As a seasoned leader in the design industry, with over two decades of experience and having brought over 100 designers into various teams, I’ve witnessed firsthand the limitations of traditional resumes in the creative hiring process. The evolution of recruitment, especially within design, has led me to a critical insight: conventional resumes simply don’t suffice when it comes to truly understanding a designer’s capabilities, creativity, and personal brand.

The shift from appreciating well-crafted, visually stimulating resumes to a reliance on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) has been stark. These systems, while efficient, often overlook the essence of design talent, focusing on keywords over creativity. This marks a significant departure from the past, where a designer’s resume was a testament to their aesthetic sensibility and ability to present themselves as a cohesive brand.

In the digital age, the personal website has emerged as the new resume for designers. It offers a richer, more detailed narrative of their skills, experiences, and personal journey. Through their websites, designers can showcase their portfolio, articulate their design philosophy, and provide a holistic view of their career trajectory. This platform allows for a depth of expression and personal branding that a traditional resume cannot match.

The Case Against Traditional Resumes

My approach to hiring has evolved to prioritize the story behind the designer. I’m interested in the breadth of their experiences, how they’ve navigated their career, and the unique perspectives they bring to their work. This narrative is best captured through their personal website, which I prefer over a static resume. The website offers an immersive experience into the designer’s world, presenting their work, thought process, and personal journey in a dynamic and engaging way.

This preference, however, is not without its challenges. The traditional hiring ecosystem often mandates resume submissions, underscoring a fundamental misunderstanding of how creative talent should be evaluated. The importance of specialized recruitment agencies in design becomes evident here, as they possess the nuanced understanding necessary to identify and advocate for top design talent.

Educating Recruiters and Embracing New Approaches

A significant part of my role involves educating internal recruitment teams on the specifics of hiring for design roles. I emphasize the importance of evaluating portfolios over resumes, guiding recruiters to understand the depth and breadth of a designer’s work. By sharing examples of compelling portfolios, I aim to shift the focus towards the qualitative aspects of a candidate’s contributions and the stories behind their projects.

Looking to the future, I advocate for a dual approach to the “resume” in the design field: either reinvent it as a digital extension of the designer’s brand, incorporating interactive elements and direct links to portfolio pieces, or move away from it entirely. The latter, in my opinion, represents the ideal scenario, where a designer’s personal website serves as the ultimate showcase of their career and creative journey.

A Call for Change in Design Recruitment

The design industry requires a recruitment approach that values creativity, storytelling, and personal branding over traditional metrics. By focusing on designers’ personal websites and portfolios, we can gain deeper insights into their capabilities and ensure a fit that goes beyond skill sets, aligning with vision and values. This paradigm shift not only enriches the hiring process but also celebrates the essence of design itself.