How to Screen a UX Designer Resume: Must-Haves, Red Flags and a Scoring Rubric
For a designer the portfolio is the CV, and the CV is the index to it. Screen the two together: the CV for scope, ownership and collaboration, the portfolio for decisions, craft and evidence that the work reached users.
- Read for evidence before matching keywords: a ux designer CV should show what the candidate built, ran, closed or decided, with a result. The must-haves below are the four things the job cannot be done without.
- Must-haves: a portfolio with at least one project showing problem, process, decisions and outcome, not only final screens; shipped work: products people could use, with the candidate's role stated. Nice-to-haves raise a candidate; they do not rescue one missing a must-have.
- Red flags are patterns, not single lines: portfolio of unsolicited redesigns of famous apps and nothing shipped, and 'Pixel-perfect' and 'user-centric' with no user ever mentioned.
- Use the five-criterion rubric on the page, weighted so that portfolio quality counts more than job description match. It is written to be pasted into WadeCV as a role and scored automatically.
- Spend three minutes per CV with the rubric and write one line of evidence per criterion. Screening decisions with evidence attached can be explained to the candidate, to the hiring manager, and to anyone who audits them later.
Must-haves
- A portfolio with at least one project showing problem, process, decisions and outcome, not only final screens
- Shipped work: products people could use, with the candidate's role stated
- Research involvement: conducted or used, with a change it caused
- Collaboration with engineers described: handoff, systems, iteration during build
Nice to have
- Design system work
- Accessibility practice
- Prototyping and usability testing
- Experience with your product type (B2B tools, consumer, mobile)
Red flags
- Portfolio of unsolicited redesigns of famous apps and nothing shipped
- 'Pixel-perfect' and 'user-centric' with no user ever mentioned
- Role in team projects unstated
- Case studies that end at handoff with no outcome
The rubric
Score each criterion from what the CV shows; weight 3 counts three times weight 1. In WadeCV, create the role with these criteria and every CV is scored this way automatically.
| Criterion | How to measure it | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Job description match | Match between product type, platform and team shape and the role as written | 2 |
| Years of relevant experience | Years designing shipped products, not total years in design | 2 |
| Portfolio quality | Decisions explained, constraints acknowledged, outcomes stated | 3 |
| Research and evidence | Design changed by research or data, described specifically | 2 |
| Collaboration and craft | Working with engineers, design systems, accessibility | 2 |
How to read the CV
Read one portfolio case study properly before reading the CV. The question to hold is 'what did this person decide, and why?' A case study that explains a decision, admits a constraint and reports what happened after launch is worth more than five that show polished screens.
Then use the CV to check scope: how big the team was, what the candidate owned, whether they shipped. Case studies often blur team work into individual work; the CV's role descriptions, read against the portfolio, usually make the split clear.
Do not screen on visual style unless the role is visual design. Screen on judgement, evidence and collaboration, and evaluate style at interview with a critique of your own product.
Frequently asked questions
Should we require a portfolio password or public link?
Either is fine. Ask for one and score it; a designer without any portfolio is very unusual and worth asking about directly.
How do we assess a designer whose work is under NDA?
Ask for a walkthrough on a call, or a redacted case study. Most designers can show enough to be judged. If nothing at all can be shown, weight the CV's collaboration and research evidence and use a paid exercise.
Product designer versus UX designer: does the title matter?
Titles vary by company. Screen on the work: research, interaction, visual, systems. Decide which mix you need and score for that.
Related guides
Screening ux designer CVs this week?
Paste the job description into WadeCV, check the rubric it drafts, and upload the CVs. Each one is read against the rubric and scored with an explanation. Ten screenings are free; there is no subscription.
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