Since its founding in 1965, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson's practice centralizes on designing refined architecture that “resonates within its place”, whether it's designing a private residence nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, a school building, or one of the many Apple retail stores in the world's metropoles. With offices on both coasts of the U.S., Bohlin Cywinski Jackson continues to grow “strategically with an eye for the long-term,” explains Kent Suhrbier, an associate principal at BCJ's Pittsburgh office. When BCJ is looking to hire, how can job applicants catch the firm's attention? Kent Suhrbier took a moment with Archinect to share.

What positions are constantly in demand at your firm?

We are fortunate to have a very strong group of young design staff and new graduates with our team here in Pittsburgh, so our current demand is for project architects with 5 to 10 years of experience.

What information should potential candidates know about your firm's practice and work?

Some understanding of the practice’s organization is certainly productive, but more importantly, we are interested if a candidate has engaged with the guiding principles in our work, and can articulate those principles in their own words.

After deciding to meet with a candidate, what are you looking to learn about them from the interview?

First, we want to see how they present their aspirations and their work, how they articulate their design ideas, if they have a comprehensive understanding of what is strong in their work, and what areas they still hope to develop. Equally important is gleaning some indication of how they have collaborated with previous project teams.

What do you say is the best thing about working for your firm? What is the most challenging thing?

We work on diverse projects of all scales and typologies, and collaborate with amazing clients with high aspirations. By their nature, these projects also bring great challenges and design opportunities. We all have to be up for the task.

An applicant’s rigor to recognize good work and curate it well is important to us.

What are some “red flags” that make you reject an application instantly?

Work that is poorly crafted and not thoughtful in its presentation is a big one for me personally. An applicant’s rigor to recognize good work and curate it well is important to us.

What makes a strong CV/portfolio?

I personally look for a variety of work that also has a consistently high level of quality. This may be illustrated by different representational techniques or through a mastery of a range of formal skills. We also specifically look for some inclusion of process and hand sketches that offer a glimpse into how each individual engages with a design problem.

How important is an applicant's educational background?

Within our practice we maintain a broad variety of educational backgrounds, as we find this helps balance and develop our collective skills. Equally important is how each candidate actively engaged with their educational experience through TA positions, peer mentorship, and awards.

What kind of training do new hires undergo when they’re first starting?

Specific training varies depending on the level of the new hire, but in addition to the “standard” operational and management training, we provide new employees with a specific peer mentor and senior advisor to serve as active, accessible resources for project and office development.

Do you have an internship program? If so, briefly describe.

Yes, the number of interns in each office varies from year to year, but we are consistently looking for strong summer interns from a variety of backgrounds. Many recent graduates that we bring on full time have proven themselves previously over a summer in one of our offices.

When interviewing, how do you describe your company ethos to the candidate?

We are a design-led practice deeply committed to the craft of making memorable places for people. With this principle, we work rigorously on a variety of project types across a broad range of project scales, each appropriate to its unique circumstance.

What additional social activities do you do as an office?

In addition to our biweekly design happy hour where everyone presents, debates, and discusses ongoing work over drinks and food, we host Talk 20 events in our studio that bring community artists, scientists, chefs, makers, and thinkers together with each other and our team.

If a candidate had the choice between you and another firm, what argument would you use to win them over?

Our multiple office structure provides the distinct opportunity of access to work on [a] national scale with the variety and texture of experience that comes from working in a modestly sized studio.

Considering that Bohlin Cywinski Jackson has multiple offices throughout the U.S., does each location have their own work culture? Do they constantly collaborate on the same projects?

Yes, and yes. Each office does have some variation in culture, although the overarching ethos is very constant, which allows us to easily collaborate. Currently in our Pittsburgh office, 60% of the ongoing work is in collaboration with our other locations.

How do you see your firm growing in the next five years?

We grow strategically with an eye on the long term, focusing on growth in service to the quality of the work. That said, we are looking for some strong candidates to join our team.

Interested in joining Bohlin Cywinski Jackson? Check out their Archinect profile to see if they have any current listings. To see more active listings from hundreds of firms, browse Archinect's Job Board.