← Notes

03-30-2026

Hiring/mentoring junior designers

Before we closed up shop in early 2026, my cofounder Sean and I hired an intern for B’More Designful, our design studio. We ran three rounds: a behavioral interview, a case study presentation, and a live design challenge. We interviewed 25+ candidates in the first round and narrowed it down to about five for the final round.

If you’re a junior designer applying for roles, one piece of advice: let your personality shine in the right places. Likeability and personality fit mattered a lot to us (they even settled our tiebreaker), and the best places to show them are a charming, quirky portfolio and the conversation itself. In written answers, clear, professional, and thoughtful still wins. One applicant told us their favorite candy is "Nerds Gummy Clusters :3" (valid, but save it for the call). Another assured us that they are HIM over email. Show us in the case study!

Being intentional about hiring, onboarding, and mentorship led us to the best intern for our needs: someone hungry to grow, scrappy, and a delight to work with. Shoutout to Alli! We met up in NYC earlier this year, which was a great way to close things out.

What we looked for

  • A win-or-learn mentality
  • High autonomy and drive
  • Scrappiness and a love of startup velocity
  • Self-motivation and strong time management
  • Someone fun to work with, whom we’d be thrilled to welcome onto our team and mentor

If you’re applying

  • Show your personality in your portfolio and in conversation; keep written answers clear and thoughtful.
  • Let your visual craft and taste shine in your case study slides. You’re a designer, and we need to see your design sense.
  • Use everything the team tells you about each round: the agenda, which projects to present, and the judging criteria.

If you’re a small team that's hiring

  • If you’re going after a highly sought-after designer, reach out with a personalized note or video explaining what you like about their work. Some sales skills are especially relevant if you’re in the market for poaching.
  • Respond personally to thank-you emails.
  • Send personalized feedback to final round candidates whom you don’t move forward.
  • Send a physical welcome care package with a handwritten letter.