How to Write a Solid Interior Design Resume With No Hassle

An interior design resume is a professional document that translates your creative vision into clear, measurable value for employers. It outlines your design experience, technical expertise, and project outcomes, helping hiring managers understand not just what you design, but how you work.

This matters even after an interview because decision-makers often return to resumes to compare candidates side by side. If yours doesn’t clearly connect the sense of aesthetics and functionality, as well as the results a good interior designer needs to boast, it can quietly undermine an otherwise strong impression.

This article walks you through how to build an interior designer resume that supports your portfolio and strengthens your application. You’ll learn what to include, how to showcase your abilities effectively, and what mistakes you should avoid.

What Is an Interior Design Resume?

An interior design resume is a job application document that showcases your design expertise, technical skills, creative projects, and relevant experience in the field.

What makes interior design resumes different from other industries is that you're not just listing job duties, but demonstrating both artistic vision and practical execution. Here, space planning, budget management, client relationships, material selection, and code compliance all matter as much as your aesthetic sense.

Also, your resume differs from your interior design portfolio in an important way. The portfolio shows detailed work samples, mood boards, renderings, and finished projects, while a resume summarizes your professional story, highlights key achievements, and proves you have the skills to back up those beautiful images. One's a summary, the other's the proof.

Interior Design Resume Examples

Entry-Level Interior Designer Resume Example

Residential Interior Designer Resume Example

Commercial Interior Design Resume Example

Interior Design Resume Format

The three main resume format options for an interior design resume are as follows:

1. The reverse-chronological format lists your most recent position first and works backward. It's the best choice for interior designers with consistent work history because it clearly demonstrates career progression and project evolution. Most hiring managers prefer this format, and ATS systems handle it best.
2. The functional format emphasizes skills over work history. It works for career changers or those with employment gaps, but many hiring managers view it skeptically because it obscures your actual experience timeline.
3. The combination (hybrid) format merges both approaches: skills sections up front with detailed chronological experience following. It's ideal for showcasing both capabilities and progressive experience, though it requires careful organization to avoid redundancy.

For most interior designers, the reverse-chronological one is the best option, as it's ATS-friendly, familiar to recruiters, and lets your career story unfold naturally.

If you're uncertain about choosing the right resume format, consider your specific situation: consistent work history usually means chronological, while career transitions might benefit from combination formats.

5 Essential Sections of an Interior Design Resume

Every interior design resume needs certain core sections, regardless of whether you're applying for residential, commercial, or specialized design roles. Let's break down what goes where and why it matters:

#1. Contact Information and Portfolio Link

Your resume header should include your full name, phone number, professional email address, city and state, as well as your LinkedIn profile.

Besides this, there’s another non-negotiable element for interior designers: your portfolio link. Place it prominently within your contact section, be it a personal website, Behance profile, or PDF portfolio. Without portfolio access, hiring managers can't evaluate your most important qualification: your design work.

Make your portfolio URL clickable if submitting digitally, and keep it short and professional. Something like yourname.com or yourname.portfoliobox.net works better than a lengthy, complicated URL that's hard to type.

Here’s an example of a properly written contact information section:

#2. Professional Summary or Objective

A resume summary or objective is a 2- or 3-sentence pitch that appears right below your contact information and sets the tone for everything that follows.

If you've got experience, write a resume summary highlighting your design philosophy, specialization, years of experience, and key achievements. However, if you’re new to the field, you should create a resume objective instead, focusing on your education, relevant skills, and career goals.

This part should include your years of experience and specialization, design philosophy or approach, notable achievements with specific metrics, and relevant certifications. If it’s an objective, it should focus on the abilities you possess and your career expectations.

The example of a resume objective looks like this:

Meanwhile, a resume summary can be written this way:

#3. Work Experience

The work experience section showcases your professional journey, but it's not just about listing where you've worked; it should prove what you've accomplished.

List positions in reverse-chronological order with company name, location, job title, and dates clearly indicated. Then use 4-6 bullet points per position, each starting with a strong action verb and including quantifiable results whenever possible.

Here's what strong interior design bullet points look like:

Quantify everything possible, including square footage, budget sizes, number of projects, timeline improvements, client satisfaction rates, and cost savings. Numbers grab attention and provide concrete evidence of your impact, so you definitely shouldn’t skip them.

#4. Education

How you present educational credentials depends on your career stage, but the basics remain consistent.

List degrees with school name, degree type (BFA, BA, MFA in Interior Design or Interior Architecture), and graduation year. Recent graduates can include GPA if it's above 3.5, relevant coursework that demonstrates specific skills and qualifications, and any academic honors or design awards.

Recent graduates should position education first, right after the summary, letting academic achievements and relevant coursework shine. Meanwhile, experienced professionals should place it after work experience, allowing projects and professional accomplishments to lead.

The section looks like this:

#5. Skills Section

Creating a comprehensive skills section requires strategic organization.

It’s best to divide your interior design skills for a resume into three clear categories that speak to different aspects of the job: technical/design software skills, core design competencies, and soft skills.

The technical skills (also known as hard skills) you can include in your document include:

• Industry-standard tools, such as AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, 3ds Max, and Rhino, for 3D modeling and technical drawings
• Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) for presentations and graphics
• Rendering software like V-Ray, Lumion, or Enscape for photorealistic visualizations
• Specification software, such as Studio Designer or Design Manager, for project management and documentation.

Meanwhile, core design skills demonstrate your creative and technical design knowledge, which means they encompass:

• Space planning and layout optimization
• Color theory and psychology
• Material and finish selection
• Lighting design (both natural and artificial)
• Furniture design and selection
• Sustainable and green design practices
• Accessibility and universal design principles
• Building code compliance and ADA requirements
• Historic preservation expertise

Finally, you can also add some soft skills to your resume, and these can be:

• Client consultation and needs assessment
• Creative problem-solving abilities
• Presentation and communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Collaboration
• Teamwork in multidisciplinary environments

Here’s an example:

#6. Certifications

Professional certifications carry significant weight in interior design.

For example, NCIDQ certification should be prominently displayed, as it's recognized across the United States and many international markets as the standard for professional competence. LEED AP credentials also matter increasingly as sustainable design becomes standard practice rather than a specialty.

Furthermore, certifications from ASID, IIDA, or specialized areas like kitchen and bath design (NKBA), lighting (LC), or universal design demonstrate ongoing professional development.

Don't forget continuing education; list relevant workshops, seminars, or courses that keep your skills current. This will show commitment to staying updated with industry trends, new materials, and evolving technologies.

6 Common Mistakes to Avoid on Interior Design Resumes

Recognizing the most common resume mistakes helps you avoid them in your own document, so let’s see what they are when it comes to interior design job applications:

Ace Interior Design Resume Writing With Our Tool

Making a creative resume for interior designers from scratch can feel overwhelming, especially when you're trying to balance content, formatting, ATS compatibility, and visual appeal. That's where ResumeBuilder.so’s professional templates and AI-powered tools make life easier.

Our interior design resume templates save time while ensuring you don't accidentally overlook important sections or create formatting that confuses ATS systems. They offer starting points that you can customize to reflect your personal style; just open our tool, enter the required details, and let us create a fully customized document for you!

Additionally, we also provide industry-specific resume examples you can review and get the gist of how you should write yours.

Final Thoughts

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics information from 2024, the interior design field remains steady with a 3% job outlook and 87,100 positions opened in total. The competition can be rather big, so you should showcase your competencies in the best possible way.

To create a solid interior design resume, you need to juggle multiple priorities. This means showcasing creativity while maintaining professionalism and proving technical skills while demonstrating soft capabilities. Though it can seem difficult, it's definitely achievable once you understand what hiring managers need to see.

Interior Design Resume FAQ

#1. How long should an interior design resume be?

An interior design resume should typically be one page for candidates with less than five years of experience. Meanwhile, two pages work for established designers with extensive project portfolios and significant achievements.

#2. Should I include a portfolio link in my interior design resume?

Yes, you should include a portfolio link in your interior design resume because hiring managers need to see your actual work. Place it prominently in your contact information section, ensure it's clickable in digital submissions, and consider adding a "Featured Projects" section that links to specific portfolio pages showcasing your strongest work.

#3. How do I make my interior design resume ATS-friendly?

You can make your interior design resume ATS-friendly by using standard section headings like "Work Experience" and "Education" rather than creative alternatives. Also, you should incorporate keywords from job descriptions naturally, avoid complex visuals, use standard fonts, and maintain clear formatting with proper heading hierarchy and consistent spacing.

#4. Do I need a different resume for residential vs. commercial interior design?

Yes, you need a different resume for residential vs. commercial interior design roles. Residential resumes should emphasize client relationships, personal style interpretation, and residential-scale projects. On the other hand, commercial ones need to highlight large-scale projects, code compliance, team collaboration, and corporate or institutional work.