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Intermediate Designer - Architecture
Posted Feb 13, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Pick one project from your portfolio and walk me through how the idea developed, including the options you threw away.
What they are checking: Whether they can explain design thinking clearly and show the reasoning behind their choices.
What was your specific role on that project, and what parts were someone else's work?
What they are checking: Honesty about authorship, which tells the firm what level of work they can actually hand over.
Tell me about a time a structural or MEP requirement forced a design change. How did you respond?
What they are checking: Whether they treat engineering input as part of the design rather than an obstacle to it.
Describe how you check your own drawings before they go to a senior person for review.
What they are checking: Whether they own quality themselves or rely on reviewers to catch their mistakes.
What's something you've taught yourself in the last year to get better at your work?
What they are checking: Whether they actually pursue new skills on their own, which the posting names as a core value.
What would you do
A senior designer gives you feedback that you think is wrong. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they can contribute ideas in a meritocracy of ideas while still respecting the design lead's call.
You have a client presentation in two days and the drawings aren't coordinated. How do you prioritize?
What they are checking: Whether they can triage under deadline and know what a client must see versus what can wait.
About the work
Which tools do you use to go from concept to documentation, like Revit, Rhino or Grasshopper, and where are you strongest?
What they are checking: Whether their software skills match the production work an intermediate designer is expected to carry.
How do you set up a Revit model so it holds up when the team grows and the drawing set gets large?
What they are checking: Whether they think about model structure and team workflow, not only their own sheets.
How do you think about sustainability at the scale of a single design decision, like a facade or a floor plate?
What they are checking: Whether sustainability shows up in their actual design moves rather than as a slogan.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Skidmore Owings & Merrill.