Your current interior design CV will not get you the job.
Why?
Without proper planning, adaptation, fixtures, and furnishing—
It will remain an uninviting shell.
Fret not.
You’re about to make your CV worthy of IDA’s Interior Design of the Year Award.
This guide will show you:
- Great interior design CV examples that get jobs.
- How to ace your interior designer job description on a CV.
- How to write CVs for interior designers that get the interview.
- Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing interior design jobs.
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Interior Design CV—Sample
Abigail Bennett
Interior Designer
Phone:07986 904 139
Email:abigail.bennett@gmail.com
LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/abennett
Twitter:twitter.com/abenett
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.
Experience
2015–2018
Stonewall & Richard Architects
Senior Interior Designer
- Managed 15+ large-scale 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.
Key achievement:
- Completed 10+ high-end large-scale luxury residential and hotel projects from beginning to end.
2011-2014
Jenkins & Williams
Junior Interior Designer
- Supported 5 design project teams with basic design plans, elevations, and details, reflected ceiling plans, millwork design, furniture layouts, ergonomic dimensions, finish plans, colour plans, and schedules.
- Selected and prepared materials and models for client presentations.
- Assisted with information gathering relative to programming analysis, space plans and area calculations.
- Prepared interior construction contract documents, including plans, details, sections and schedules.
- Researched and selected colour/finish/material and furniture specifications for clients.
Key achievement:
- Autonomously prepared architectural drawings, presentation boards, specifications, and purchase orders for 5 key clients.
Education
2011
London Metropolitan University
BA (Hons) Interior Design
- 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)
Certifications
- SBID Accreditation
Associations
- BIID
Interests
- Running half-marathons
- Scandinavian design
Key Skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Verbal, written, and visual communication
- Collaboration
- Attention to detail
- AutoCAD
- Photoshop
- InDesign
- SketchUp
- ADA standards
Languages
- German (Advanced)
- Swedish (Conversational)
1. Choose the Best Interior Design CV Format
The average recruiter spends about 7 seconds scanning a CV.
In this context, the importance of first impressions takes on an entirely new meaning.
So—
Make sure your interior designer CV hits home with the recruiter.
- Lay out your entry-level or senior interior design CV in the right CV 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 CV fonts. Aim at anything between 10 and 14pt. Write simple headings. Put white space to good use.
- Make your interior design CV one-page long unless you’re more experienced than Kelly Wearstler. The CV length matters.
- Start with a catchy summary or career objective. Then move on to your experience and education.
- Include an interior design CV skills section, list your professional certifications, and mention your interests. Don’t fail to mention your membership in professional associations and organisations.
Expert Hint: Export your interior design CV to a PDF file. It will be readable to ATSs and its formatting will stay untouched.
2. Start with an Interior Designer CV Objective that Turns Heads
A strong opening statement is like an architectural visualisation—
You just can’t wait to see it in person.
So—
Start your interior design CV with a blast, and let the hiring manager call you already.
Thanks to this five-step formula you’ll get your CV summary just right. Each and every time.
- An adjective
- Job title
- Years of experience
- What you can offer and how it will help
- Your biggest achievement
Sample of Interior Designer CV—Summary
Remember to refer to the company by name. It will give your interior design CV 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?
A CV for freshers should start with a CV objective.
How does it differ from a CV summary?
An interior designer CV objective focuses on your strengths and accomplishments, rather than track record and professional experience.
Remember to bring up relevant achievements, not just any achievements. If you’ve graduated recently—you can focus on your educational wins.
Sample CV for Interior Designer Fresher—Objective
Expert Hint: Write your interior design CV objective or summary at the very end. When your entire CV 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 CV with an interior design CV job description that knocks recruiters off their feet.
Here’s the secret—
Follow these three simple steps:
- Read the job posting thoroughly.
- Identify the interior designing skills the employer looks for.
- Prepare your interior design job description based on the language of the job posting.
Design CV Examples—Interior Design Job Description
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 CV, 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 CV above show them to you.
Use the CV 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 skills in a separate key skills CV section.
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 CV.
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Interior Designer CV Skills—Example
Model Home Interior Design CV Sample—Soft Skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Verbal, written, and visual communication
- Collaboration/Teamwork
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Problem-solving
- Adaptability
Architecture and Interior Design CV Example—Hard Skills
- AutoCAD
- Photoshop
- InDesign
- SketchUp
- ADA standards
- Technical drawing
- Sketching
- Project management
Mind you—
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. Turn Boring Education Into a Reason to Hire You
Details count.
Both at work, and on your interior design CV.
So—
Don’t push this section back into the wardrobe.
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 CV is particularly important on a new graduate interior design CV.
Show off your GPA, mention extracurricular activities, membership in student societies, or international exchange programs you took part in.
Interior Design CV for Freshers—Education
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 CV With These Extra Sections
You know how important it is to plan light fixtures.
So—
Leave no dark spots on your interior designer CV, and let it outshine all the others.
List your certifications on a CV. Don't forget about your interests and hobbies on a CV. Languages, and membership in professional associations count as well
Entry-Level Interior Designer CV Sample—Certifications
- SBID Accreditation
Architecture and Interior Designer CV Sample—Awards
- IDA Interior Design of the Year Award (Office Space)—2016
Commercial Interior Design CV Example—Associations
- BIID—Member
Junior Designer Interior Designer CV Example—Interests
- Running half-marathons
- Scandinavian design
Interior Design Intern CV Example—Languages
- German (Advanced)
- Swedish (Conversational)
Double your impact with a matching CV and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.
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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
Expert Hint: You can easily double the impact of your design CV 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 CV becomes buttery smooth. Here’s a quick recap:
- Pick out the best interior design CV template. An interior design director CV needs a larger experience section than an entry-level interior design CV.
- Make it a look exceptional. Fill your freelance interior design CV with relevant information, and choose elegant formatting. Don’t squeeze too much information, and put white space to good use.
- Tailor your interior design CV 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 CV 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 CV? Have useful advice on writing CVs for a variety of interior designers (interior design student CV or creative interior design CV)? We’d love to hear from you. Leave your comment below.