33 interior designer interview questions that you can ask to assess your next candidates

Whether it’s sleek, modern, or traditional, your next new hire’s interior designs must appeal to your clients. How can you ensure your candidates have the required skills to meet these goals?

It all starts with sourcing and skills testing. You should find out whether your interior designer applicants know how to use the required tools like SketchUp Pro. Our SketchUp Pro test can help you assess candidates’ skills quickly and efficiently. Just go to our library to learn more about it.

After this step, interviewing applicants is essential, as is making sure you have the right interior designer interview questions to ask them.

So, to assess interior designers keen on joining your team, ask them some of the 33 interior designer interview questions listed below. With these questions, you can’t go wrong.

10 general interior designer interview questions

The 10 general interior designer interview questions listed here are ideal for beginning the interview and learning about your applicants’ experience. Ask your candidates these questions to learn about their careers and general knowledge.

1. Which are the most important factors when designing a room?

2. Which skills do interior designers need to be successful?

3. Which soft skills should interior designers have?

4. How critical are communication skills for interior designers?

5. How vital are project management skills for interior designers?

6. Describe your experience as an interior designer.

7. How do you keep up-to-date with the latest trends in interior design?

8. Let’s talk about your portfolio. What is the best part of your portfolio and why?

9. What made you choose an interior designer career path?

10. Why is task prioritization important in interior design?

5 general interior designer interview questions and answers

We’ve picked five general interior designer interview questions from the previous section and featured sample answers below. Use them to gauge your designers’ responses and review their design experience.

1. Which skills do interior designers need to be successful?

Attention to visual detail is one of the critical skills interior designers need when working on projects. It’s also important that interior designers have the right budgeting and numerical skills to match budgets and plans to the project’s scope. 

If you’d like to assess those skills, you can use our Attention to Visual Detail test or an Intermediate Math test to see whether your applicants have these required skills to work on complex projects.

2. Which soft skills should interior designers have?

Two of the soft skills that interior designers should have are strong communication skills for sharing their project vision with clients, as well as solid time management skills. 

Can your applicants show that they have these required skills and can handle projects efficiently? Can they give examples of past projects where they’ve used those or other soft skills?

3. How critical are communication skills for interior designers?

Communication skills are essential for interior designers, not only for sharing ideas with clients but for communicating with suppliers and the interior design team. Are applicants aware of the importance of communication in interior design and can they explain how it enables teams to complete projects successfully and in time?

Ensure your applicants have the right communication skills before you decide on the best person to join your team. For this, you can combine skills testing with other methods, such as getting applicants to discuss their portfolios or observing their communication style during the hiring process.

4. How vital are project management skills for interior designers?

Do your applicants know that project management skills are critical for interior designers? Whether the project is long-term or short-term, interior designers must be able to manage their work efficiently. 

Your candidates should know that managing all aspects of each project is fundamental. You can test their project management abilities with a Project Management test. 

5. What made you choose an interior designer career path?

Many factors may have influenced your applicant to become an interior designer. 

They may enjoy liaising with clients to meet their design plans and aesthetics. They may have boundless creativity that they put to use in their work. Your applicants may explain that their eye for detail is second to none. Look for signs that your applicants’ passion helps them complete projects efficiently.

13 interior designer interview questions related to technical definitions and processes

Ask interviewees some of the 13 interior designer interview questions in this section to learn about their technical interior design skills and knowledge.

1. Define interior design.

2. Define interior decoration.

3. Outline the main difference between interior decoration and interior design.

4. Explain what QuickBook Accounting is for interior designers.

5. List five software tools interior designers use for complex projects.

6. Have you used any apps for interior designing? Name two examples.

7. Define “practice act” in interior design.

8. Explain what AutoCAD is.

9. Explain what SketchUp Pro is.

10. Explain what CFA means in interior design.

11. Explain what memos are and how they differ from CFAs in interior design.

12. Explain what fabric reserves are.

13. Explain what a fabric swatch is.

5 interior designer interview questions and answers related to technical definitions and processes

Review your candidate’s responses to the five most critical designer interview questions related to definitions using the sample answers below and gauge whether their technical knowledge aligns with your requirements.

1. Explain what AutoCAD is.

Do your applicants know that AutoCAD is a design and drafting software made by Autodesk? Can they explain that this software helps designers complete drawing and modeling tasks in two- and three-dimensions? 

Some of the other tasks interior designers can complete with AutoCAD include three-dimensional mapping, uploading scanned images, and comparing drawings.

2. Explain what SketchUp Pro is.

Applicants should know that SketchUp Pro is a software tool included in the SketchUp suite of drawing and design apps. Interior designers can use it to render three-dimensional design ideas, communicate them with clients, and even prepare cost estimates. 

Do your applicants know SketchUp Pro is ideal for planning projects at any stage and customizing designs? If you need to evaluate your applicants’ SketchUp Pro knowledge, check out our SketchUp Pro skills test.

3. Explain what CFA means in interior design.

Skilled interior designers should know that CFA means “cutting for approval.” It refers to a bit of fabric that interior designers reserve for a client’s order. The manufacturer sends CFAs to designers, the designer approves the fabric, and the manufacturer then ships the fabric.

4. Explain what memos are and how they differ from CFAs in interior design.

Applicants may explain that memos are similar to CFAs. However, they should understand that memos have a slightly lower quality than CFAs as manufacturers cut them from fabric bolts. For memos, designers must specify the amount of fabric they need.

5. Have you used any apps for interior designing? Name two examples.

Expert interior designers will have used a few different apps to assist them with their interior design work. They may mention the following examples when responding to this question:

• Graphisoft BIMx

• DreamHome

• Architect’s Formulator

• Photosynth

• Home Sizer

10 situational interior designer interview questions

Ask your applicants these situational interior designer interview questions to learn how they would handle complex interior design tasks and projects for your organization.

1. Which method would you use to design a small space?

2. When designing a small space, would you use mounted or free-standing bookshelves?

3. How would you use lights efficiently when designing a room?

4. Which method would you use to design a balcony or garden veranda?

5. List four questions you would ask your client before starting a project.

6. Name three tools you would use as an interior designer.

7. Name three countertop materials you could use to design kitchens.

8. Name three lighting examples. Explain when you would use them.

9. Would you ever prioritize aesthetics over function when designing a room?

10. Outline the steps you would take to complete a renovation project.

5 situational interior designer interview questions and answers

Evaluate your candidates’ responses to the five most vital interior designer interview questions listed below by comparing them to the sample answers.

1. How would you use lights efficiently when designing a room?

Are your applicants aware of the 80/20 percent rule when integrating lights into a room design? Can they explain that 80% of the lights are best placed overhead and 20% of the lighting should come from wall-mounted lamps or standing lamps to illuminate paintings or wall art?

2. When designing a small space, would you use mounted or free-standing bookshelves?

There’s a difference between integrating mounted bookshelves and free-standing ones into a design, especially when designing a small space. 

Do your applicants know that wall-mounted bookshelves are the best option for smaller spaces? Can they explain that this type of bookshelf occupies much less space and is the recommended option instead of trying to accommodate larger bookshelves?

3. List four questions you would ask your client before starting a project.

Designers should ask their clients a few essential questions before starting to work on a project. 

Can your interviewees outline four key questions they would ask to clarify the project and the client’s requirements? Examples include the following:

• What is your budget, and can you exceed the budget if our team has to make changes?

• What is your preferred design style? For example, do you prefer traditional, contemporary, or minimalist design? 

• Have you ever completed design work with a designer before?

• What is your timeframe for this project?

4. Name three tools you would use as an interior designer.

Interviewees with plenty of experience will know various tools to help interior designers complete their work. Some of the tools they may mention when responding to this interior designer interview question include:

• Paint chips

• Color wheels

• Fabric samples

• Measuring tape

Can your candidate explain what these tools do and why they are important? Can they explain how they would use them in a complex project?

5. Name three lighting examples. Explain when you would use them.

Seasoned interior designers will know of many different types of lighting and understand the advantages and disadvantages of each when used in different rooms or spaces. Can your applicants name three examples? Some examples of lighting they may mention include:

• Ambient lights

• Accent lighting

• Aesthetic lights

• Task lights

When hiring an applicant, should you use a SketchUp Pro test before or after interviews?

The best time to use the SketchUp Pro skill test is before interviewing applicants – and even before reviewing their portfolios. Otherwise said, we advise you to use the test at the start of the hiring process. Here’s why.

You won’t need to screen resumes if you use the SketchUp Pro test after sourcing candidates. 

Need to review several skills? This is more than possible when you use the SketchUp Pro skills test as part of an assessment. Simply select four other skills tests, such as Attention to Detail or Communication, to assess several skills at once.

This way, you’ll be able to evaluate your applicants’ knowledge and skills accurately and save time without sacrificing the quality of evaluation. On the contrary, skills tests are more objective and fairer than resume screening.

Which skills does the SketchUp Pro test help you assess?

Our SketchUp Pro skills test will help recruiters assess several skills, including the following:

• Geometry modeling skills

• Knowledge of the SketchUp Pro software

• Using professional tools 

The test is an intermediate-level test ideal for reviewing mid-level interior designers, 3D visualizers, and architects. 

Effortlessly hire the best candidates with our interior designer interview questions

There’s no question that an exceptional interior designer will produce outstanding designs and satisfy your clients’ expectations, so it’s worthwhile searching for an expert. In this article, you’ve got a comprehensive list of interior designer interview questions you can use, so now’s the time to start the hiring process.

Test your applicants with our SketchUp skills test and interview them using our interior designer interview questions.

Using these two methods will eliminate the stress and bias from hiring, and significantly shorten the recruitment process. 

Hire a pro with the help of TestGorilla and help your team deliver excellent designs and delight clients.  Register for free today.