Current Job Openings
Hiring Process
There’s a joke about an Architect’s hiring process that goes something like this:
Do you know the only question that Architects ask when interviewing potential candidates?
No, what is it?
“Do you have a pulse?”
It’s a joke but not too far from the truth. Architects have a reputation for being “quick to hire and slow to fire” which is a horrible way to treat people and to do business.
Here at Strongwork Architecture we take hiring very seriously. We want to make sure that the folks we hire are the right fit for our Mission, Vision, and Values….and also, of course, the job role.
Thus, we implement a rigorous hiring process to ensure that the position is a good fit for Strongwork, and for the potential future employee.
We approach this process from a Family First perspective. We hope that, even if it’s determined that a candidate is not a good fit for Strongwork, that we have made a friend and can help open other doors.
Our process looks like this:
1. Create Job Role – We hire based on the job role, not a job title. Your definition of what “Drafter” entails might be different than our definition. We want to find people who are a good fit for a specific job role, not a maybe fit for a generic job title.
2. Attract Potential Candidates – After we create a specific job role, we reach out to our network to see if any of the good people we know, know any other good people who are looking for a job. We want the best of the best, so generating leads through our network of high-performance colleagues makes the most sense.
3. Virtual Discussion – (You are here) Once we have a few (or even just one) lead we initiate our conversations with candidates by having a video conference. In these initial chats, we balance a discussion about the job role, with open-ended questions about a candidate’s general personality, values, and technical capabilities.
4. DISC Profile – The DISC profile provides an objective balance to the subjective nature of the answers to the questions posed during the Phone Discussion. The results of the DISC profile will help us make sure that a candidate’s personality traits are right for the job role, and, should the candidate become employee, give us an understanding of the employee’s work habits and communication style.
5. Reference Check – We ask for 2 professional and 1 personal reference and yes, we call them all to verify experience, values, personality, and technical capabilities.
6. Coffee/Lunch/Stroll – We ask the candidate to join multiple Strongwork staff for a coffee, lunch, or stroll, to get to know each other a bit more in a relaxed setting. This can often be combined with the Test Drive listed below.
7. Test Drive – If a candidate makes it this far in the process, we ask that they participate in a “test project” to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and working style. We pay candidates an hourly wage for these tests, and beyond giving us insight into candidate’s abilities, the candidate gets the chance to see if they want to work with us!
8. Interview – I know what you’re thinking….”but isn’t all this other stuff the interview?!” Well, yes, and no. The above steps are meant to ensure that a candidate is a good fit for the job role. This step, The Interview, is a chance for multiple Strongwork staff to ask some final open-ended questions, and a chance for candidates to ask any last questions as well.
9. Job Offer – If after all this, it is determined that the candidate is a good fit, either at the interview, or later, via email, a job offer will be extended. Negotiations ensue….and hopefully, an employment agreement is reached!
10. Onboarding – You thought we were done. Nope. Hiring does not stop at the job offer. We consider the Onboarding process a critical piece of the hiring process. Onboarding is intentional and ongoing and covers everything from the wifi password to QA/QC standards.
Whew, that was a lot. Well, it’s important stuff, for Strongwork and for potential candidates. Clients don’t come to us to buy widgets, they hire us because we are a team of high performance individuals that provide outstanding service. We want to build long-term mutually beneficial relationships that help all of us achieve our vision for work and life.