Resources for Interior Designers Tips
Read these 14 Resources for Interior Designers Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Interior Design Degree tips and hundreds of other topics.
Common Questions in an Interior Design Interview
Before you walk into your next interior design interview, prepare yourself for some questions that you'll likely encounter. If you've thought about your answers ahead of time, you should be more relaxed and confident as you talk to your interviewer. Here is a list of some of the most common questions you might be asked in an interior design interview.
• What are your goals as an interior designer?
• Where do you want to be in the next five years?
• What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
• What qualities would you bring to our firm if you worked here?
• Why are you interested in working for our firm?
The Importance of an Interior Design Internship
What's one of the best ways to line up work when you've completed your interior design degree? Besides tackling resumes and creating portfolios, get that interior design internship before you've finished school. Interior design internships are an important part of your career for four reasons:
1. Interior design internships are a great way to get practical hands on experience before you've completed your interior design degree.
2. Interior design internships help you to find out if a specialty field of interior design is right for you.
3. You need work experience to get a job and if you can show you've logged hours in any field of interior design on your resume before graduation, you will be a much stronger candidate to potential employers.
4. Your internship just might also be your first interior design job out of school. Many design firms will hire an intern who has performed well upon their graduation from an interior design program. This is one thing to keep in mind if you want to stay ahead in your job search.
The Perfect Interior Design Candidate - What Employers Want
You have your interior design degree, an internship, a portfolio, and resume all ready to go. All you have to do is ace the next interior design interview and you’ll be on your way to a promising career. To boost your chances of landing the job with the slick and innovative design firm you’ve been eyeing, pay attention to what interior design employers are looking for.
• Employers want an interior design candidate who first and foremost, has a friendly and positive, outgoing personality. Surprised? Part of working as an interior designer means interacting with clients, vendors, and other members of your project team. People skills are an important part of the interior design interview.
• To shine as an interior design candidate, show your potential employers that you have great communication skills. You should be clearly able to present your ideas and projects. As an interior designer, you’ll have to communicate your ideas in a way that other people can understand.
• Your technical skills as an interior designer are also important to interior design employers. The firm that hires you wants to know that you have a good sense of design, proportion, color, and the technical know how to make a project come together.
What They're Using Now – Interior Design Software
Wondering about interior design software most commonly used? AutoCad is the all encompassing drafting tool that allows interior designers, engineers, and architects to put together floor plans, elevations, lighting plans, and furniture layouts. If you plan on being competitive in the interior design industry, learn to use this interior design software. However, working in the interior design industry, you won't just be creating space plans, and designing interior spaces, you'll also handle written business proposals and correspondence as well as manage project schedules and budgets. This means you should also be proficient in Word and Excel as well.
Look for Interior Design Information Online
With the amount of resources on the Web, you don't even have to step outside your door to look up information. If you're interested in the field of interior design, try going to these resources for interior design information online:
• The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) at www.asid.org is the predominant professional organization for interior design, which seeks to further the interior design field through education and community outreach.
• Careers in Interior Design at www.careersininteriordesign.com is an excellent resource to get you started in your exploration of the interior design field, including career information, schooling, and the examination process.
• The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) is a professional networking organization committed to promoting the knowledge of interior design.
You can find a wealth of interior design information online at their Web site at www.iida.org.
Paying for Your Education – Look For Scholarships at Interior Design Schools
The cost of an interior design education can be astronomical. If you find the cost of tuition rather daunting, look for assistance in the form of scholarships at interior design schools. Most schools, both public and private, have money set aside specifically for their interior design students. Many interior design scholarships have requirements which may include any combination of a minimum grade point average, faculty sponsorship, essay submission, and design submissions. If you are applying to interior design schools that do not have scholarships, you can still look elsewhere. The International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA at www.ifda.org) is one professional organization which has a number of interior design scholarships ranging from $1000 to $3000 in grant money.
Get Up to Date Information From An Interior Design Magazine
If you want to find out the most current business trends, design ideas, and product design in the interior design field, go to an interior design magazine to see the latest, up to date news. Not sure what is available? Here is a list of some of the popular design magazines covering interior design and more:
Interior Design Magazine – This professional interior design magazine comes full of articles, interviews, profiles of businesses, and the latest news in the interior design field.
Dwell Magazine – This monthly publication covers both interior and exterior architecture with an emphasis on the modern home and product design.
Frame Magazine – This international interior architecture publication covers retail, entertainment, and designing for the workplace.
Metropolis Magazine – Metropolis is an architectural and interior publication that covers current news and information appealing to both professionals and the general public.
POPLife – POPLife covers trendsetting interiors and architecture in home design with an emphasis on catering to the Generation X and Generation Y population.
Creating the Interior Design Resume
After wrapping up a design project for a new-age holistic spa and creating a flawless portfolio full of your six best projects, you still have to tackle your interior design resume. How do you start? Incorporate these ideas to help you create a letter perfect interior design resume that will land you a coveted job.
• Keep the format of your resume professional and business-like.
• Organize your interior design resume in a clear, cohesive manner. You can choose a format which highlights your strengths or opt for one that reads in a chronological order.
• Keep graphics and design elements to a minimum and reserve your design flair for your interior design portfolio.
• Accompany your resume with a well-written cover letter that is a few paragraphs in length. Your cover letter should highlight your skills and explain why you are a good fit for the interior design firm you are applying for.
The Perfect Interior Design Candidate - What Employers Want
You have your interior design degree, an internship, a portfolio, and resume all ready to go. All you have to do is ace the next interior design interview and you'll be on your way to a promising career. To boost your chances of landing the job with the slick and innovative design firm you've been eyeing, pay attention to what interior design employers are looking for.
• Employers want an interior design candidate who first and foremost, has a friendly and positive, outgoing personality. Surprised? Part of working as an interior designer means interacting with clients, vendors, and other members of your project team. People skills are an important part of the interior design interview.
• To shine as an interior design candidate, show your potential employers that you have great communication skills. You should be clearly able to present your ideas and projects. As an interior designer, you'll have to communicate your ideas in a way that other people can understand.
• Your technical skills as an interior designer are also important to interior design employers. The firm that hires you wants to know that you have a good sense of design, proportion, color, and the technical know how to make a project come together.
The Perfect Interior Design Candidate - What Employers Want
You have your interior design degree, an internship, a portfolio, and resume all ready to go. All you have to do is ace the next interior design interview and you'll be on your way to a promising career. To boost your chances of landing the job with the slick and innovative design firm you've been eyeing, pay attention to what interior design employers are looking for.
• Employers want an interior design candidate who first and foremost, has a friendly and positive, outgoing personality. Surprised? Part of working as an interior designer means interacting with clients, vendors, and other members of your project team. People skills are an important part of the interior design interview.
• To shine as an interior design candidate, show your potential employers that you have great communication skills. You should be clearly able to present your ideas and projects. As an interior designer, you'll have to communicate your ideas in a way that other people can understand.
• Your technical skills as an interior designer are also important to interior design employers. The firm that hires you wants to know that you have a good sense of design, proportion, color, and the technical know how to make a project come together.
Do the Research – Get to Know Your Hiring Interior Design Firm
All too often, a hiring interior design firm may be frustrated because their interview candidates know little or nothing about their office. Don't make the mistake of being one of these candidates. Your best bet is to target firms you are interested in working for during your job search. If you do that, you should at least know the following about the hiring interior design firm you are interviewing with:
• Know what the corporate philosophy of the interior design firm is.
• Be familiar with the type of work the interior design firm does.
• Get acquainted with key members of the firm, such as the principal or partners in the office and know about the size and structure of the office.
Hint: Don't know where to find this information? Simply go to the Web site of an interior design firm. You should be able to find all of the information you need to be prepared during an interview.
How to Find Your First Interior Design Internship
If you're already looking for that coveted interior design internship, you're one step ahead of the career game. A job search can be challenging, but take some time to try these avenues and you should find an interior design internship in no time.
• Go through a professional organization such as the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID at www.asid.org) to network and scan their job boards.
• Check the job board of your own interior design program.
• Your faculty can also be a great resource to assist you in your search for an interior design internship.
• Network with classmates and friends in your interior design program to see if anyone knows of an opening. Friends and colleagues will prove to be a valuable resource to help you find jobs now and in the future.
• Do your own investigative research and send your resume out to targeted firms of your interest or contact firms you are interested in for an informational interview.
The Perfect Interior Design Candidate - What Employers Want
You have your interior design degree, an internship, a portfolio, and resume all ready to go. All you have to do is ace the next interior design interview and you'll be on your way to a promising career. To boost your chances of landing the job with the slick and innovative design firm you've been eyeing, pay attention to what interior design employers are looking for.
• Employers want an interior design candidate who first and foremost, has a friendly and positive, outgoing personality. Surprised? Part of working as an interior designer means interacting with clients, vendors, and other members of your project team. People skills are an important part of the interior design interview.
• To shine as an interior design candidate, show your potential employers that you have great communication skills. You should be clearly able to present your ideas and projects. As an interior designer, you'll have to communicate your ideas in a way that other people can understand.
• Your technical skills as an interior designer are also important to interior design employers. The firm that hires you wants to know that you have a good sense of design, proportion, color, and the technical know how to make a project come together.
Student Competitions in Interior Design
An excellent way of getting recognition for your work while you're still in school is by entering student competitions in interior design. Some of the major professional organizations and publications hold competitions specifically geared towards the interior design student.
• The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) holds an annual Student Sustainable Design Competition. Each year, three students are recognized for creative excellence in incorporating sustainable design principles into a project.
• The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) holds annual student competitions in interior design. Each year, one interior design student wins an ASID Student Design Award. The 2005 competition called for the incorporation of a spa for multiple sclerosis patients while utilizing aspects of green design.
• The ASID also holds another interior design contest where first and second place winners are announced - the annual Student Interior Design Contest. For the competition in 2005, the project required designing a kitchen and living or dining area with the use of a minimum of three KitchenAid appliances.
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| Lynda Moultry |
