Hiring seasons in a studio
Three patterns repeat. Architecture students look for practical training placements months before their training semester starts, so studios that want good interns open applications early. Fresh graduates apply after their final results, usually in the middle of the year. Experienced architects and designers are hired when the firm wins a large project or someone leaves, which follows no calendar at all. Keep one requisition open for interns each season, and raise others as projects need them.
Portfolio first, then a design test
Ask every design applicant for a portfolio and screen it before any interview. Look for thinking, not just rendering: site analysis, options explored, working drawings, and built work with photographs. Shortlisted architects can take a short test, such as planning a small house on a given plot, detailing a staircase or kitchen, or marking up errors in a drawing set. Interior designers can get a brief for a 2BHK flat with a budget and be asked for a layout and material palette. Keep any test short enough to finish in a few hours.
Checking software and site skills
Software skills vary widely, and a list of programs on a CV means little. Test the ones the role actually uses: AutoCAD for working drawings, Revit where the studio works in BIM, SketchUp, 3ds Max or rendering tools for visualisers. For site coordinators, ask how they would handle a carpenter who deviated from the drawing, or a client who changed the tile after it was laid. The resume match score helps sort a large pool by skills and experience, but the portfolio and the test make the decision.
Interviews and offers
Principals are busy, so offer candidates two or three interview slots and let them choose. Record notes after each round, and move candidates from screening to interview to offer on the pipeline board. The offer should state working hours and core hours, site visit expectations, the probation period, and a clause that design work done for the firm belongs to the firm, with a portfolio policy saying what the employee may show later. Candidates accept or decline the offer online.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- In Recruitment Hub, open a standing requisition for interns each training season, and raise separate requisitions when projects need architects or designers.
- Publish openings on the careers page with a note asking for a portfolio link, and screen portfolios before any interview.
- Sort applicants with the resume match score, and log portfolio review and design test results as screening notes.
- Offer interview slots around the principal's calendar and let candidates pick, moving them through Interview and Offer on the pipeline board.
- Send offers covering hours, site duties, probation and the design ownership clause; accepted candidates move straight into onboarding.
- After each season, check the recruitment funnel to see where strong portfolios dropped out.
Read more about recruitment in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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What should an architecture firm look for in a portfolio?
Design thinking more than rendering: how the candidate read the site and brief, which options they explored, how they detailed the work, and whether any of it was built. Working drawings show whether the candidate can produce construction documents. Ask them to explain one project in depth at the interview.
Should architecture firms give a design test?
A short test helps if it is fair and quick: planning a small house on a plot, detailing a staircase or kitchen, or finding errors in a drawing set. Keep it to a few hours and relevant to the role, and never use test work on live projects.
When do architecture students look for internships?
Months before their practical training semester begins, because colleges fix the training period and students compete for places in well-known studios. Open intern applications early each season, and confirm the college's training requirements, dates and any forms the studio must sign.
What should an offer letter for a designer include?
The role and grade, salary, working hours and core hours, site visit expectations, probation, notice period, and a clause that design work produced for the firm belongs to the firm. A clear portfolio policy, stating what the designer may show later and with what credit, avoids disputes at exit.