Getting the Firm Talking
The best interview is a conversation. You're not the only one talking.
Why this matters
Firms love talking about their work. When a firm gets to discuss a project they're proud of with a student who seems genuinely interested, they associate that positive experience with you. That's memorable in a way that a polished portfolio presentation simply isn't.
Your goal in an interview isn't just to answer questions well — it's to turn the conversation into a genuine exchange where both parties are engaged. The interviews that end with a firm saying "we really enjoyed talking with you" are almost always the ones where the firm did some of the talking.
How to invite them in
After you've introduced your featured project and given the firm enough context to engage, open the door. Not with a generic "what do you think?" but with something specific that demonstrates you've done your research:
"This is where I landed on the stormwater integration — I'm curious how your team would have approached that edge condition differently."
"I noticed on your Riverview project that you handled a similar program adjacency. What drove that decision?"
"My interest is in infrastructure as landscape. Is that a direction your office is moving toward more actively?"
Each of these does something specific: it shows you've looked at their work, it signals genuine design curiosity, it demonstrates an interest in learning and critique, and it gives them something specific to respond to rather than a general invitation to speak.
What to listen for
When a firm talks about their work with energy, follow that energy. Ask a follow-up. Make a connection to something you noticed in their portfolio or read on their website. This isn't performance — it's genuine professional conversation, and experienced interviewers recognize the difference between a candidate who rehearsed a set of questions and one who is actually listening.
Questions that earn their place
| Type of question | Example |
|---|---|
| About a specific project | "What was the most difficult constraint on the Oak Street project?" |
| About their design philosophy | "How does your team think about ecological systems vs. programmatic goals when they're in conflict?" |
| About growth and direction | "Is urban design work something the office is expanding into, or is that a smaller part of the practice?" |
| About the internship itself | "What is the typical mentor/mentee program like for an intern in your studio?" |
Questions to avoid
- Questions already answered clearly on their website
- Generic questions that could be asked of any firm ("What's your firm culture like?")
- Questions about salary, benefits, or offer timing — those conversations happen later
The speed-dating reality
You have fifteen to twenty minutes. If you spend twelve of them talking and three listening, you've given the firm very little reason to remember you as someone they'd want in their studio. Aim for genuine exchange. The memory of a conversation fades more slowly than the memory of a presentation.