Lionakis Interview Questions
& Process

Portfolio review and presentation with some follow-up questions about experience and work history. Some behavioral and personality type questions are included, but not many. The conversation was casual.

I interviewed with the firm via Skype for a role in their Newport Beach office, which turned out to be misleading as they lacked structural engineers there. The structural engineering principals were upset when I refused to email design work samples, stating I'd only provide them in person. It seemed they were using interviews for free consulting rather than hiring. I was ghosted after the interview and never heard back.

The interview process was pretty standard and straightforward. I interviewed with three project managers and a studio leader who were hiring for their civic department. They explained the projects and management style, but it felt very corporate and like a checklist. The interviewers had little power or room for negotiation. They told me this was standard for the industry, which felt condescending and old-fashioned. During the tour, they tried to appear powerful but seemed to have internal issues. They offered me a position, but the salary was much lower than competitors, and they didn't take well to being told they were out of touch.

The hiring process took a while. I sent in my resume and then a week later had a phone screening with an HR person. A week after that, I had another phone interview where three people from the company interviewed me for an hour. Another week later, I had a third phone interview, and again, three different people interviewed me for another hour.