How do I Find Interior Design Employment?

Finding interior design employment may be competitive, yet it's certainly possible. There are many different types of employers that hire interior designers of all levels. Interior design employment opportunities can often be found at home furnishing stores and cruise ship lines as well as with interior design and architectural companies.

Architectural firms cover a wide range of specialties from home to hotel design. For interior designers with a passion for architecture, finding interior design employment that allows them to work with architects and new building design could be a good fit. Contacting local architectural design firms and arranging meetings with architects could lead to employment at a firm. The interior design candidate should be prepared to show portfolio samples of his or her design work that would be a good match with the type of designs the firm is best known for creating.

Looking for interior design employment at interior design companies may be an especially good idea for junior or intermediate designers, as many of these firms are owned by an experienced interior designer needing assistants. Supervised work hours are needed to have certification as an interior designer, and working for a certified interior designer may be a good way for uncertified designers to get the hours needed to qualify for the certification exam. Specialty interior design firms, such as custom drapery shops or office interior companies, may offer the ideal work environment for interior designers who want to specialize in a certain design field.

It's important for interior designers to give some thought as to which kind of employer would be most interested in their design skills. This exercise can help those seeking interior design employment think beyond the obvious companies that most interior design grads apply to and therefore reduce their competition. For example, cruise ship lines hire designers to work on new boats or revamp the interiors of older cruise ships.

Home furnishing stores vary in style and price points and finding the right match for an interior designer and then arranging portfolio interviews at these stores may be a good way of securing full-time interior design employment. Retail-based interior designer jobs require designers to be good communicators and salespeople as well as demonstrate an ability to design for different types of customers. Interior designers who work at home furnishing stores are basically consultants and must understand how to design with the store's product line in mind.