Interior Designer CV: A Guide with Key Tips

Key Sections to Include in an Interior Designer CV

While interior designer CVs give you some scope to display your creativity, there are certain sections that you should always include. Most employers will expect to see your work experience, skills and education covered, as well as finding a link to your portfolio or examples of your previous work.

The key sections to include in your CV for interior design jobs are:

CV header

Your CV header is the place to list all your contact information. Add your name, your email address, your phone number and your location. Another important element to include in your header is a link to your website or portfolio. For interior design roles, employers will want to see examples of your work, so it’s worth placing this right at the top of your document.

CV summary

The CV summary is typically a two-to-three sentence paragraph introducing you and highlighting your key skills and experience. Mention one or two skills and experiences in concise sentences, using strong verbs for emphasis. Consider mentioning why you’re applying for the job, and why the hiring company appeals to you.

Here’s an example CV summary for an interior design applicant:

Creative, detail-oriented interior designer with nine years’ experience transforming residential properties into luxury modern living spaces. Managed individual home renovations and commercial projects, including award-winning renovation of a Grade II Listed church into six apartments. Seeking opportunities to push creative boundaries and collaborate with renowned architects and contractors to bring innovative design visions to life.

Work experience

Your work experience section is usually the most crucial element of your CV. This is your chance to show the impact you’ve made in previous interior design roles, and that you have the skills and experience for the job. Consult the job description for an indication of the experience the employer is looking for, and make sure this section demonstrates these to the hiring manager.

For each relevant role in your career to date, add your job title, the name of your employer, its location and the dates you worked there. Underneath this, add several bullet points explaining your achievements, and the skills you learned and used in the job. Concentrate on the impact you made, rather than simply listing your responsibilities.

Take a look at this example work experience section for an interior design job application:

Interior Designer, Ashwood Interiors, Derby, August 2017 — present

• Consulting with residential clients to develop major home renovation and interior design projects
• Drafting sketches of design concepts and themes to meet client briefs
• Designing interior layouts using CAD software to bring client visions to life
• Sourcing desirable materials and fittings from boutique suppliers and bespoke craftspeople, to match exacting specifications
• Project managing all elements of the interior design process, with 94% customer satisfaction rating
• Shortlisted for East Midlands Interior Designer of the Year 2021

Education

Your education section is your chance to list any relevant qualifications. If you have a specialist design qualification, or a qualification explicitly referenced in the job description, you might want to emphasise it in this section. Include the name of your course, the level of the award, the institution name, its location and your dates of study or graduation. You may also wish to add some details of specialist areas of study, dissertation topics, awards you won or societies you were a member of during your studies.

Make sure your education section follows this format:

BA (Hons) Interior Design, University of the Arts London, September 2012 - July 2015

• Specialised in office and commercial design
• Completed work placement with Lux Interior Design, Croydon

Skills

In your skills section, add both your relevant hard and soft skills. Refer to the job description to ensure you mention anything listed by the employer as essential or desirable. You can either add your skills in one list, or separate them into lists for hard/technical skills and soft/transferable skills. If you have space, or you want to emphasise your skills, you could also add a brief explanation of how you’ve used each skill in your career to date.

See below for an example skills section for an interior designer CV:

Technical skills:

• CAD software
• Model making
• Technical drawing
• Carpentry
• Project management

Soft skills:

• Attention to detail
• Creative mindset
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving
• Relationship management skills

Optional sections

Optional sections can help you to prove you’re suitable for the job, by adding extra details that don’t fit into the main sections. These could be certifications or training courses, internships, hobbies and interests or voluntary work. If you include any of these, make sure they address a skill or experience listed in the job description, that you haven’t already proved elsewhere in the document.

Tips for Writing an Interior Designer CV

Follow these quick tips to make the best possible impact with your interior design CV:

Choose a suitable format: The layout and structure of your CV will probably depend on your experience levels. If you’re an experienced interior designer, it’s best to select a traditional, reverse-chronological structure. This places the greatest emphasis on your work experience. For junior or graduate roles, you might prefer a functional CV. This places the emphasis on your skills and qualifications. You may also prefer a creative CV layout, which gives you the chance to add design elements and demonstrate your credentials in a more visual way.

Tailor your CV: tailoring your CV to meet the requirements listed in the job description is one of the most effective things you can do to boost your odds of success. Make sure your CV shows you’ve got the skills and experience the employer lists in the job description. Use keywords from the job description to increase your chances of passing the ATS stage, where software scans the CVs and ranks them based on their suitability.

Quantify your achievements: rather than listing your responsibilities, focus on your achievements, offering data and evidence to show the impact you’ve made in previous roles. This could be customer satisfaction figures, the size of your project budgets, awards you’ve won or the value of contracts you’ve earned for previous employers.

Show your eye for design: when you’re applying for roles with a heavy emphasis on creativity, it’s important to reflect your design credentials with your CV. Using a creative CV design can really help your application stand out from the crowd. CVwizard’s CV templates offer a simple, step-by-step process to creating a CV that will catch the eye of employers.

Tailoring your CV to meet the requirements listed in the job description is one of the most effective things you can do to boost your odds of success.

Key Takeaways for an Interior Design CV

There are plenty of things you can do to ensure your interior design CV makes a positive impression. Tailor your CV to the job description and make sure you place links to examples of your work in a prominent position. Quantify your achievements, highlighting any awards or accolades you’ve won, and use an attractive, creative CV layout for maximum impact. CVwizard offers a wealth of CV tools and resources to help you find success in your job hunt, including a library of CV articles. Sign up today and get started with a CV that enhances your chances of success.