A beautiful portfolio can land you an interview, but the interview is the final boss to getting the job. I’ve interviewed dozens of designers over the years across NYC’s largest publishers. In this post, I break down the questions I typically ask as a hiring creative director, what I’m looking to hear, and where most designers get stuck.
You can either watch the video or read below.
Before you even walk in
Whether you’re walking into the office or hopping on a video call, your mindset going into the interview affects everything that follows.
Be mindful of the energy you’re bringing and how you’re approaching the conversation.
Remember, it’s a conversation. You’re there to talk about your work, but it’s not just about reciting your case studies.
There’s a fine line of being prepared vs. being overprepared. When I meet a designer who basically delivers a monologue, I couldn’t be less interested. In the portfolio video, I mentioned that you’re preparing talking points, not a script. Your goal is to connect, engage, and ask questions to get a feel for the team and the culture.
Confidence shows in dialogue. The best interviews I’ve had, on both sides, felt more like a conversation. I’ve had candidates ask me questions mid-portfolio or follow up with thoughts on our design approach. That shows confidence.
I can always tell when someone is confident in their thinking because they’re not afraid to ask questions or push back, respectfully.
Show how you’d fit on the team. Sometimes designers focus so much on the work, they forget that teams are hiring humans. Are you someone who listens? Who’s curious about the work they do? That’s what helps them picture working with you long-term.
Do your research. This is probably not the first time you’ve heard to research the company you’re interviewing for. When it comes to a graphic design interview, look at the kind of work they do and understand what their design language says about them.
You should be able to speak to why you’re interested in the role, how your work fits, and maybe even share an observation about one of their recent projects. This is how you stand out.
Speak their language. This is such an underrated tip, but speak the language of the person you’re talking to. If it’s a Creative Director, you don’t need to explain what a mood board is. Focus on how your design choices supported the concept. If it’s someone in marketing, they might care more about outcomes or messaging. You’re not changing your work, you’re just talking about it from the perspective they’re viewing it from.
How I Interview Designers
Hiring any designer is risky. Some designers have beautiful portfolios and then I find out they were heavily art directed. Some oversell their skills. Others have great work, but they don’t work well on a team.
With that said, the interview is there to filter out those candidates. So in this section, I want to walk you through what I tend to ask, and more importantly, what I’m listening for.
Tell me about yourself.
Common question. It’s usually asked at the beginning, and it sets the tone for the interview. I’m not looking for your entire life story. I want to know how you see yourself as a designer.
Talk a little bit about your background, how you got to where you are now, and where you’re hoping to go next. Are you a generalist? What kinds of design do you enjoy? How did you get into design?
Depending on your answer, I might follow up with, What lights you up creatively? If you’re not sure how to answer, that also tells me something.
Why are you interested in this position/company?
This question tells me whether or not you’ve done your homework.
Don’t patronize me. When you say something like, “i love your brand.” I expect you to follow up with why. I’ve worked predominantly in magazine publishing. I had a girl say, “I really love magazines.” And I casually followed with, “Which magazines do you enjoy?” and she froze. So I tried to help her out… “It doesn’t matter the answer. Which magazines do you read? Which do you like the design of?” Still no answer… God bless her heart!
The way I would want someone to approach this is to look up some of the design work we’ve done be honest about what they do or don’t know.
Let’s say they were interviewing with me at the Foundry, which is branded content, and not many people know what that is. I would appreciate someone who says, “I don’t know much about branded content, but you listed the role designs custom digital destinations. I saw the Walmart site you launched, and those are the kinds of projects I want to work on.”
My response would be how a project comes together and how the role fits into that process. I also have to be honest about what the job is and isn’t, to set your expectations.
Describe your design process.
This is a question that a lot of designers struggle with. I know this, which is why I ask. I will admit, your answer will expose weaknesses, and that helps me filter out the imposters.
I don’t want you to recite the design process, but give me your version. Maybe talk about the phases of the process you enjoy.
Some phrases you probably want to use are:
“In my process, I find inspiration through…”
“I translated my moodboards by…”
“I created…”
The number of designers who go through an entire interview and never once utter the words, “I created,” is beyond! I pay attention to this because I’m not looking for a designer who can only put something together if they receive assets. I need a designer who can create their vision.
What kind of design work do you feel strongest in, and where do you want to grow?
This is just a softened version of “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” I feel like people hear strengths and weaknesses and then go into panic mode because no one is actually confident in the answer they prepared.
I don’t think you need to blow me away with this answer. Maybe you feel strongest in layout and typography, but want to get more comfortable working in motion. Maybe you want to become a faster designer, or you want more confidence in how you present your ideas. All great things to mention.
What inspires you? And how do you bring that into your design work?
I think this is the hardest question I’ve asked. A lot of people get stuck here. They’ll say something like, “I’m inspired by travel” or “I love vintage typography,” but then they don’t connect it to anything tangible. If you say you’re inspired by photography, great. But what kind? How does it inform your use of color, composition, or lighting in your work?
For me, this question makes or breaks the interview. Depending on what you say, I’ll be looking for it when you walk me through your portfolio. If it’s not represented in your work, I question if you were just saying what sounds good, not what’s real. And I’m not accusing you. I’m only holding you accountable for what you said to me.
I do ask other questions, but they’re mostly reactionary to what you’re saying. Given the list of questions we just went over, you can see that when I interview someone, it is quite strategic. On that note, let’s talk about how you can be strategic by interviewing them back.
Interview Them Back
Now it’s your turn to decide what you would want to hear from an employer. It’s not just about if they want to hire you. It’s also about, do you want to work there, and do you even want to work for that person? One thing to note, and this is just my opinion, I think it’s a red flag if they don’t give you time to ask questions.
So, you can approach this in two ways. The first is going into the interview with some questions in mind.
Some options could be:
“What does a typical day look like for the team?”
“What kind of work should I expect to work in this position?”
“How many teams are involved for feedback on each project?”
If you care about being supported in growth, you can ask:
“What opportunities are there for professional development within the company?”
Pro-tip, don’t just ask, ‘Is there room for growth?’ Ask in a way that forces them to give you a real answer. Like I said, interview them back!
Speaking of interviewing them back, the other approach is to reciprocate some of the same questions they asked you.
Some of those questions could be:
“Growth is really important to me. How do you manage individual goals for each designer?”
“What is your process? Can you walk me through some of the obstacles you may run into with projects so I can get a sense of what I’d be stepping into?”
Questions like these are quite bold. Not every candidate is going to ask. Also, you may put them off for even asking. I just think you need information to decide if the role is right for you.
You don’t want a role that doesn’t align with your goals. You’ll have resentment. You’ll probably end up quitting, or worse, you end up in a situation where your skills don’t grow, and it becomes harder to find the next job.
Don’t be afriad to ask question. Just be respectful, professional, and let the conversation unfold naturally.
Alright, that’s it for Part 1. In Part 2, I’m sharing my personal interview stories. Don’t miss out on new videos and subscribe to my YouTube channel!