The Hiring Conversation Nobody Is Having (But Should Be)

Hiring | Job Hunt | Job Application | DCI Studio

I have been watching something unfold in our industry over the past year or so, and I feel like it is time to talk about it directly. The job market in the design and architecture space right now is complicated, a little chaotic, and honestly, a little heartbreaking on both sides of the table. Employers are frustrated. Applicants are discouraged. And somewhere in the middle, really good talent and really good opportunities are missing each other entirely.

I want to speak to everyone today, because I have sat on multiple sides of this conversation throughout my career and I have a lot of thoughts.

If you are a firm owner or studio director looking to hire, let me be honest with you about something. Posting a job description that reads like a legal document and then ghosting candidates after interviews is doing real damage to your reputation in this industry. This is a small world. People do talk, and the way you treat someone who is not the right fit matters just as much as the way you treat someone who is. A gracious, clear, and timely response, even a decline, tells the applicant a great deal about your culture and your leadership.

Be clear about what you actually need. So many job postings are vague to the point of being useless. If you want someone who can manage client relationships, own procurement, and produce construction documents, say that. If you need someone who is comfortable working in a fast paced environment with a principal who changes direction frequently, say that too. The right candidate will appreciate the honesty and the wrong one will self-select out, which saves everyone time and protects the energy of your entire team.

When you are evaluating portfolios, look for design-thinking, not just beauty. Anyone can assemble a gorgeous PDF. What you want to understand is how someone solves a problem, how they communicate with a client, how they handle a curveball. The interview is where you discover that, so ask real questions. Stop asking where someone sees themselves in five years and start asking how they handled a project that went sideways.

I also want to address something that more and more firms are doing right now, and I think it deserves real recognition. The shift toward bringing graduates on as working interns rather than immediately offering full-time positions is not a step backward. When it is structured thoughtfully, it is actually one of the smartest moves a growing studio can make. It gives the firm a chance to observe how someone works in real time, how they absorb feedback, how they show up when a project gets complicated. And it gives the graduate something equally valuable, the chance to experience the culture, the pace, and the leadership style of a firm before committing fully. A four to six month paid working relationship with clear expectations on both sides can tell you more than a dozen interviews ever could. The key word there is paid. This is not an opportunity to get free labor. It is a genuine audition for both parties, and it should be treated with that level of respect and intention.

Now, if you are a recent graduate stepping into this search for the first time, I want you to take a breath and then read this carefully, because what I am about to share matters more than you might realize right now.

Your portfolio is the single most important thing you will bring into this process. It is your voice before you ever walk in the door. And for a junior position, it does not need to be vast, it needs to be thoughtful. Show a small number of projects with enough depth that someone can follow your thinking from the very beginning of a problem to the resolution. Include your sketches and early concept work, not just the finished renderings. Principals want to see how your mind works, not just what the final image looks like. Show that you understand programming, space planning, color theory, and that you can make smart material selections and explain why.  Also show that you have even a basic grasp of how a project moves from concept into construction. If you completed a studio project that involved a real client or community brief, lead with that. Real world context, even in an academic setting, signals readiness.

Keep the layout of your portfolio clean and easy to navigate. I have seen beautiful work buried inside a PDF that was so over-designed it was difficult to read. The portfolio itself is a design problem. Solve it well.

Here is something that does not get said enough in design school, and I wish it did. Your technical skills will get you an interview. Your communication skills will get you the job and keep it. I work with a lot of recent graduates through my coaching practice, and this is one of the most consistent gaps I see. Students are taught to design, but they are not always taught to articulate their thinking out loud, to a client, to a contractor, to a principal who needs a quick answer in the middle of a site visit. If verbal communication feels uncomfortable or uncertain for you, start practicing now. Join a local speaking group. Take an improv class. Record yourself explaining a project out loud and listen back to it. These might feel like strange suggestions for a designer, but I promise you they work. The ability to speak clearly and confidently about your work is not a soft skill. In this industry it is a survival skill.

Written communication matters just as much. When you apply to a firm, send a cover letter that actually speaks to them specifically. Reference a project of theirs that resonates with you. Say something real about why their work interests you and what you would bring to it. A generic application tells a principal that you did not care enough to spend twenty minutes learning who they are. The firms worth working for notice the ones who took the time, and they remember it.

Before you go into any interview, do your homework. Know the firm's aesthetic and client base. Look at their recent work and come prepared with something genuine to say about it. Ask thoughtful questions about the culture, the mentorship available, and how designers are supported as they grow. You are not just auditioning for them. You are also deciding whether this is a place where you can develop into the designer you want to become.

And if you land a working internship rather than a full-time offer, treat it like the opportunity it is. Show up early. Ask good questions. Take notes. Be the person in the room who is genuinely learning rather than waiting to be noticed. Initiative is visible, and so is the absence of it. The designers who turn internships into careers are not always the ones with the most talent on day one. They are the ones who brought their whole selves to the experience and made the firm want to keep them.  Trust me, I personally know this from experience on both sides of the firm.  

This industry has so much to offer the people who come into it with open eyes and a real work ethic. When hiring is done with care and honesty, and when job seekers show up prepared and self-aware, the right connections do happen. I have seen it many times and I have lived it myself. The conversation just needs to start with a little more intention on both sides of the table.

If you want to talk through any of this, whether you are building a team, finding your first position, or figuring out your next move, my door is always open. Reach out and let's connect!