Beyond Design Skills: The Soft Skills That Make or Break an Interior Design Team
Beyond Design Skills: The Soft Skills That Make or Break an Interior Design Team
Hello, design lovers! We are all aware that an eye for colour and an understanding of spatial planning bring interior designers together. But in today's fast-paced, client-centric landscape, it takes so much more than simple technical know-how to build a stellar design team. So, let's get down to business and explore those soft skills that make a great design team …great! Shall we?
The Secret Sauce of Successful Design Teams
Communication: More Than Just Talking the Talk
In the world of interior design, the king or queen is communication. It's way more than just describing your vision for a space, it's all about:
- Pursuing client needs by listening actively and then converting them into design concepts
- Clearly stating ideas to coworkers and project stakeholders
- Conducting negotiations with suppliers while keeping cool
- Providing constructive feedback-not crushing ones
Pro Tip: In interviews, always have candidates explain a complex design concept as if they were explaining it to someone who doesn't know design. Simplifying without losing the core is pure gold!
Resilience: Bouncing Back Like a Well-Upholstered Sofa
Hey, not every design will be celebrated with balloons and champagne. Resilience in this context is about:
- Embracing last-minute client changes with grace, remaining unflappable
- Taking criticism on board with elegance and making it constructive for your improvement
- Staying positive when there is pressure to get things done on tight deadlines and even tighter budgets.
Recruitment Insight: Consider candidates who tell a story of overcoming design challenges. The approach to problem-solving says much!
Entrepreneurial Thinking: The Business-Savvy Designer
Today, designers should think beyond aesthetics and involve entrepreneurial thinking:-
- Understanding of the business side of the design projects
- Opportunities for upselling or cross-selling services
- Effectively managing resources to maximise profitability.
Assessment Tip: Take this one step further during the recruitment process by presenting a hypothetical project and asking how they would maximise the value for both the client and the studio.
Empathy: Walking in the Client's Slippers
Designing spaces isn't just about what looks good; it's about creating environments that feel right. Empathy helps designers to:
- Understand and anticipate client needs
- Create inclusive designs to meet diverse user needs
- Develop sound and ongoing client relationships
Interview Strategy: Have them describe a situation where they had to design for a client with very different tastes than their own. The reasoning they give will explain their level of empathy.
Teamwork: Designing Like a Well-Oiled Machine
No designer is an island. The capability of working in a group is crucial in:
- Bringing all design aspects together seamlessly
- Racing against the clock effectively through proper division of tasks
- Making sure that the studio environment is such as breeds creativity
Team Building Tip: Try group interviews or collaborative design challenges that show teamwork skills in action.
Building Your Dream Team: Recruitment Strategies
Thus far, we have considered the soft skills that count. But how do you make certain you're building a team that is more harmonious than a perfectly matched colour palette? How?
- Look Beyond the Portfolio: Of course, an awesome portfolio is crucial, but sometimes beyond your candidate's problem-solving skills and interpersonal skills, it is time to look.
- Scenario-Based Interviews: Provide them with real-world design challenges and see how they work themselves out. The process of their thinking will be as important as the solution itself.
- Cultural Fit Assessment: Make sure this person has the same values and working conventions as your studio. A great designer may wreck your team's harmony, which affects the whole production process.
- Soft Skill Training: Keep in mind that some of these soft skills can be taught. Therefore, consider financing training programs that will help promising candidates tidy their skills a bit.
- Diverse Perspectives: Build a team with varied backgrounds and experiences. All of these different perspectives will equate to more creative design solutions.
The Portico Recruitment Advantage
At Portico Recruitment, we understand that seeking out designers with a combination of just the right blend of technical and soft skills is trickier than finding that one-of-a-kind vintage piece for a discerning client. That's where we come in!
Our team of recruitment experts specialises in finding candidates who have design chops, but more importantly, the soft skills that will make your studio thrive. We combine innovative assessment techniques with our deep understanding of the interior design industry to match you up with candidates that complement your team.
So, while one designs beautiful spaces, remember that in the world of interior design, beautiful working relationships are considered equally important. Let's collaborate in building a multi-dimensional design team as any perfectly proportioned room would be!
Take your design team to the next level with our soft-skilled superstars. Ready to ‘take the leap’? Give us a shout today at Portico Recruitment, and we'll help you design the perfect team!