OZ Architecture Interview Questions
& Process

I interviewed here back in late 2014. The people there were very nice and down to earth and exuded a good vibe, not pretentious, just doing what they believe in. During the sit down I was going through my portfolio and was discussing my senior thesis project. I was turned off when at least one of the interviewers kept asking questions about aesthetic decisions, trying to steer the conversation away from the substance of a thesis project. This was a big red flag for me and led me to believe they were a firm that values how cool the building looks rather than of substance of good design. A firm that cares more about winning awards and website photos than quality buildings and spaces. Thesis projects aren't just about aesthetic choices they are about identifying a problem and coming up with an innovative solution. I'm hesitant to judge a firm by one experience or one or two people, but ultimately, the firm decided to hire this person and showcase her as a representative of the firm in an interview. Since this interview, I've asked others about their experience and opinion of OZ and have found that many share my feeling.

I applied and got a call from a secretary to schedule an interview. After that, I went straight to an interview with the hiring manager. It looks like the marketing coordinator role is pretty specific, focused on making proposals for clients rather than finding new leads.

The interviewer was 10 minutes late, and only one of the two scheduled interviewers showed up. They reviewed a sample of my past work and concluded I wouldn't be able to handle the workload. The recruiter was extremely persistent, contacting me multiple times daily via calls, emails, and LinkedIn messages.

I had an interview with two people from the firm. They asked me about 4 questions, mostly about me, my portfolio work, and why I want to join them. It was a friendly and informative interview for me as an applicant. I also got to ask them questions about the firm.