Architect interview questions and answers

Architect Interview Questions

The architect’s job is a bridge between creativity and practicality. You’ll want to hire someone who has vision and can think out-of-the-box. But, you’ll also want them to be down to earth and practical. Look at their portfolio. Is their work focused more on functionality and utilitarian structures? Or do they envisage unique and innovative features? The best candidates will show they combine both.

Architects aren’t always focused on one type of structure, material or technique. That’s why they must be able to learn continuously. If a candidate can’t tell you how they’d research a new idea or method, or have trouble talking about their learning abilities, that should be a concern. Keep an eye out for candidates who follow rapidly developing fields such as energy or technology (holding postgraduate degrees in these fields is a bonus).

Usually, architects collaborate with many people and oversee construction projects. They need to be excellent communicators with leadership and persuasion abilities. They should be outstanding project managers and adapt quickly. Customer service skills can be useful so they can balance their client’s wishes with what is feasible.

Operational and Situational questions

• Imagine a client shows you a picture from a magazine and asks you to design their home exactly like that. How would you respond?
• If an engineer’s study was delayed, how would you handle it?
• If you were assigned the study or design of a structure you don’t have experience with, how would you go about completing it?

Role-specific questions

• Which is the project in your portfolio you’re most proud of?
• What architecture or other magazines do you read?
• Do you have experience in working with different material like metal, wood etc.?
• What are some criteria you’d use for choosing materials?
• What’s your experience with AutoCAD and 3D modeling?
• What’s a recent development in energy you find interesting?
• Is creativity more important than practicality?

Behavioral questions

• Tell me about a time you had difficulty coordinating different parties on a construction project. How did you manage?
• Recall a time you found it difficult to gather all information needed for a study. How did you do it in the end?
• Tell me about a time you had to persuade a stakeholder about something
• Give me an example of a creative idea you had that resulted in an improvement
• Tell me about a time priorities changed during a project. How did you handle it?