How To Find Job Opportunities Overseas – For Interior Designers

So, you have completed many different projects all across your region and now you feel you are ready to expand your horizons by taking on an international interior design project? Great! However, if you are a small business with just one office, it can seem like quite a monumental task. AD PRO speaks with all of the interior designers who have secured global projects in order to find the best way to land the commission.

Reaching out to former clients of yours

Networking is everything in interior design. The nest way to find jobs is to be open and make sure you are connecting the dots. You need to see the link between friends and clients plus the friends of friends of friends. You just don’t know when a current or former client might have a project for you. They may know someone who wants to hire you. If you are looking for international work in hospitality design, then you need to be open with your connections and good things might just work out.

Enter competitions

If you don’t know where to start looking for international work within your own little network, then you may want to consider entering some design competitions. The chances of winning won’t be high, however, the value is in developing different experiences in a new field, especially when we are talking international ones. The research that you put into each submission can be added to your creative portfolio. Even for the architects winning a contest, this isn’t completely out of the question.

Be an expert in a specific area

Sharon Davis is an architect that specialises in community projects that are there to seek social justice, environmental sustainability and local economic growth. Once she has established her mission people started to reach out to her. This was how she landed her first international design project. She has since gone to build a hospital in Nepal and two major building housing projects.

Partner with the organisations dedicated to connecting clients abroad

There are many organisations that are governmental and private that are dedicated to helping businesses grow overseas. This is where you can tap into their resources to find yourself some potential clients.

Network while travelling

Travel not only inspires your design style and scope, but you can also visit different design shows and furniture stores. You will be meeting new people and creating relationships that could just lead to new jobs overseas. You can consider attending conferences, networking events and talks – while you are on the road. But don’t do this while on your family trip! Make it a trip that is dedicated to your business and networking only. This way you won’t be distracted when doing what tourists do you will solely be focused on networking.
Visit different places and offer your advice on what could be done better and how you would make improvements. Get yourself out there and make a name for yourself. People overseas are not going to know who you are unless you show them! You can showcase what you do and what you are prepared to do for them. Even if you have to do a few pro-bono projects in the process, it will get you feedback you need and it will definitely get you noticed.