152 – Industry: Interns! Interns! Interns!

Industry: Interns! Interns! Interns! Benjamin Moore Paints continue to be the best on the market. It's the only paint Nick May uses and believe us, he has used and tested them ALL. Benjamin Moore is the BEST there is for the dollar investment. As a designer, make sure your painting contractor uses the right product, not something cheaper because it might not hold up. Unfortunately, if something does go wrong with the paint in a client's home, it's usually YOU on the line, not the painter. So make sure the contractor is using the EXACT product you are specifying so that they don't go with something inferior. Also, if you don't have a Benjamin Moore architect and design color kit, reach out to Nick on the Question? tab and he will make sure one is shipped to you at NO cost! Today on The Lounge, Phyllis Harbinger joins Nick from her outdoor office on her very own chaise lounge. Design Manager has started a social media campaign to support designers making purchases and Phyllis has hopped on board! When customers buy online, they are not getting the same type of service designers provide to their clients. Additionally, if you buy from a big box store at a cheaper price, it's not just cheaper because they buy in bulk but also because they use different parts that aren't the same quality. Phyllis has since blasted her social media channels to support the campaign and gave a shout out to her trusted vendors. The relationship that designers have with their vendors is taking care of the designer and their clients as well as championing their design process and endeavors. That doesn't happen to a client who goes online and buys something. Phyllis is advocating for designers to step up and educate their clients! Interior design is not a commodity, but a value-added service. Go take a look at Design Manager's campaign on social media with the hashtag #designmyths. Phyllis is also hosting a webinar with Design Manager on September 7th so go sign up here and join in! Interns! Interns! Interns! Phyllis started using interns back in 2004 when she was in the early stages of her career and could not fill a full-time position. She had two interns who worked two days a week as 3rd-year students. They went to job sites and did everything, mirrored her AND helped her. Hiring interns is an amazing experience for a small business to grow their team. Furthermore, if the internship goes well, it's a great idea to keep he/she on the team so they can start them full-time when they graduate. Even if they're not the right fit for your company, the experience helps them to get other jobs outside of it and enriches your practice too. Phyllis' interns usually stay with her for 3 years and after the first year, they come on board full-time. In terms of compensation, the first year starts out with paid expenses and the second year transitions to a paid internship. If your school has an internship course like FIT, you can get school- credit for it as well. Not all schools have internship programs but Phyllis believes that every student should seek out an internship no matter what. They give you perspective and incredible work experience. So if you are a student and don't already have one, seek out the opportunity because so much value is added to your entire educational experience. Work for experience, not for free. What should students look for in an internship? Look at firms whose company culture and vibe you like. Look at the kind of work they do, the size of their office, and their values. Think about what YOUR unique brilliances are. As an intern, you will likely be asked to do more than what you are best at, but it's important to highlight what you ARE best at in your resume. Think about all of the experience and education you will get out of the opportunity: designing, sketching, attending meetings, fabric shopping, working on installations, seeing through deliveries,