Interior Designer interview questions and answers

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Interior Designer Interview Questions

Interior designers work to create internal spaces that are both visually appealing and practical. Apart from an innate artistic creativity, a diploma in interior design is typical. You may want to initially screen for experience, unless you are looking to fill a junior role.

It is a good idea to ask candidates to bring a portfolio with samples of their work at an interview. Ask about their approaches at each project and issues they encountered. You can also give them an assignment where they have to demonstrate expertise in specific areas (e.g. materials selection). This may prove helpful when you are trying to discover if they are a good fit for your position.

Related: How to hire designers

The skillset of excellent interior designers involves a wide range of capabilities. Examples are project management skills, communication, teamwork and willingness to follow industry trends. You can evaluate those by asking behavioral or situational questions.

Operational and Situational questions

• Imagine your client asks you to design a room in a way that is visually pleasing but not practical. How would you react?
• If a client kept rejecting all your designs, what would you do?

Role-specific questions

• What piece in your portfolio are you most proud of?
• Which of your work sample involved more technical expertise?
• What interior design course was the most difficult for you and why?
• What is your experience with AutoCad/3D Max/In-design etc.?
• How would you prioritize tasks for a renovation project?
• What do you need to consider when designing?
• What do you know about sustainable design?
• What are a couple of questions you’d ask to discover your client’s requirements?
• Is there any interior design style you favor/dislike?
• How do you keep up with industry changes?
• Do you prefer functionality or appeal?
• Were you artistic as a child?

Behavioral questions

• Describe a time when you fell behind schedule. What did you do?
• Have you ever had to collaborate with architects or tradespeople who were difficult to work with?
• Have you ever exceeded the budget for a project?
• Describe a time when your client didn’t like one of your designs. What did you do?
• Tell me about a time you disagreed with your team on something. How did you handle it?