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Our architecture, design, and urban planning office receives hundreds of applications for the hiring positions we advertise, therefore competition can be quite tough. After going through multiple applications and conducting several job interviews, these are tips we’d like to share:

 

1. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

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Many companies will have descriptions on how to best send your application (through a contact form, via email, A4 portfolios only, etc), and please follow the guidelines. We post any specific requirements on the job description on our website — please refer to the Careers page (click 'View Available Positions') to read up on the requirements of your position before you ask us for clarification on anything, since it is likely that your questions will have been addressed in the Careers page on our website.

 

At Plaza and Partners, we require a submission of your Cover Letter, CV and Portfolio in PDF Format only — links to websites will not be viewed. Multiple people in our office review your application through an internal system that does not recognize anything other than PDFs. First is our Human Resources team, then it gets passed on to the design team that we feel is appropriate to your skills then our upper management reviews it. That said, it is best you submit your application in PDF format only.

 

2. COVER LETTERS

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We already will have received a copy of your CV, so please use the cover letter to tell us something that your CV doesn’t. Send a letter explaining why you stand out amongst the multiple applicants; tell us what you can bring to the table and what you’d like to get out of your time working with us.

 

Furthermore, we use this letter to assess your written communication skills. We like to hire applicants with an understanding of the need to be professional in written and spoken correspondence.

 

3. CV

 

Send in a CV that is succinct and preferably one page long. If you’ve been working for more than five years, a two page CV is sometimes acceptable if you really cannot summarize all the important points in one page. As mentioned, we go over hundreds of applications so we have limited time to review your CV. Thus, it is highly recommended that you focus and highlight only what is important and relevant to the role you are applying for.

 

4. PORTFOLIO

 

Since we are an architecture, interiors, and urban planning practice, you are applying for a design oriented role. Therefore, your portfolio is important to us and we often do not even go through an application if this is missing. We care about the work YOU have done, not the work of your former employer. Thus, if you’ve worked on groups, we like to see what YOU have contributed to the group.

 

5. INTERVIEWS

 

Show up to your interview on time and prepared. We cannot stress this enough, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO BRING A COPY OF YOUR PORTFOLIO & CV to your job interview. Coming to an interview ill-prepared sends us the message that you’re not really interested, or that you’re not as responsible as we would like. Coming prepared tells us you are eager and responsible.

 

Additionally, do research on typical interview questions and before heading to the interview, reflect on possible answers to make best use of the interview period.