On Friday, February 18th I was honored to be the keynote speaker for the Interior Design Career day, hosted by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and International Interior Design Association (IIDA). Filling the room was 150 interior design students and professionals across Wisconsin. I enjoyed meeting and talking with some of the top designers in our area.

Photo courtesy of Bill Beaudreau – President, ASID WI Chapter

I left the students with a four-day challenge that asked them to create a virtual resume telling me why I should hire them to design my future dream home. I was honored to get multiple responses and comments through Twitter that I inspired them to start using social media to boost their career.

Most of all, it was great to see the following students who jumped to the opportunity to create a compelling presentation to launch their career. Motivated students, such as the ones listed below, are ahead of the game when trying new techniques to make themselves stand out in this competitive job market.

Annie Rummelhoff

• Twitter: @AnnieRumm
• Blog
• LinkedIn

Annie’s presentation was very impressive in the fact that she completed it within four days of when she first received the challenge, and demonstrated her capabilities and interior design portfolio in a creative way. Without knowing Annie personally, I quickly learned about who she is as a person and her professional talents. Great work, Annie!

Amanda Beuscher

• Twitter: @AmandaBeuscher
• Blog

Amanda took a unique approach and created a story to show her previous work experience and involvement with ASID. By showing what she learned while interning at Walt Disney World and volunteering for ASID, she proves she is dedicated to doing work above-and-beyond the normal requirements. Great work on designing this presentation and showing your interior design talents, Amanda!

Amanda Beuscher’s Virtual Resume

Savannah Sachtschale

• Twitter: @SavSachtschale
• Blog
• LinkedIn

Savannah displays her passion for the arts through her education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I was impressed with the award she received for the NARI Home Improvement show and her online photo portfolio on her Flickr account. Savannah, you have demonstrated your artistic talents and passion for the industry, while showcasing your active social media profiles. Keep on publishing great content!

Lynn Braun

• Twitter: @Lynn_Braun
• Blog
• LinkedIn

Lynn has shown her virtual resume for past school experience, as well as internships and organizations she has been involved with. She also includes a personal element to show what means the most to her in life. The design and layout of the presentation looks professional and includes interior design portfolio examples. Lynn, great job on publishing content consistently on your blog and Twitter account. Keep it up!

Maren Smaglick

• Twitter: @MissMaren116
• Resume

Maren put together a visual presentation that gives a glimpse into her past volunteer efforts as well as her college experience with organizations she is actively involved with. In addition, she added her resume to her SlideShare profile to make it easily accessible when sending to potential employers. Nice work, Maren and I would create an additional presentation when you have built up your interior design portfolio. Continue being motivated to launch your career!

Emily Switz

• Twitter: @EmilySwitz
• Blog
• LinkedIn

Emily showed motivation by creating this presentation and a Twitter account, blog and LinkedIn profile to demonstrate her professional experience. In her presentation she introduces herself through visuals and points out her study abroad program and involvement with ASID. Potential employers will be impressed with the organizations she has been involved with and can easily connect with her through her social media channels. I would love to also see some of your work, Emily! Great work.

Thank you to everyone that participated in the challenge and best wishes to everyone involved with ASID and IIDA as you launch your careers!