architecture interview tips from allen jack + cottier.

At Randstad Architecture, our recruitment specialists work hard to prepare you for your next career step.

Interviewing is a significant part of the job-seeking process. It helps you as a candidate get to know your potential future employer whilst allowing them to ask you some vital questions before giving you the job.

To help guide you through your following interview, we spoke to Jayde Hunt, People + Culture Manager at Allen Jack + Cottier, on how to prepare and what they look for in the people they hire.

Ensuring we have the right people in the right roles and on suitable projects is critical to AJ+C’s success. When recruiting, we’re just as interested in getting the right cultural fit for our team as your skills and capability.

One of the most common questions is, “what type of project will I be working on?”

Whilst this is important, other factors I believe have greater importance should be covered before you get to this.

here are my interview tips for getting the most out of the experience.

1. understand who we are

Researching and thoroughly understanding AJ+C’s work and our values is essential. We’re an award-winning practice working across various disciplines and market sectors, so we want to know precisely what has attracted you to us.

2. have self-awareness

Know your strengths, but also be able to identify one or two areas that you are actively trying to improve. Try to be specific about the type of work you want and what you’re looking for in your next role.

This helps you and ensures we’re matching your skills with suitable projects, teams and support to ensure you succeed.

3. show your commitment to learning and teaching others

We love nothing more than someone proactive with their professional development, so describe examples of when you’ve effectively worked with others to achieve a great design outcome.

We also value teamwork and collaboration, so talk to us about how you’ve shared your knowledge to develop the skills of others. AJ+C is always looking to leverage our diverse and inclusive workforce to ensure you’re getting the most out of work.

4. demonstrate your capability through your work

We want you to prove you are more than capable of the role. We’re keen to hear what’s been your most outstanding achievement? What was your role in the team? What was the most challenging project you’ve worked on, and why?

Crucially, we love someone who learns from their mistakes, so take us through how would you do things differently next time?

5. we want to get to know YOU

It’s not all about work. We want to understand your values and aspirations and what you get up to outside the office. Once we get a better picture of who you are, we can help you fit into our team quickly.

We emphasise culture at Allen Jack + Cottier, and all our people bring something to the mix to help build the great environment we work in.