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Instructional designer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Sue Dahlin,
Mary Collins
Instructional designer example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical instructional designer skills. We ranked the top skills for instructional designers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 8.6% of instructional designer resumes contained instructional design as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an instructional designer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 instructional designer skills for your resume and career

1. Instructional Design

Instructional design is the application of knowledge and skills by creating learning experiences and materials. The practice follows a systematic assessment of needs, designing a process, developing learning materials, and evaluating if these experiences are effective.

Here's how instructional designers use instructional design:
  • Leverage technology to execute instructional design projects, presentations, or administrative management services for small business owners and community organizations.
  • Partnered with other instructional designers to develop a two-day training program that included a facilitator guide, PowerPoint presentation and handouts.

2. Subject Matter Experts

Here's how instructional designers use subject matter experts:
  • Worked with contractor/partners to determine learning activities and collaborated with subject matter experts to perform task analyses required for optimum training.
  • Maintain advisory/consultative relationships with project stakeholders and subject matter experts to identify training needs and performance gaps within the organization.

3. Project Management

Here's how instructional designers use project management:
  • Obtained CAPM (Certified Associate of Project Management) in order to understand certification exam and design exam-preparatory training.
  • Combine project management skills with modern instructional design methodologies to develop, implement, and maintain corporate training solutions.

4. PowerPoint

Here's how instructional designers use powerpoint:
  • Analyze training needs and develop activity based training materials for technicians including student guides, instructor guides and PowerPoint presentations.
  • Developed PowerPoint presentations to support instructor led courses and other training documentation including job aids, and business process procedures.

5. ELearning

Here's how instructional designers use elearning:
  • Transformed instructor-led courses to high-quality blended learning courses utilizing innovative and effective eLearning tools and instructional strategies to ensure student success.
  • Design and development of eLearning and instructor led courses in a wide area of subjects including leadership development and innovation curriculum.

6. Training Programs

Here's how instructional designers use training programs:
  • Design, deliver and implement department training programs on instructional development systems and specific programs for new staff and campus representatives.
  • Work included assisting in developing the overall early strategy to web-based training within the corporation to traditional training programs.

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7. Training Materials

Here's how instructional designers use training materials:
  • Design and develop learner-centered, performance based training materials and programs using adult learning theory and proven instructional design models.
  • Developed training materials for various delivery methods by transforming highly technical details to a more clear understanding for learners.

8. Articulate Storyline

Here's how instructional designers use articulate storyline:
  • Use of varied technology including Articulate Storyline, and SharePoint Design; with continual refinement and redevelopment of course curriculum.
  • Evaluated potential use in instructional development such as creating instructor guides, interactive PDF self-paced learning, and Articulate Storyline storyboards

9. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how instructional designers use customer service:
  • Facilitated customer service, coaching and leadership training workshops to associates and managers within client companies using group process facilitation skills.
  • Conducted quality checks and identify areas of opportunity within the Customer Service department, then create and deliver necessary refresher training.

10. Course Content

Here's how instructional designers use course content:
  • Assessed, cultivated and improved sales course content toward completeness while adhering to corporate standards with consistency meeting supervisory needs.
  • Conducted training for facilitators and previewed course content with participants by reviewing course objectives to establish participant expectations.

11. Learning Solutions

Here's how instructional designers use learning solutions:
  • Designed, developed, and implemented measurement and evaluation strategies to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of learning solutions on performance.
  • Designed and developed both instructor-led training and e-Learning solutions for major corporate clients to meet customer requirements and learning objectives.

12. Learning Objectives

Here's how instructional designers use learning objectives:
  • Incorporated wherever possible, meaningful, interactive elements, including complete simulation of software functions, to support performance-based learning objectives.
  • Develop learning objectives for course structure and content management and development; coordinate revision and adapt instructional content to meet objectives.

13. Learning Management System

A learning management system or LMS is application software used for administration, tracking, or documentation purposes in education institutes, offices, learning, or training programs. It streamlines the daily chores and reduces the time spent on manual administration tasks. LMS provides a broad array of access to eLearning platforms and also reduces learning and development costs. Google Classrooms, Blackboard Learn are examples of learning management systems

Here's how instructional designers use learning management system:
  • Initiated a comprehensive learning architecture and strategy for curriculum and course development aligned with Enterprise-wide Learning Management System (LMS).
  • Designed and developed standard work instructions and desktop procedures pertaining to customized learning management systems for a national pharmaceutical client.

14. Blended Learning

Here's how instructional designers use blended learning:
  • Created custom blended learning programs for selected target audiences using standardized instructional design methodologies, models, and writing guidelines.
  • Lead the creation of blended learning environments by conducting targeted needs assessments, environmental/organizational scans, and cause analyses.

15. SMEs

Here's how instructional designers use smes:
  • Established and implemented processes to effectively work with stakeholders and SMEs that lead to successful management of multiple simultaneous projects.
  • Worked collaboratively and effectively with SMEs and Management teams to establish and execute communication strategies for company projects.
top-skills

What skills help Instructional Designers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on instructional designer resumes?

Sue DahlinSue Dahlin LinkedIn profile

Associate Director of Career and Employer Engagement, University of Puget Sound

The resume should be tailored specifically to the role you're applying for. When required or preferred skills that were mentioned in the job description are included in your resume, they'll be excited to talk to you. If the job requires familiarity with the Adobe Creative Suite, I would expect to see how you've used those tools over the course of your experiences, not just buried in a laundry list of skills at the bottom of the resume.

What instructional designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Mary CollinsMary Collins LinkedIn profile

Professor, Creative Writing/Nonfiction, Program Coordinator, Writing Minors, Career/Internship Advisor, Central Connecticut State University

The pandemic has altered the gap-year entirely. In general, I encourage students to travel overseas if they can since many Americans remain very provincial in their education and we live in a global economy. But that's not possible now. Given that we must be in a virtual market, I recommend skill-building. Do they know Chromecast, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Zoom? Can they advance their writing skills and also add other communication skills such as audio and video editing or In-Design?

What type of skills will young instructional designers need?

Ye Chen Ph.D.Ye Chen Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor, University of West Georgia

Graduates with educational technology (Ed Tech) degrees commonly work as instructional designers, technology/media specialists, trainers, e-learning developers in k12 school, university, military, company, or government. The skills employers usually want in Ed Tech graduates include:
- Instructional design skills for analyzing instructional needs and designing & developing effective instructional solutions.
- Technical skills in utilizing technology to develop and implement instruction. At the same time, they are expected to understand how to integrate technology into instructional settings in a pedagogically meaningful way.
- Communication skills are essential as their work roles heavily rely on effective communication with content experts, clients, trainees/students, etc. throughout the instructional design process

What technical skills for an instructional designer stand out to employers?

David Emanuel Ph.D.David Emanuel Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, Nyack College

I think employers are especially looking out for students that have acquired strong technical skills along with their major. Graduates with knowledge of Zoom, GoogleMeets, social media, etc., are more likely to impress employers. Here, it is not just the ability to use existing technological platforms, but also the willingness to learn and adapt to new technological changes in the workplace. Along with the newer applications, a sound knowledge of basic programs such as MS Word and Excel also helps to distinguish students.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about instructional designer

List of instructional designer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an instructional designer resume and required skills for an instructional designer to have include:

  • Instructional Design
  • Subject Matter Experts
  • Project Management
  • PowerPoint
  • ELearning
  • Training Programs
  • Training Materials
  • Articulate Storyline
  • Customer Service
  • Course Content
  • Learning Solutions
  • Learning Objectives
  • Learning Management System
  • Blended Learning
  • SMEs
  • Camtasia
  • Graphic Design
  • Training Content
  • Addie
  • Instructional Materials
  • Adult Learning Theory
  • Led Training
  • HTML
  • Professional Development
  • Course Design
  • Instructional Content
  • Course Materials
  • Course Development
  • Adobe Captivate
  • HR
  • Excellent Interpersonal
  • Adult Learning Principles
  • Curriculum Development
  • Patients
  • Training Curriculum
  • SharePoint
  • Training Courses
  • SCORM
  • Instructional Strategies
  • Needs Assessment
  • ILT
  • Blackboard
  • CSS
  • Classroom Training
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Facilitator Guides

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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