Establishing a Symbiotic Relationship Between the Design Business Owner and a Design Assistant.
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Each year, we compile insights and tips from interior design industry experts to help make the year ahead more seamless and profitable. We gather these contributions into our annual playbook, and in this blog, we’re sharing tips from Dr. Gloria, Dakota Design Company’s in-house certified interior designer, tenured design professor, and professional writer.
Written by Dr. Gloria of Dakota Design Company
After 15 years of teaching undergraduate interior design students at three Midwest universities, I cannot even guess how many times I have been asked about finding that first design position or internship. Transitioning from college student to paid design professional is a big and scary step. Students fear that too much will be asked of them, that they will not have the knowledge they are expected to have, and that they will let down the design business owner who takes them on. They hope and pray they will find a nurturing mentor who understands and expands on their current skill level. However, they often struggle with reaching out, writing and sending resumes, or, worse still, picking up the phone to make a job inquiry.
At the same time, Katie and I are often asked by the professional and established interior designers we work with how they can find, hire, and train a design assistant who can help them get out from under the myriad day-to-day tasks, some quite mundane, that consume all their time. There is clearly an associated need between design business owners needing assistance, and new designers needing experience. The key is making the connection so the overwhelmed designer can find the appropriate support they need.
Connect With College Programs, and Consider Hiring an Intern.
If a design business owner operates near a college or university that offers an interior design program, I highly recommend establishing a connection with the design faculty there. This link lists all 4-year interior design programs, culminating in a Bachelor’s degree, that have been accredited by CIDA (Council for Interior Design Accreditation). There is also contact info by school to the program coordinator, whom you may want to connect with. There may also be a two-year interior design program in your area at a community college.
Most Bachelor’s programs require several weeks of internship experience, either between the Junior and Senior years or after graduation. This is an excellent way for a business owner in need of assistance to get some affordable help or to evaluate a potential new entry-level hire. If the intern doesn’t meet your needs, you can easily part ways after the internship period.
Internships typically transpire during the summer months, starting in May or June. Students start looking for internships the previous February or March. It can vary by locale, but in the Midwest, where I teach, the minimum starting internship rate is usually $20 per hour. Many student interns prefer a full-time position, where they can complete their required minimum hours as quickly as possible, but part-time hours are also a possibility.
YES, a student intern, or a newly graduated interior design major will be green, but they will have some highly desirable skills as well. And if you screen well, you can find a highly motivated and dedicated worker. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the faculty for referrals.
What to Look For When Hiring an Intern or New Design Assistant?
I suggest formulating interview questions to get at these attributes:
Strong work ethic - A work ethic means that a person feels that hard work is fundamentally valuable and owed to the employer in exchange for monetary compensation. An employee with a strong work ethic will not feel comfortable slacking; it will go against their moral principles. They will also likely possess other traits such as dependability, respectfulness, honesty, and productivity.
Ask a question such as “Can you tell me about a time when a school or work project required a huge amount of effort. How did you handle that?”
Willingness to learn - Not only do you want to find a new hire who is open to learning new skills, you want to find someone who is an agile learner, who picks up new skills and knowledge easily. An interviewer can ask an entry-level applicant about college GPA, or request a transcript. Although there are many fluctuations in grading, a higher GPA does indicate a successful learner.
Interview questions such as “Describe a time when you had to learn something outside of your comfort zone” can help evaluate learning aptitude.
Congeniality and good communication - When anyone thinks about the worst on-the-job experiences they have had, it is usually with someone who was basically very unpleasant to work with. You definitely want to avoid bringing someone on who is disagreeable. Your new hire will be someone you interact with regularly and who also communicates with your clients. An irksome or uncommunicative employee will always be a drain on your business.
All communication before, during, and after the interview will help you assess personality. Ensure you allow sufficient time to get to know the candidate adequately during the interview.
Strong design skills. - Yes, I deliberately left this skill until the last. I don’t think design skills should be the most important factor in hiring decisions. Certainly, review the candidate’s portfolio. That is very standard in this industry. But design skills will continue to develop over time, even over years and decades, so they don’t always need to be really strong on day one.
When reviewing an applicant’s portfolio, ask about their design process to gain insight into their current design aptitude. How did they arrive at this solution? Where did they get their inspiration? What challenges needed to be solved along the way?
Note not only the design quality, but also the presentation of projects within the portfolio. Are the pages well composed? Is there good consistency and formatting? This will give you good insight into the candidate’s attention to detail.
What Responsibilities Are Best Suited to an Intern or New Hire Design Assistant?
If you have decided to hire someone to assist with design duties, as opposed to a bookkeeper or marketing person, these are the responsibilities I would suggest you delegate:
CAD Drawings and Renderings - If you have hired an intern or recent college graduate in design, they will likely have learned AutoCAD and Revit. They may also have learned Photoshop, SketchUP, and/or 2020. If your company utilizes these software, take advantage of those skills. They may be converting a sketch or rough layout you have done to a digital format, or they may be revising digital drawings per your red lines.
Purchasing and Product Tracking - These responsibilities may include completing purchase orders, communicating with vendors and showrooms, ordering and managing samples, and coordinating receiving and delivery.
College-level interior design programs do not teach product management software, such as Design Files, Houzz Pro, or Studio Manager, so you will need to provide training to a new hire who has not worked at another firm before.
Creating Content for Social Media - Creating content for your Facebook, Instagram, or other accounts is a very logical assignment to give your new hire Design Assistant or Intern. They’re in your studio, attending client meetings, prepping for presentations, and seeing what’s happening behind the scenes. Take advantage of all those great opportunities for fresh content and keep your marketing calendar full.
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