Architecture and design executives often ask how to attract the best employees in an ever-changing workplace. According to the American Institute of Architects, architecture firms hiring top talent must focus on their reputation and overall portfolio, aligning their recruitment efforts with the goals and values that matter to their prospects.
In this short guide, we’ll go over how to attract the best employees for your firm.
Highlight and Align Your Brand with People’s Values
To attract top talented architects into your firm, you need to understand which generation you want to attract. It helps to understand the values of these professionals and then highlight and align your brand with them.
For many of these professionals, having more work-life balance is ideal. These people are usually between the ages of 34 to 48 years (Gen X). They want to excel in their professions and have time to care for their families and personal well-being.
These architecture professionals embrace technology and social media and can provide a lot of creative input. You’ll also find them quite resourceful and value self-sufficiency and diversity. They embrace challenges that come their way and are very responsible.
Millennials, on the other hand (ages 26 to 41), tend to prefer open and inclusive workplaces. They need opportunities to collaborate with others instead of trying to solve problems independently. As a result, they tend to pick firms that can provide flexibility in the work environment, valuing trust and good relationships.
After identifying the qualities of the professionals you want in your team, architecture firms hiring new talent need to highlight these features in your brand message and company culture. For example, include more employee testimonials to highlight the company values you want to project, giving potential employees more insight into your company’s typical day-to-day work life.
Safeguard Your Brand Reputation
After attracting people to your brand, potential employees will want to know more about your company before they apply for any open positions. They will review your site’s content so pay attention to your About Us page and portfolio to see if your projects align with their interests and goals. The overall design of your website and its content can also strike a good impression.
However, potential applicants will also consider third-party sources of information. They’ll look for videos about your brand and read reviews from social media, Glassdoor, Yelp, Google and other review aggregator sites. Around 69 percent of professionals turn down jobs that a company with a lousy reputation offers.
Businesses need to invest in brand reputation management to become more effective at attracting young talent. Your team needs to monitor brand mentions and respond to negative reviews promptly while implementing policy changes and growing the company culture.
At the same time, seek opportunities to spread the word about your company, which includes encouraging your employees to share candid photos, videos and stories about their experience working with the team. You can also highlight the accomplishments of your team members, your company’s social responsibilities and your team’s contribution to sustainable design.
Reach Out Through Effective Channels
All firms post job openings on their websites, which is standard practice. However, there are other channels for architecture firms hiring top talent. They include the following:
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn allows you to reach both active and passive candidates. The platform also allows you to view candidates’ endorsements, roles in previous jobs and portfolios. Many firms have had a lot of success finding professionals who can fill middle to senior-level positions through this portal.
- Archinect.com: This portal is one of the go-to platforms for architects actively looking for job opportunities. Here you can provide detailed information about your job offer and the perks of joining your team.
- Coroflot: This board specializes in linking architecture firms with specialists in 3D modeling and other relevant fields.
- Association of Licensed Architects: This site allows you to create relationships with professionals specializing in every type of architecture. The collaborative culture here firms to find talented professionals that match their needs.
- Glassdoor: This site allows prospects to gain an insider view of what it’s like to work for your organization. Encourage employees to post reviews about different aspects of your company, including compensation, benefits, company culture, office photos, and work conditions.
Grow Your Brand and Build Relationships
Your current team of designers and architects is already a strong network you can rely on to find new talent. Encourage and incentivize referrals as you create better career paths for everyone. Get to know your employees better by having company events, participating in professional activities and getting involved in civic projects. In addition, it creates opportunities for mentorship and collaboration.
The goal is to stay relevant in people’s lives – being people-focused. This can also mean selecting projects your team members are interested in, such as contemporary hotels, schools, hip bars, hospitals and restaurants with unique themes. Adding these projects to your portfolio shows the breadth of your interests displaying your team’s inclusiveness.
Your leadership team also plays a crucial role in attracting young talent and the best employees. They should model work-life balance and encourage everyone through practice. They can also develop a mentoring program where established technical mentors can help guide the career paths of aspiring emerging designers. The culture, values, and potential you cultivate within your organization can become the ideals to be aspired for by the best talent in the industry.
Work with Seasoned Recruitment Specialists
One of the best ways to boost your capability to spot and attract top talented design professionals is to work with seasoned recruitment specialists. They can help broadcast your brand message and appeal to people with similar professional goals.
Interior Talent is a leading talent recruitment firm specializing in outplacement for interior design, engineering and architecture organizations. We can help you find driven, ambitious and talented professionals that fit your company culture, values and goals. Contact us today to learn about how we can best help you.