Interior Design Resume: Examples and Skills [Guide for 2024]

Your current interior design resume doesn't get you the job? It's time to find out why. Without proper planning, adaptation, fixtures, and furnishing it might remain an uninviting shell.

Fret not. You’re about to make your resume worthy of IDA’s Interior Design of the Year Award.

This guide will show you: 

• Great interior design resume examples that get jobs.
• How to ace your interior designer job description on a resume.
• What interior design skills belong on a resume.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing interior design jobs.

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Interior Design Resume Sample

An interior designer is responsible for creating functional and visually pleasing interior spaces for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. They communicate with clients as well as architects, builders, and other professionals to ensure that the design is implemented correctly.

1. Choose the Best Interior Design Resume Format

The average recruiter spends about 7 seconds scanning a resume. In this context, the importance of first impressions takes on an entirely new meaning.

So make sure your interior designer resume hits home with the recruiter.

• Lay out your entry-level or senior interior design resume in the right resume format (usually the reverse-chronological works best). This way you’ll give your experience and key achievements the prominence they deserve.
• Pick simple and readable resume fonts. Aim at anything between 10 and 14pt. Write simple headings. Put white space to good use.
• Make your interior design resume one-page long unless you’re more experienced than Kelly Wearstler. The resume length matters.
• Start with a catchy resume profile. Then move on to your experience and education.
• Include an interior design resume skills section, list your professional certifications, and mention your interests. Don’t fail to mention your membership in professional associations and organizations.

Expert Hint: Export your interior design resume to a PDF file. It will be readable to ATSs and its formatting will stay untouched.

2. Start with an Interior Designer Resume Objective that Turns Heads

A strong opening statement is like an architectural visualization—You just can’t wait to see it in person.

Start your interior design resume with a blast, and let the hiring manager call you already. Thanks to this five-step formula you’ll get your interior designer resume summary just right. Each and every time.

1. An adjective
2. Job title
3. Years of experience
4. What you can offer and how it will help
5. Your biggest achievement

Sample Resume for Interior Designer—Summary 

A self-motivated all-around senior interior designer with 7+ years of experience. Eager to join Southern Impact to motivate and lead design teams, and manage projects from inception to completion. In previous roles completed 10+ high-end large-scale luxury projects, managed multiple teams, and grew relationships with vendors and clients.

An experienced and creative interior designer who’d wish to join your company. Worked on many projects and has solid experience in managing design teams. Energetic, friendly, and tech-savvy.

Remember to refer to the company by name. It will give your interior design resume a personal touch, and it will not look like a generic document sent in bulk to multiple employers.

What If You’ve Got No Experience? An entry-level resume should start with a resume objective.

How does it differ from a resume summary? An interior designer resume objective focuses on your strengths and accomplishments, rather than track record and professional experience. Remember to bring up relevant work achievements, not just any achievements. If you’ve graduated recently—you can focus on your educational wins.

Interior Designer Resume Objective Example

A highly-motivated interior designer with a BFA in Interior Design from International Academy of Design and Technology, Las Vegas (GPA 3.9). Eager to join Jenkins & Williams to support design project teams with basic design plans and FF&E procurement. About to complete LEED AP Certification, IIDA member.

A fresh graduate with a BFA in Interior Design. Wishes to join your company to develop professionally.

Expert Hint: Write your interior design resume objective or summary at the very end. When your entire resume is ready, pick out the best parts and include them in your intro.

3. Write the Perfect Interior Design Job Description and Skills Sections

Congratulations, you’re about to learn how to furnish your resume with an interior design resume job description that knocks recruiters off their feet. Here’s the secret—

Follow these three simple steps:

1. Read the job posting thoroughly.
2. Identify the interior design skills the employer looks for.
3. Prepare your interior design job description based on the language of the job posting.

Interior Design Resume Examples—Job Description

• Managed 15+ projects with the focus on staying within schedule, budget, and client/brand parameters.
• Led and briefed up to 3 design teams on concurrent live projects.
• Mentored 10+ junior and intermediate designers.
• Oversaw the procurement of FF&E products/specifications (soft and hard materials/finishes, and project schedules: plumbing fixture, finish, lighting, door hardware, etc.)
• Built and grew existing client relationships by following up on new business opportunities. Increased client base by 25%.
• Networked and maintained good relationships with 20+ NYC and European high end/luxury product vendors.

• Completed 10+ high-end large-scale luxury residential and hotel projects from beginning to end.

• Project management
• Team leading
• Mentoring
• Responsible for FF&E
• Responsible for contacts with clients and vendors

Why is your interior design job description so vital? For one thing, you want to get past the ATS screening stage. Before any human lays their eyes on your resume, it will be scanned for interior design keywords.

You can find them all over the job posting. The highlighted sections in the example of interior design resume above show them to you. Use the resume keywords from the job ad to make sure your interior design job description employs the language ATSs deem relevant.

But remember, it’s not just the ATS. You need to impress the hiring manager, too. So, present your experience in terms of achievements. Quantify it with numbers and percentages. And show off your abilities in a list of skills for a resume.

Again, double check the job ad to see if the desired skills are mentioned by name. If so, they’re exactly the interior design skills to list on your resume.

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Interior Designer Resume Skills—Example

• Interpersonal skills
• Verbal, written, and visual communication
• Collaboration/Teamwork
• Attention to detail
• Time management
• Problem-solving
• Adaptability

• AutoCAD
• Photoshop
• InDesign
• SketchUp
• ADA standards
• Technical drawing
• Sketching
• Project management

Refrain from paraphrasing too much. ATSs are supposed to be smart, but they’re not too smart. If the employer looks for a “team player,” stick to the original phrasing rather than go for “collaboration.”

Expert Hint: With so many skills to put on your interior design skills list, it might get hard to select the top ones. You must learn to be selective, though. List up to top ten skills, and avoid the presenter’s paradox.

4. Present a Well-Organized Interior Design Education Section

Details count. Both at work, and on your interior design resume. So don’t push this section back into the closet. You had to put a lot of effort to get the qualifications and education needed to be an interior designer. It’s time to make them work for you.

The education section on a resume is particularly important on a new graduate interior design resume. Show off your GPA (if high), mention extracurricular activities, membership in student societies, or international exchange programs you took part in.

Interior Design Resume for Freshers—Education

2011
International Academy of Design and Technology, Las Vegas
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Interior Design
GPA: 3.9

• Activities and Societies: Contract Club, IIDA, ASID
• Study Abroad 2010: Germany (Berlin, Weimar, Dessau, and Environs). Focused on designs in Germany and the Bauhaus design era)

Expert Hint: When your professional experience is limited, education is your capital. Make the most of your educational wins, and give them the attention they call for. Plus, attach your student interior design portfolio.

6. Light Up Your Interior Design Resume With These Extra Sections

You know how important it is to plan light fixtures. Leave no dark spots on your interior designer resume, and let it outshine all the others.

List your certifications on a resume. Don't forget about your interests and hobbies on a resume. Languages, and membership in professional associations count as well. Below you'll find a couple of potential bonus section you could include to make your resume shine like a polished marble floor.

Interior Design Resume Sample—Bonus Sections

Certifications:

• NCIDQ Certification
• LEED AP Certification
• CKBD Certification

Awards:

• IDA Interior Design of the Year Award (Office Space)—2016

Associations:

• WithIt—Member
• IIDA—Member

Interests:

• Running half-marathons
• Scandinavian design

Languages:

• German (Advanced)
• Swedish (Conversational)

These examples are perfect for interior designers of all levels. If you're an entry-level interior designer, make sure to flesh out your resume for interior design jobs with some fantastic, relevant bonus sections. They will work wonders for you

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Expert Hint: You can easily double the impact of your design resume with an interior design cover letter. Less than 50 percent of applicants write cover letters, but more than half of the recruiters want to read them.

Key Points

Once you get hold of the blueprint, writing a winning interior design resume becomes buttery smooth. Here’s a quick recap:

• Pick out the best interior design resume template. An interior design director resume needs a larger experience section than an entry-level interior design resume.
• Make it a look exceptional. Fill your freelance interior design resume with relevant information, and choose elegant formatting. Don’t squeeze too much information, and put white space to good use.
• Tailor your interior design resume to a job offer. Make sure your interior design job description and skills are targeted at a specific job ad.
• Make the most of your education. This is vital when preparing a resume for interior designer freshers.
• Spice it up with extras. Certifications, interests, languages, and additional skills prove your worth and show you’re a serious candidate.

Questions on how to write the best interior design resume? Have useful advice on writing resumes for a variety of interior designers (interior design student resume or creative interior design resume)? We’d love to hear from you. Leave your comment below.

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