The importance of soft skills

Junior interior designers create their own brand identity and visual manifestos to attract potential employers. I’ve recently had the privilege to be invited to universities to contribute to their recruitment modules for 3rd year interior design students, graduating this year. One area that I was asked to focus on was the importance of ‘soft skills’ and how they are imperative to have as an interior designer: good communication skills, team work, interpersonal skills, adaptability, critical thinking, problem solving.

At the interview stage of the recruitment process, companies always request to see the junior interior designers’ soft skills ‘shine’. Predominantly, because they know they can build on the technical skills they have showcased in their portfolio and want the junior designer to be able to contribute to design meetings, voice opinions, and liaise and build relationships with suppliers and contractors.

However, soft skills are rarely trained or developed throughout university courses, meaning the interior designer is most likely relying on experience and exposure they may or may not have had at A Level and/or GCSE. With this in mind, it’s no wonder many graduates are terrified to deliver presentations, contribute in lectures, embrace team workshops, and flourish at interviews.

One catastrophic curveball that hindered development in soft skills (and the perfect breeding ground to hide away) was lockdown and online learning. Students did not have to be visible in a classroom – they were able to turn their screen and sound off. This has had a knock on effect even for students who do attend class now, as they don’t have the confidence to contribute to discussions and learning.

What was interesting to hear is that mature students are certainly more collaborative, willing to contribute in lectures and eager to challenge themselves and one another, as they have had experience in a workplace environment, albeit not necessarily a design studio.

So what is the solution and how can we empower interior design students to embrace and develop these soft skills that are so highly desirable? Myself and a lecturer at Falmouth University are going to trial an alternative method for the interior design students to present their CV and portfolio for their recruitment module to showcase their soft skills and promote themselves.

The students have to create a short 90 second video for social media streams, which showcases their work but also invites us to gain knowledge about them as an individual, their values, their and aesthetic aspirations. I cannot wait to see how they turn out!

What if the future of hiring is submitting a promotional video of yourself and portfolio, in whatever creative format you choose, to showcase your creativity and personality?

It was refreshing for the lecturer to remind me that maybe it’s time for the students to lead the way they want to showcase themselves rather than conforming to LinkedIn and submitting CV and portfolio to job applications.. If the designers create their own brand identity and visual manifesto maybe the tables will turn and it will be employers seeking to entice them to their business?

I’ll be sharing my favourite videos on my social feeds once they are completed – so watch this space for scouting future employees.