Entry-level interior designer resume example

By the Rezumed team · Updated November 9, 2026

An interior designer turns a room into a plan other people can build: measured, drawn, specified and installed. An entry-level interior designer resume should prove you can measure a space accurately, produce drawings a contractor can use, choose materials with a client, and follow a project through to installation.

What this resume has to prove

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says "Interior designers make indoor spaces functional, safe, and beautiful". Their listed duties include "Sketch preliminary design plans, including electrical and partition layouts", "Specify materials and furnishings, such as lighting, furniture, wall finishes, flooring, and plumbing fixtures" and "Place orders for materials and oversee the installation of the design elements". BLS adds that "most interior designers use computer-aided design (CAD) software for most of their drawings," and that they often use building information modeling (BIM) software to create three-dimensional visualizations.

BLS says interior designers typically need a bachelor's degree, and that "Studies should include courses in interior design, drawing, and computer-aided design (CAD)." On licensing: "Licensure requirements vary by state." In states that restrict the title, only candidates who pass a state-approved exam may call themselves registered interior designers, and eligibility needs a bachelor's degree in interior design plus work experience. Among the important qualities, BLS says designers "need to be precise in measuring interior spaces and creating drawings" so others, such as engineers, can use them. So this resume leads with drawings, measurements and real projects, not mood boards alone.

Sample resume

Education comes first because the degree and studio courses are what an employer checks for a new grad. The internship gets the most bullets, each naming a drawing type, a count or a stage of a real project. The showroom job stays because it is daily practice in materials, finishes and talking clients through choices.

What to put in each section

Experience: measure, draw, specify, install

Follow a project the way the BLS duties do. Did you measure the space? Which drawings did you produce, in which software? What did you specify or source? Were you there for the order, the delivery or the install? Say who reviewed your drawings, because at this level a senior designer almost always does, and saying so reads as honest, not weak.

Projects: one full drawing set

Your strongest studio project should read like real work: what the space was, what you produced, and which constraints you met, such as clearances, lighting or a tight footprint. A drawing set with a sheet count tells a hiring designer more than "designed a library interior". Mark it "case study in portfolio" so they know where to look.

Portfolio and licensing

Put the portfolio link in the contact line and show construction documents as well as renderings, so a firm sees both kinds of work. BLS says licensure requirements vary by state and that registration needs work experience after the degree, so a new grad usually has no license line yet. Check your state's rules and each posting before you add one.

Skills to list

BLS names CAD and BIM software, so write the exact programs you use, such as "AutoCAD" and "Revit", rather than "design software". The University of Maryland career center also suggests mirroring the job description's keywords.

Tools

• AutoCAD for plans and details
• Revit or another BIM program
• SketchUp, with Enscape or V-Ray for renderings
• Adobe InDesign and Photoshop for presentation boards
• Excel for finish schedules and order tracking

Abilities

• Measuring existing spaces accurately
• Construction documents a contractor can build from
• Specifying finishes, lighting and furniture
• Presenting options and taking client feedback
• Keeping a project on schedule when a material is unavailable

Common mistakes

• Renderings and no drawings. A portfolio of pretty rooms leaves out the work entry-level designers do most: plans, elevations and schedules. Show at least one full set, and avoid filling it with renderings alone.
• A decorated resume. Textured backgrounds and two columns can scramble in application software. Keep the resume to one clean column and let the portfolio show your taste.
• Calling yourself registered or licensed. In states that restrict the title, only people who pass the state-approved exam may use it. Write "Interior Design graduate" until you qualify.
• Leaving out the unglamorous jobs. Showroom, furniture retail or contractor office work shows you know materials, orders and clients. Give it a bullet or two.

FAQ

How is this different from a graphic designer resume?

Both lead to a portfolio, but a graphic designer resume is about layouts, type and brands on a page or screen. An interior designer resume is about physical rooms: measurements, construction drawings, finishes and installs. For print and brand work, see the entry-level graphic designer example.

Should I list interior design or interior decorating?

Use the words the posting uses, for work you really did. If your projects include partition layouts and construction documents, say interior design. If you mostly styled rooms and chose furnishings, describe that plainly.

My degree is in another field. Can I still apply?

BLS says interior designers typically need a bachelor's degree, and that applicants to design programs may need to submit sketches and other examples of their artistic ability. Lead with any interior design or CAD courses, then projects. See How to write a new grad resume for the general layout.

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More resume examples

• Entry-level graphic designer resume exampleA clean resume that sends readers to the portfolio: brand, print and social work from an internship and a campus job.
• Civil engineer new grad resume exampleA consulting internship, a survey crew job and a drainage capstone, with bullets that name the plan sheet, the estimate and the permit.
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Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Interior Designers
• University of Maryland Career Center: Resume how-to guide