How to Hire an Instructional Designer
An instructional designer builds learning experiences that help people actually change what they do, not just click through slides. The role combines learning science, writing, technology and the ability to extract knowledge from busy experts. This guide helps you tell apart a content producer from a designer who starts from the learner and the outcome.
What to Look For
- Understanding of how adults learn and of models such as needs analysis and learning objectives
- A portfolio showing the problem, the design choices and the result, not just finished modules
- Skill in working with subject matter experts and turning their knowledge into clear learning
- Strong writing for clarity, with an eye for visuals, activities and practice
- Fluency with authoring and learning management tools and a willingness to learn new ones
- A habit of evaluating whether learning worked and improving the design
The Hiring Process
- 1
Define the learning context
Clarify the audience, the formats you need (e-learning, workshops, blended), the tools in use and how many projects run at once.
- 2
Review the portfolio
Ask the candidate to walk through two projects: the need, who they worked with, what they decided and how they measured the outcome.
- 3
Design interview
Present a real training need and ask how they would analyse it, set objectives and choose activities.
- 4
Practical task
Give a short brief with a raw expert document and ask for a storyboard or outline for a short module, with a clear learning objective.
- 5
Stakeholder conversation
Let a subject expert and a manager meet the candidate to test how they ask questions and handle feedback.
- 6
References
Speak to former clients or colleagues about reliability, collaboration with experts and quality of final work.
Interview Tips
- Ask how they decide whether training is even the right answer to a problem
- Ask how they handle an expert who wants to include everything
- Ask for an example of a design they changed after learner feedback
- Ask how they make a dry compliance topic engaging without gimmicks
- Ask how they judge whether a course changed behaviour
Red Flags
- Portfolio full of slides with no learning objectives
- Starts from the tool, not from the learner's need
- Cannot describe how they evaluated results
- Treats experts' content as untouchable or ignores it entirely
- Equates engagement with animation and games
Instructional Designer: let the AI hold the first interview
Every candidate takes a structured voice interview from their secure portal. Your team reads one scored report per candidate and makes the decision.