New Design Grad Guide Gives "Insider" Tips: What Interior Design Firms Are Looking For?

Just in time for those new graduates who are seeking their first interior design job, the American Society of Interior Designers and the Center for Career Services at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, have released a new booklet, Tips for Graduates Entering the Interior Design Profession: What Employers Are Looking For. Based on the responses of more than 500 practicing interior designers to a survey developed by the Center for Career Services at Syracuse University and conducted by ASID, the guide provides insights into the skills and training that employers value most, as well as the behaviors that make candidates desirable.

Created with first-time job seekers in mind, the guide focuses on the three major areas of portfolio preparation, resume and cover letter composition, and the interview process. Sample resumes are included, along with advice from employers and a list of questions they say they most often ask.

Respondents to the survey often provided extensive, detailed comments that included both guidance and caveats for job candidates. Although preferences and expectations varied, one employer perhaps summed up the responses best when replying to the question of what mattered most in a prospective employee: “Personality matters, presentations matter, design sense and creativity matter.”

“We are very grateful to ASID and the design professionals who completed our rather lengthy survey,” said Susan Filkins with the Center for Career Services at Syracuse University. “They provided us with a wealth of information that will greatly benefit new designers beginning their careers. We think employers will benefit, too, from having candidates who are better matched to their firms and their needs.”

Tips for Graduates Entering the Interior Design Profession: What Employers Are Looking For is available in PDF format to download or print in the Student Center on the ASID Web site.