As a business owner, growing your team is exciting. Added help allows you to take on more clients, expand your reach, and reduce your workload.
Having carefully built your brand, you want to find employees and contractors who are the right fit in more than just skill sets.
Let’s look at resources to find you that top-notch talent and go over some positions that typically make up an interior design team.
Goldmines for Great Candidates
Recruiters
A boutique recruiting service like We Recruit Well can be a huge help, considering how time-consuming the hiring process can be. Beth Moffatt and Paige Risley, the creators of the agency, prioritize finding people who can match your team culture while also having the skills you need. One of the best parts about their services? No monthly subscription fees.
Behind the Design, founded by Jessica Harling, is another ideal option because it specializes in recruiting for the interior design industry. She and her staff can also help create training and operations systems to take your team and business to the next level.
Design Schools
Lyn of L Reaves Interiors
Photo Credit: CatMax Photography
You can do your own recruiting by staying in touch with local colleges and universities that offer interior design programs, such as:
See when they have job fairs, networking or speaking opportunities, or need firms to offer internships. This is a great way to snag up-and-coming talent before anyone else does.
Professional Organizations
Along with resources for continuing education, making professional connections, and entering contests, professional organizations often have job boards where you can post positions you’re hiring for.
You may meet a great candidate through the events they host as well. Some organizations with Georgia chapters that you might want to join:
Online Job Platforms
In addition to tried-and-true options like LinkedIn and Indeed, there are online platforms specifically for creatives or the design industry that can help you find talent.
Behance: Often used as a portfolio platform for graphic and interior designers, Behance also has the option to hire full-time or freelance talent through its platform.
Industry magazines: Some industry magazines and online publishers also have job boards. For example, InteriorDesign.net has a job board section and allows businesses to post positions they’re hiring for.
Contractor-focused platforms: If the work you’re hiring for is less design-focused and more administrative, consider contractor sites like the ones listed below. These are great places for finding virtual assistants, bookkeepers, writers, and others. Some, like Toptal, are even geared for higher-level work like project management and are highly selective with the talent they offer.
Social Media
Social media groups can be a fantastic way to boost your local network. It’s possible to find well-run and well-organized professional groups on Facebook where you can post job details and get connected to local talent you might not run across any other way.
Good Old-Fashioned Networking
The perfect candidate could also be one ask away. Never count your network out. Reach out to fellow professionals in the design industry and see if they know anyone who’s a fit for your needs.
Who’s Part of An Interior Design Team?
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Wyeth Ray Interiors
Photo Credit: CatMax Photography
Principal Designer
The lead designer has the most design experience and is often the founder of the company. They drive the creative direction of interior design projects and are responsible for their execution. As a leader of the design team, they often oversee and guide the team and play a major role in managing client relationships.
If they’re the founder of the company, they also lead the firm as a whole and are the final decision-makers for all business-related tasks.
Senior Interior Designer
If you’re a solopreneur interior designer, this may be the role you’re looking to fill first when growing your team. A senior designer won’t have as much experience as a principal/lead designer but has enough that you would fully or almost fully hand off a client project to them.
Assistant/Junior Interior Designer
An assistant or junior designer is also a popular hire since they can help lighten your load and be a great investment for your business as you can train them to become a prized senior interior designer for your firm. An assistant or junior designer might help with:
Concept creation
3D renderings
Mood board development
Space planning
Document drawing
Presentation building
Procurement Specialist
Managing the sourcing and ordering of all the items needed to take a project from vision to reality is no easy task. Hence, procurement specialist is another common role among interior design teams. Having someone who can make sure the materials, furniture, and accessories are acquired and delivered on time and within budget can give you more time to focus on the creative and client-relationship sides of your business.
Marketing Manager
Having someone solely dedicated to marketing can transform your business by allowing you to maximize available marketing and media opportunities. It does your business no good to have professional project photos that are never shared or submitted to a publication because you don’t have the time.
Office Manager
Provide an even better customer experience for your clients by having an office manager who can take calls, help you stay organized on the front and back ends, and make sure communication between your team, vendors, and clients stays smooth.
Accountant
At some point, it’s worth saving yourself the trouble of no longer having to manage your bookkeeping and accounting. Let someone else crunch the numbers and keep things in order for you so you can focus on what you do best while still being in the know about the financial health of your business.
When you’ve hired your new team members, be sure to book a corporate portrait session with CatMax Photography to update your website and introduce your new additions on social media.