Grimshaw-Architects Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process spanned about five weeks from the initial conversation to the final outcome. It started with a casual chat with the Communications and Business Development Lead. The second interview was in-person and involved a brief writing exercise where I had to create a press release, followed by another meeting with the senior leaders. The people I met were all really nice, and the HR team was helpful with any questions I had or when I followed up. I reached out a week after the interview, and they responded politely. Sadly, it took two weeks to get rejected, which was disappointing, especially since I knew my architectural experience, and specifically in architectural communications, was limited. What really got to me was the impersonal rejection feedback, sent through the job portal instead of directly from HR. It felt like a generic template: “After careful consideration, we have decided not to move forward with your application at this time, as we feel your experience does not fully align with the requirements of this role.” This felt strange, given that my experience, though not extensive, was clearly strong enough to get me to the final interview. After putting in so much time and effort, a short, personal, and tailored sentence would have made a significant difference. I really hope HR can personalize final rejections because that part made me feel quite dehumanized. Apart from that, the process was generally good, and I understand that large companies deal with a lot of applications. However, improving this final interaction would significantly boost the candidate experience.

The process was well organized and they followed up nicely. They reached out about my portfolio. Then I had an interview where we talked about my past projects, technical abilities, and what I'm interested in. They also asked about my software skills. The interviewer also wanted to know my thoughts on my future career path. Overall, it was a good experience.

I spoke with some really nice interviewers who were architects. They weren't intimidating at all, just normal people doing their jobs and seemed interested in me and my work. I discussed my portfolio projects, my architectural interests, more about myself and my education, and my previous experience.

I interviewed for their New York office. The first phase, a phone screening, was pretty straightforward. The HR person was really nice, polite, and explained everything clearly, giving me a rundown of the process and following up more than I expected. The second interview also felt easy, and the interviewers had a good vibe. They asked a lot of questions about technical and construction details related to my past projects, which was a bit surprising given the role was for 0-3 years of experience and the job ad didn't mention needing that kind of knowledge. They focused a lot on questions about the clients for the projects I'd worked on, sometimes more than the architecture, design, or my experience, leaving me with little time for my own questions at the end.