Interview

Potential Interview Questions:

 * 1) What kinds of classes should I take to be an interior designer?
 * 2) Is it important to intern before getting a job?
 * 3) Besides design, what else is involved? (Math, writing, etc)
 * 4) What other kinds of people do you work with? (archetects?)
 * 5) What was your favorite class?
 * 6) What was the most helpful thing that you learned about interior design?
 * 7) What do I need to have a knack for?
 * 8) What do you like about your job?
 * 9) What is hard about your job?
 * 10) What didn't you know about your job before you got into this job?
 * 11) How stressful is your job?
 * 12) Are their frequent deadlines?
 * 13) Do you have to take classes to stay educated?
 * 14) What were some brick walls that you encountered? How did you overcome them?

Interview with Carrie Bradley (Designer, NCIDQ certified)
__ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">What kinds of classes should I take to be an interior designer? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">(CAD) Computer Added Design classes would be the most important if your school offers them. If they do not, art classes are very important as well. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">What was your favorite class? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">My favorite class in college was a model building class. We had to take a built building and build a model to scale that looked just like the real building. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Is it important to intern before getting a job? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Absolutely! It is a great opportunity to explorer which direction of interior design you would like to pursue after completing school or better yet, while still in school. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Are there any other majors I should consider that would help? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> __<span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">(business etc.) __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Business classes would be highly recommended. It would certainly be advantageous to you if you ever decided to start your own company or down the road end up in an upper management position. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">What was the most helpful thing that you learned about interior design? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Interior design is NOT decorating. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">There is extensive knowledge you must know about building codes, architecture, electrical engineering, lighting etc. There is way more to the field than selecting paints. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">What do I need to have a knack/“natural talent” for? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Color! An eye for color schemes and palettes are great natural talent to have. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Besides design, what else is involved? (Math, writing, etc) __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Math is critical, as is vast computer knowledge. Most interior design is performed on CAD programs so the sooner you are exposed to these programs the better off you’ll be. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">A free program you can download from the internet that almost all architects and designers use is: Sketchup. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">[|www.sketchup.google.com] <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">  <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">What other kinds of people do you work with? (architects?) __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">We work with architects daily, lighting designers, contractors, engineers, and most importantly the client. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">What do you like about your job? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">The problem solving aspect of design is what I enjoy the most. Being given a space and then solving the puzzle of what needs to go where for a space to properly function is the most enjoyable. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">What is hard about your job? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Working within a tight budget can be challenging. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">What didn't you know about your job before you started? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">That interior design is NOTHING like what you see on HGTV. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">There is so much more to the job than selecting finishes. <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">How stressful is your job? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">My job can be very stressful at times. Projects are ALWAYS deadline driven so there can be many late nights and weekends spent working towards those deadlines. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Do you have to take classes to stay educated? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">I continually take classes to educate myself on new technologies, new products, strategies, etc. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">How hard is it to get a job? __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Like any job it can be challenging to get your foot in the door. I think the BEST way to go about getting a job is to start out in an intern position and move up from there. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">    __ <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">What were some brick walls that you encountered? How did you overcome them? __<span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">Upon graduating from college with perfect grades and letters of recommendation, I thought that I would easily get any job I wanted. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">After several months of searching and interviews I realized that I needed to step back and evaluate how I wanted to get my foot in the door at the firm I really wanted to work at. I then decided to take an unpaid internship position and work my way up from there. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">

<span style="color: rgb(255, 34, 9);">Interview with Melanie Stevenson (LEED, AP) <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 74);">
__<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What kinds of classes should I take to be an interior designer? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I would suggest taking public speaking classes, and art classes (drawing). The new thing in the building field is sustainable design (green) I would suggest taking a lot of classes on this as well as reading books like Cradle to Cradle. Many colleges are making it standard to teach sustainable design. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What was your favorite class? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My favorite class was drawing because it taught me a lot about sketching which is a great skill to have for meetings with clients. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Is it important to intern before getting a job? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Yes! Not only do you learn a lot but you get your foot in the door to that firm. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Are there any other majors I should consider that would help? (business etc.) __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A minor in marketing or art always helps. I did not get a minor in anything because at Kent State University the Interior Design classes were a lot and I carried an 18 credit work load each semester. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What was the most helpful thing that you learned about interior design? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> I think the most important thing I learned was that interior design is not interior decorating. Interior Designers do a lot more than picking colors like space planning, AutoCAD, and rendering. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What do I need to have a knack/“natural talent” for? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I think having a knack for color and sketching helps. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Besides design, what else is involved? (Math, writing, etc) __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Other things that are involved are writing, math, and presentation skills. All three of these are used more than you would think. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What other kinds of people do you work with? (architects?) __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We work architects, lighting engineers, contactors, manufacturer reps, and of course clients. It takes all of these people to make a successful project. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What do you like about your job? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I like that I am able to interact with others and most of all - the client. I have been working a lot on space plans for county building and I really have enjoyed the challenge. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What is hard about your job? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The hard part of my job is that I am at a computer 90% of the time working on drawings or presentations. <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What didn't you know about your job before you started? <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It is nothing like HGTV, everything we do is more technical and detailed. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How stressful is your job? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My stress depends on the weeks if I have a deadline due of course my stress is higher. The amount of stress also depends on the firm you work for also. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Are their frequent deadlines? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Deadlines always depend on the project and typically you know about your deadlines in advances. I typically have 1 a week or sometimes 2. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Do you have to take classes to stay educated? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Once you are a certified interior designer or LEED AP you do have to take Continuing Education classes, but if you are either of these you do not have to take any classes. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How hard is it to get a job? __ <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When I graduated from school it was not hard to find a job but with the way the economy is right now it is hard for anyone to find a job. __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What were some brick walls that you encountered? How did you overcome them? __<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> When I graduated I decided to move from Ohio to Colorado which was a challenge when it came to finding a job. I was having a hard time finding a job because most firms were not looking to hire someone from out of state. I worked very hard on getting my resume out and following up with each firm to set up an interview. In the end I ended up at the same firm I interned at in Denver. <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 70%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; display: block;">

<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">