Our five-pronged approach focuses on your individual strengths to develop your unique qualities towards making you an exemplary pi- designer.
Saili Sawantt
15/01/2025
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Overview
Knowing the key steps on how to become an interior designer in today's ever-evolving world is crucial. Apart from your standard qualifications, a standout resume, coupled with a strong portfolio and professional achievements, will help you navigate your path to advancing your interior design career. Integrate your achievements, experience, and technical skills in your resume, avoiding excessive graphic elements or irrelevant information, while your portfolio provides tangible proof of your design expertise. This combination will help set you apart as you progress in the field of interior design.
Confused about what's the first step to achieving a successful career as an interior designer? Read this article to find out!
Table of contents
The interior design market is expected to grow beyond a CAGR of 18% by the year 2030 according to Mordor Intelligence. This growth is driven by many factors, including urbanisation, rising income levels, and social media influence.
As the industry evolves, designers are expected to master emerging trends like eco-friendly materials, smart home technologies, and adaptable design strategies to meet diverse client needs. The scope of interior design now extends far beyond aesthetics, incorporating concepts like sustainable design, space optimisation, and human-centered design.
In 2025, we're most likely to understand the difference in the value between a digital vs. traditional resume format. While a traditional resume still holds its place, it might be difficult to carry around and maintain over the years, whereas a digital resume allows for easy access and sharing at any time.
Here are some differences between the two formats to help us understand that the choice of presentation remains in the hands of the audience and yourself.
Traditional format
Digital format
Unique & tactile representation
Ease of access and sharing
Personal engagement
Technical dependency
Not as cost-effective due to paper & prints
Cost-effective & environmentally friendly
Technological limitations
Versatile & multimedia integration
No concerns about data loss
Security and data sharing concerns
The essentials of a standard interior design resume would mainly include your contact details, educational background, technical skills, professional summary and experience.
When adding in your professional summary in your interior design resume, make sure to craft an impactful opening statement to keep the hiring manager hooked. It could highlight your key skills and achievements or also be a philosophy you believe in that is elaborated on further in your work.
Clearly state why you are set out for the role and what you can bring to the table. Additionally, highlight unique characteristics and skills that set you apart from the rest of the eligible candidates. Mention your areas of expertise, highlighting projects of completion that align with the skills mentioned. If you are looking to specialise in a design category different from the one you have, express your interest and willingness to learn more on the same.
Using industry-specific keywords in your resume not only helps to seamlessly pass through the applicant tracking systems but also shows the recruiter your industry-based knowledge and relevancy.
There are a few steps to be cleared before applying for the post of an interior designer in any firm. The first of which being that you have cleared the entrance exam for interior designing after 12th.
Gain knowledge on the interior design course duration and details in reputed colleges; talk to students that are currently pursuing the course or even ones who have graduated to have a more detailed view of the college and the subject.
While the interior design courses fees vary from college to college and city to city, it is important to research and compare the costs to ensure that it aligns with your budget.
Before applying for any interior design job, be sure to have your interior design specific degree, diploma, or certification from a reputed university or college that represents your relevant knowledge in the subject of interior design.
Your educational background is as important as your portfolio; in your resume, mention your participation in various specialised training or certification courses that could weigh in on your profile. If you're one of the students who explored design within any relevant coursework, it is likely to be added in your interior design resume.
India offers a range of renowned colleges in cities like Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, and more for interior designers to have successful careers with insightful knowledge. IIAD offers undergraduate programmes in various design disciplines, including an interior design course in Delhi.
Even if you have a design vision, it is important to have certain technical skills that are integrated within the learning of interior design subjects.
It is critical to showcase your knowledge and design software proficiency in various CAD and 3D visualization tools like AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Grasshopper, 3DS Max, and more, not only written in your resume but also showcased in your portfolio.
Highlight your experiences and unique achievements made through the usage of any software in any projects for recruiters to understand your expertise within the subject and industry-specific software.
While every firm works differently, it is essential to have knowledge, even if not worked with, of project management platforms like Trello and Asana or be quick to learn the specific project management software used within the firm for easier communication and collaboration.
In the section of your interior design resume that covers your professional experience, don't shy away from your achievements and innovative highlights while also adding key responsibilities. Employers are often looking for creative problem-solvers who push boundaries through any innovative projects or integration of cutting-edge technology.
Always seek to represent your growth ladder in ways of projects, roles, and positions to showcase your commitment and willingness to do your job as well as you say. Highlight your past design firm experiences or internships, along with project outcomes.
Mention teamwork or collaborative work to show you're a teamsman and shows your ability to work with various professionals within the project scope. If possible, it is always good to add in a few words from your clients to showcase your professionalism and ability to meet client expectations.
Freelancing projects are always appreciated, as well as the recruiters getting to learn of your individual responsibilities and duties while taking on projects on your own. If you’ve received any awards or been recognised in design competitions, individually, through any firms, or even your college, highlight them.
While your resume has you backed up by words, your portfolio showcases your design skills. To demonstrate your knowledge, apart from a standard portfolio, you can include project documentation of and after shots of refurbished on newly developed projects. If not the entire space, you can always focus on areas of your liking or working.
Showcase rejected concepts or sketches as well to show your enthusiasm along with your skills in technical drawings and 3D renders. This not only shows your software proficiency but also your ability to visualise spaces in three dimensions.
The 7 essentials of your digital interior design portfolio are:
Many of us would be making an interior design resume for the very first time, here are some common resume mistakes to avoid, to have a standout resume that effectively communicates your skills.
A resume should have well-organised and crisp text so the recruiter can focus on all the points with intrigue. It should have a readable flow and be put together in well distributed spaces and lines. Too many graphics or logos could leave your recruiter distracted and unwilling to read your entire resume.
Ensure that all the content put in your resume is relevant and truthful. Always proofread your resume before sending it out for grammar mistakes or any inconsistent information that could lead to any confusion. Stick to the point and draft clear information rather than beating around the bush.
Be aware not to use inconsistent font choices that would make your resume look unprofessional. Use easy-to-read fonts with clear hierarchy with font sizes to appear organised. Make sure to check that you have added in alternative methods of contact, in case either one fails. Avoid cluttered layouts, excessive use of colour and be sure to use white spaces efficiently.
Each resume reflects each person's individuality and style preferences. A professional interior design resume should reflect design sensibility without using too many colour schemes or overwhelming graphics. There should be nil visual clutter and it should maintain a cohesive design throughout.
Aim for a concise resume while applying for job posts and create separate sections with clear breaks, visually or graphically, to make it look like a gradual flow of information. Save it in widely accepted formats for easy access and sharing within recruiters and team members.
Use of headings, bullet points, and a clean layout to ensure that your skills and experience are easy to find in your resume. Make sure your resume is tailored to your audience and maintain the tonality and style accordingly.
Make sure your resume includes the standard information required, plus some more. It should not be very generic, failing to highlight your unique strengths and ideas. Include most-impactful and up-to-date details that contribute to your qualifications for the position.
In addition to the above points, here are some considerations for an impactful resume:
Integrate industry-specific keywords that could help in easy passing through tracking systems and also catch immediate attention of employers. This also helps the hiring managers to understand that you are well-versed with the industry language.
Highlight what sets you apart from the rest—unique skills, design ideologies, or even innovative approaches to design. Even a proficiency in a foreign language or distinctive software could increase your chances of catching the recruiter’s eye.
Ensure that your portfolio is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and showcases a wide variety of projects. It should have high-quality images and also integrate some personal design developments or details that reflect your design style.
Make a list of any recognitions or awards that could make a significant impact on your resume. Even if it is not entirely within the field, your contributions and participation in diverse activities could be found intriguing. By strategically integrating the above mentioned key elements, you create a resume that effectively communicates your skills, creativity, and value to potential recruiters.
A cover letter emphasises on your enthusiasm to get the post and shows how your skills align with the company's needs. It reinforces your qualifications and passion for the job description to strengthen the connection between your qualifications and the company’s requirements.
Prepare for standard interview questions while you have some spare time so your thought process has already begun, instead of taking sometime at the interview. Be confident and honest in whatever you answer. Even if you're thrown with some out-of-the box questions, answer it carefully and confidently. If you're unsure of the answer or method, show your willingness to learn. Highlight your problem-solving abilities and demonstrate how your creative thinking can add value to the team.
Present your portfolio during the interview, ensuring it complements the resume and provides additional context for your design journey. Be prepared to discuss any specific technical skills or design tools you used, such as AutoCAD, SketchUp, or Revit, and show how you apply these tools to enhance your work. Also add in how the final result met or exceeded the client’s expectations
Sending in a follow-up email to the recruiter after the interview is ideal to express your interest in the job post and adds to your professionalism.
After your interview, always send a professional follow-up email thanking the interviewer and expressing your interest in the position.It should generally be sent within 24-48 hours after the interview.
After crafting a standout interior design resume, it's crucial to follow the above steps to ensure you’re well-prepared and make a lasting impression on potential employers.
Yes, there are free interior design courses available online on platforms like Udemy, Alison, HomeLane, AND Academy, Oxford home study centre, and more.
An interior design course is an extensive program that equips you with the in-depth knowledge of the key elements of interior design across various sectors, including residential, commercial, and hospitality spaces.
Anyone can find more information on interior designing course eligibility and fees online or even get in touch with the person in charge in the preferred institution.
To become an interior designer, you must successfully complete the necessary exams and pursue a degree, diploma, or certification course in interior design.
According to glassdoor, the average salary of an interior designer in India is Rs. 28,708 per month.
About The Author
An Architect turned Writer, Saili has worked as an Architectural Writer, Marketer, & Curator. For the past three years, she has collaborated with multimedia publication houses, firms, studios, organisations, luxury brands and educational inst ... itutions; both national and international to communicate and market the AEC industry as an Architect in Marketing. She is a commentator on the design industry’s upkeep through her social handles while also being an avid reader and traveller.
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