to create an excellent CV:

1. Choose a format

The way you format the CV can vary depending on the role that you're applying for. It can be preferable for a web designer to lead with work experience and technical skills over previous education to immediately demonstrate a level of proficiency. You also want to maintain a readable, concise structure. When you decide which web designer CV layout to use, consider the impact that you want to have on the recruiter. Common layouts include:

Reverse chronological order: This is a common option that places your most recent experience at the top of the page before working backwards. This is a good option for those that want to prioritise the relevance or importance of their previous roles.
Skill-based format: This layout leads with your technical skills first and then links them back to your previous work. This is a great way of demonstrating your competency, which can be important for web designers that have a range of skills and programming experience.
Combination format: This is a blend of both reverse chronological order and a skill-based format and is useful for quickly highlighting as many of your strengths and career achievements as possible.

2. Write a brief personal summary

It can be a good idea to also have a brief summary at the top of the page that quickly highlights your best features. This ensures that you provide the best possible first impression. You can choose to convey several points, including:

descriptive attributes about you or your work ethic
your current job title or field of expertise
how many years of experience you have
what you wish to bring to the role
past achievements within your role or field of expertise

3. Remember the job description

Base your CV on the job description that you're applying for so you can tailor your CV accordingly. Recruiters are looking to find someone that can handle the responsibilities a position entails, so they're more likely to invite you to interview if they see matching skills and experience in your CV. Things to consider when writing your CV include:

the responsibilities that the role has
the skills that it requires
the company's culture
the sort of attitude they're looking for

Once you establish what the company is looking for, you can more effectively edit your CV to match their expectations. Some companies screen CVs with applicant tracking systems (ATS). These search CVs for keywords that match the job description and may filter out applicants whose CVs don't have enough similarities. If you possess the relevant skills and attributes, make sure that you use them in your web designer CV with similar terminology.

4. Provide information concisely

Once you know what the employer is looking for, try to present the information in an impactful way. Use action words, such as redesigned, achieved, improved or collaborated, when discussing your past achievements. These words are much more dynamic and concise than including something like 'in my last role I was responsible for…' and including a long list.

It's also important to provide evidence to back up your achievements, quantifying them with numbers that the interviewer can understand. For example, showing that you increased conversions on a site by 25%, leading to 12% more sales in a month, is much more impressive than saying you 'helped to boost sales'. It's also easier for the interviewer to understand the exact impact you made.

5. Include soft skills

Web designers rely on many technical skills, but having strong soft skills is still important. They're also easy to demonstrate on your web designer CV and are likely to be a common requirement for most roles that you apply for. Some of the most valuable soft skills to list include:

Time management

Web designers may have strict deadlines to work towards, especially when creating sites for specific campaigns. You may work on multiple projects at a time with multiple clients, so being able to effectively prioritise can make projects run more smoothly. Many other departments are likely to rely on the effectiveness of the company's web offerings, so a faster turnaround is likely to benefit a large number of your peers.

Attention to detail

One of the key attributes of a web designer is to maintain excellent attention to detail. From producing professional, consistent designs to keeping track of outstanding tasks and building multichannel brands, it's important that quality remains high. Web designs are visible to the public and any mistakes within them are likely to gain a lot of attention.

Communication

There is likely to be a lot of back and forth between yourself and other stakeholders throughout the design process. Effective communication can help you to understand their needs and implement them. Communication skills are also useful for maintaining good relationships with other members of the team.

Web designer CV template

You can use the following layout as a template for your CV:

[Full name]

[Telephone number]

[Email address]

[Link to online portfolio/website]

Professional Summary / Objective

[This section briefly describes who you are and why you're qualified for this role]

Professional Experience

[Job title] at [company name], [location] | [date of employment]

[Here you may list three to five bullet points that describe the responsibilities and measurable achievements you had within the role.]

Skills

[List around 10 relevant skills, either using single words or short sentences.]

Certifications (optional)

[List any relevant or required certifications for your role that may apply to the new role.]

Awards (optional)

[List any awards you have won within your web designer career and when you won]

Education

[Degree you received] | [Graduation month and year]

[Where you studied], [location]

Web designer CV sample

This is our sample CV that you can use as inspiration for creating your own:

Olivia Smith

0123 456 789

olivia@email.com

www.oliviaportfolio.com

Professional Summary

A self-motivated, enthusiastic and positive web designer. Over five years of experience in web design and development. Passionate about delivering market-leading web UX design and development. In past roles, I've implemented web re-designs to boost site conversions by 30% and increased organic traffic by 15%.

Professional Experience

Lead Web Designer at Imagination Marketing | May 2020 - present

Develop custom web design solutions based on client instructions and feedback
Perform ongoing maintenance of over 25 client websites, including troubleshooting and optimisation
Led high-profile website redesign and rebrand, overhauling UX design elements and increasing conversion by 20%

Freelance web designer at City Digital Group | May 2018 - April 2020

Collaborated with over 20 clients throughout the web design process, from concept to launch
Used design software to create eye-catching and informative graphics for clients
Utilised SEO optimisation techniques to boost web traffic, resulting in a 150% increase in visitors

Skills

Effective verbal communication

Self-motivated and quick learner

Strong attention to detail

HTML, JavaScript and CSS proficiency

SEO optimisation techniques

UX/UI design practices