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Interior Designer Mock Interview

Question 15 of 30 for our Interior Designer Mock Interview

Interior Designer was updated by on January 15th, 2020. Learn more here.

Question 15 of 30

Tell me about a design project that did not turn out as expected. What were the contributing factors, and how did you ensure a positive result?

The interviewer wants you to tell a story of a time when you recognized that a project was off track, and you were able to recover the situation.

For 'Tell me about...' interview questions, try delivering a response by using the STAR interview technique. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. The STAR approach will help you to form an engaging story that is easy for the interviewer to follow.

Discuss some detail of the project and situation. Include what you believe contributed to the unexpected project result. Mention the action steps that you took, and then the overall positive impact. Discuss how you made efforts to align communication and expectations. Be sure also to highlight what you learned from the situation.

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How to Answer: Tell me about a design project that did not turn out as expected. What were the contributing factors, and how did you ensure a positive result?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Interior Designer job interview.

  • 15. Tell me about a design project that did not turn out as expected. What were the contributing factors, and how did you ensure a positive result?

      How to Answer

      The interviewer wants you to tell a story of a time when you recognized that a project was off track, and you were able to recover the situation.

      For 'Tell me about...' interview questions, try delivering a response by using the STAR interview technique. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. The STAR approach will help you to form an engaging story that is easy for the interviewer to follow.

      Discuss some detail of the project and situation. Include what you believe contributed to the unexpected project result. Mention the action steps that you took, and then the overall positive impact. Discuss how you made efforts to align communication and expectations. Be sure also to highlight what you learned from the situation.

      Written by Rachelle Enns on July 5th, 2020

      Answer Example

      "(Situation & Task) Last year, I worked on a design project for a clothing shop in a heritage building downtown. The owner had some pretty wild ideas that I felt my design team could execute. These ideas included massive iron displays suspended from the ceiling and a rotating display case built into the floor. Partway into the project, issues around the store's structure arose, and we were not able to bring this clients' vision entirely to life while maintaining safety and keeping the structural integrity of the building. The client did not understand the recommendations made by our architect, and communication broke down quickly. (Action) I know that there is an emotional element to design, especially when working with entrepreneurs who live and breathe their businesses. I called a meeting between myself, the client, and our senior architect. We rendered some new drawings and presented three alternate options for the client. (Result) Ultimately, the client chose one of the alternate options but somewhat begrudgingly. I knew that the client was more disappointed than angry because everything that we presented made complete sense, and the issues were not the fault of anyone - they were simply due to the buildings' limitations. During this project, I learned a lot about conflict resolution, problem-solving, and the importance of outlining explicit expectations and potential roadblock from the beginning."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on July 5th, 2020