I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (Chicago, IL) in Jul 2023
Interview
The person who interviewed me was rather nonchalant and vague in his questions and responses. I wasn't sure if they were hiring and they refused to directly answer me. After the interview, the studio director essentially ghosted me and never replied to my follow-up email. I was left in the dark and it felt uneasy speaking to him before and during the interview.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why do you want to work at SOM and in the Chicago office
I interviewed at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (London, England)
Interview
Thorough and welcoming testing professional knowledge taking questions reviewing portfolio sharing benefits overview. Good follow up from hr team who continued to advise throughout. Found the experience helpful in advising career choices going forward .
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Can you describe your specific contributions to the projects in your portfolio?
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (Chicago, IL) in Jun 2025
Interview
I got a phone call first and the interview was scheduled in a week. There were supposed to be three more interviewers but only two did show up - but they were so kind. I got about 4 questions which is general, and some follow up questions. It took around 50 minutes and they dedicated their time generously to answer to my questions about the firm.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about yourself - your personal background and why did you apply for the firm
I interviewed at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (San Francisco, CA)
Interview
First interview : Greeting - Introduction - Portfolio reviews - Work experiences review - school works review - introduction of SOM team - done
Second interview : technical question, portfolio review,
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Portfolio review - what do you want to do at SOM? Design vs Tech
Designer applicants have rated the interview process at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with 3.1 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 44% positive. To compare, the company-average is 55.7% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Designer roles take an average of 17 days to get hired, when considering 9 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill overall takes an average of 31 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as a Designer according to 9 Glassdoor interviews include:
Group panel interview: 24%
Skills test: 24%
Presentation: 18%
Background check: 12%
One on one interview: 12%
Personality test: 6%
Phone interview: 6%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -