planningrecruitment

What the Employment Rights Bill Means for Hiring in Architecture & Design

Wed, 13 May 2026 14:27:41 GMT

The UK’s employment landscape is undergoing a significant shift. With the introduction of the Employment Rights Act 2025 , and phased changes expected through 2026 and 2027, practices across architecture and interior design will need to rethink how they approach hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning.

Earlier protection for new hires

One of the most notable changes is around unfair dismissal. Rather than becoming a full day-one right, employees will now gain protection after six months , instead of the current two years.

For employers, this means the margin for error when hiring is narrowing. Decisions made in the first few months of employment will carry more risk, making structured onboarding and clear performance management essential.

In practice, we expect to see:

More rigorous interview processes
Greater emphasis on cultural and technical fit
Tighter probation reviews and documentation

A shift away from “informal flexibility”

Zero-hours contracts are not being banned, but they are being reshaped. Where individuals are working regular patterns, employers will be expected to offer contracts that reflect those hours.

There will also be:

Increased expectations around shift notice
Potential compensation for last-minute cancellations

For architecture and design studios that rely on flexible resourcing, particularly at busy project stages, this could require more forward planning and clearer workforce structures.

Day-one rights expanding

Several employment rights are moving to day one eligibility, including:

Statutory Sick Pay
Paternity leave
Parental leave

This reduces the distinction between new starters and longer-term employees, placing more responsibility on employers from the outset of employment.

Fire and rehire under scrutiny

The practice of dismissing employees and rehiring them on less favourable terms is set to become much harder to justify, with stronger legal protections for employees.

While not a common approach in most design practices, this reinforces the need for careful workforce planning and transparent communication when change is required.

What this means for the sector

From our perspective, these changes are likely to influence hiring behaviour across the industry.

We are already anticipating:

More considered, and potentially slower, hiring decisions
Greater scrutiny on candidate suitability before offer stage
Stronger reliance on trusted recruitment partners to mitigate hiring risk

For practices operating in a competitive talent market, balancing risk with the need to secure top talent will be key.

Our view

The direction of travel is clear: greater protection for employees, and greater accountability for employers.

For architecture and interior design practices, this doesn’t need to be a barrier to growth, but it does mean that hiring strategies will need to evolve.

Getting the right person into the business first time has never been more important.

If you would like to discuss how these changes may impact your hiring plans, or how to adapt your recruitment strategy, we’re always happy to share insight.

Interviewing, offers & moving goalposts

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 12:01:58 GMT

We’re seeing more conversations, more interviews and more hesitation.

This isn’t about blame, it’s about clarity.

A cautious market needs clearer conversations from candidates, employers, and recruiters alike.

A Strong CV needs a Strong Portfolio (and Vice Versa)

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:47:19 GMT

A great portfolio won’t save a weak CV, and a great CV won’t save a weak portfolio.

This week alone, we’ve seen some incredibly strong designers held back by avoidable basics:

• CVs that list software but don’t explain how it’s been used on real projects
• Portfolios with beautiful imagery, yet no context such as role, stage of project, or responsibility,
• Applications that don’t align with the CV and portfolio (job titles, dates, or project scope don’t match).

Your CV tells us what you’ve done. Your portfolio shows us how well you’ve done it.

Studios expect both to work together, not compete.

If you’re actively looking, it’s worth spending the extra hour tightening both. It genuinely makes the difference between “interesting” and “let’s interview”.

If you want a 2nd opinion, feel free to reach out to me with both! ccolley@planningrecruitment.com

Feedback

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:22:48 GMT

Silence tells a story candidates remember. Are you giving feedback?

Most candidates can handle a “no”. What’s much harder is hearing nothing at all. (I'm sure that's a song), but silence isn't golden.. ��

After an interview, candidates replay everything, every answer, every drawing they talked through, every moment they wonder if they said the wrong thing. When there’s silence, that space gets filled with doubt.

We see the impact it has on a candidate. It knocks confidence, makes people hesitant to go through the process again (especially when they’ve taken annual leave to attend), and it absolutely shapes how they feel about the studio, and what they say about the experience to others!

Good feedback helps candidates learn from the interview and move forward stronger into the next one. The candidate might not be right now, but could be in a year or two. You want them to consider you as an employer of choice in the future, and speaking positively about your business in the meantime to their friends and colleagues.

Rejection with clarity allows people to move on.

If a recruiter is silent, trust me we are chasing, and chasing, as we too want to hear the feedback to help you to secure this role, or future interviews.

If we have feedback, you’ll hear it straight away.

Feedback doesn’t need to be long or detailed. A few lines acknowledging the time and effort someone put in goes a very long way.

Silence just leaves people stuck and in a competitive hiring market, that impression matters more than ever.

#architectureindustry

Applying for a job on LinkedIn - what YOU see vs what WE see.

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:18:08 GMT

By Kirsty Sibbald

A comment a candidate made in a recent conversation has been playing on my mind.

When speaking about how their search has been going outside of our efforts, they advised they were applying to what they can see on LinkedIn but not bothering with some as they had hundreds of applications.

It got me thinking, hundreds? We get a lot of applications yes, but hundreds? Rarely.

But they were right, many adverts do show as "over 100 applicants" including jobs we have advertised. But what applicants don't know is that the number of applicants sent to the job poster is often much less, therefore, there is less competition than LinkedIn suggests!

As an example one job we posted on LinkedIn stated there were over 100 applicants, but in reality, I only received 74 of those. LinkedIn auto-archives candidates who don't meet the essential job criteria such as holding the required UK work visa.

If you see a job you want to apply to and have the relevant experience, DO NOT let the number you see on here put you off applying, because you can bet that number is significantly less.

I see EVERY application. We can't respond to all, but if your application is a strong fit, we will ALWAYS follow up.

How Does Your Public Face Look?

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 13:30:45 GMT

In today’s society everyone has access to Social Media posting their life online. Any comment, opinion, picture or video shared reflects on you as a person and can be easily found by current and future employers.

Companies will employ a search online as part of their screening process and any remark made in the heat of the moment might come back to haunt you.

Ensure that there is no adverse information about you online.

Follow these tips below.

Clean up your act.

What to do if you have bad press?

Removed all negative statements, videos or pictures from any social media. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Flickr, forums, company websites etc… (Usually they allow you to delete or hide comments. If not, contact the service provider and ask for the information to be removed).
If you have been tagged in any pictures or conversations that you would not want public, ask the person who posted it to remove the tag.
Ensure your privacy settings are positioned to the strictest level i.e. only friends and family.

Paint the right picture

How do you want to be seen? The right public profile will support you in your future growth, so nurture how you are seen.

Only post positive remarks
Always think twice about what you write or authorise to be seen.
Pictures/Videos - Would you be happy to show them to work colleagues? Comments would you say them to your employer?
Add statements that demonstrate your experience, knowledge and insight into the industry.
Timing – Avoid posting in core working hours. Often sites will time/date stamp.
Status – How do you want people to perceive you?
Recommendations – Only asked for referrals when you have performed a good job and ensure it is from senior management. A peer adding a recommendation will only dilute what you have done, rather than carry weight.
Don’t be upset with a person if they decline to recommend you. Sometimes this can be their company policy or perhaps concern about their ‘public face’.
Think about what groups you are in or what your interests say about you?

Schmoose, Network, Interact

Proactively give intelligent, well thought views of the industry. Channels to utilise could include to tweet, update status, comment on industry articles (such as BD online), blog, forums etc…
Pursue recommendations – you will not get them unless you ask
Link to influential people in your industry
Be associated with all major industry events

5. Key Points

Protect your reputation
Keep up to date with what is being disclosed about you and act accordingly.
Only reflect information in a professional and intellectual manner.
Become someone who’s views, comments and opinions count and are sought after.
Above all use Social Media to sell you.

Agency Representation

When you are ready to move jobs the agency(s) selected to represent you is crucial to how you’re perceived in the marketplace.

If you register with a number of agencies you run the risk of your CV being sent to the same client on a number of occasions. This only reflects desperation and often a client will disregard your application to avoid a dispute over which agency has ownership.

Select one agency to take you professionally to marketplace in the outset. You can always expand this to 3 agencies after a few weeks if you are not getting the desired outcome.

You should have:-

Control over who is being approached on your behalf.
Trust that an expert is representing you
A strong relationship your agent

Employers’ Guide to Quiet Quitting

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 14:30:20 GMT

How to re-energise your Employees and Retain your Best Talent.

What is quiet quitting?

Coined by career coach Brian Creedy in March 2020, and gaining increasing popularity on TikTok ever since, quiet quitting is a newly trending term for an old behaviour: worker dissatisfaction and disengagement.

Quiet quitting, also known as Silent Quitting or Soft Quitting, describes individuals who have actively disengaged from their jobs, choosing not to offer any more of their time, enthusiasm, or effort than is necessary to stay employed. They opt to do the bare minimum based on their job description and salary.

Whilst some critics associate this behaviour with entitlement, laziness, or worse, passive aggression toward the employer, those that self-identify as quiet quitters see it as a solution to rebalance their feelings of burnout, of work-life boundaries being repeatedly over-stepped, and a solution to regain the autonomy they feel they have lost.

Quiet quitting, therefore, is a way for employees to express their feelings of dissatisfaction within their roles when they feel that there is no other viable way to do so. For you as an employer, it is your last opportunity to address this dissatisfaction, to keep the skills and experience of talented members of staff before actual quitting occurs.

How prevalent is quiet quitting?

In a June 2022 survey, Gallup, leading workplace consultancy and global research company, found that at least 50% of the US workforce were now made up of quiet quitters, those who classified themselves as not engaged at work.

In the UK, only 9% of workers felt enthused by their work and workplace (compared to 32% in the US). This suggests that in the UK the number of quiet quitters is likely to be even higher.

Gallup’s data shows that disengagement in the workplace is at its highest in almost a decade and continues to rise.

Why is quiet quitting an issue for businesses?

Workers scaling back on additional effort and work hours is, of course, an issue in businesses that rely heavily on that additional effort to exact their competitor advantage. It is a direct threat to those that cultivate cultures where going above and beyond for the company is core to progression, growth, and productivity.

The loss of free labour because of quiet quitting is not the biggest issue for businesses, It is in fact the impact the attitudes of disengaged employees have on your company. The decisions and actions your employees make everyday affect the outcome of your business, your success, and your bottom line. Engaged employees create significantly more positive business outcomes than those making decisions and acting from a foundation of disengagement, discontentment, and possible disgruntlement. Put simply, engaged teams achieve more.

What can lead to quiet quitting?

Quiet quitters describe the following as reasons behind to their shift in attitude:

Overwork / burnout from mid- to long-term increases in workload that employees cannot handle, see no sign of ending, and feel unable to negotiate a reduction of without effecting their career or manager’s opinion of them.
Inadequate compensation offered for the work done. Employees feel undervalued and taken advantage of and choose to “act their wage” by reducing their effort to a level they think is commensurate to their pay and benefits.
Poor work-life balance from personal-life boundaries not being respected or upheld – for example, by out of hours requests, interruptions during vacation or holiday not being approved.
Unsupportive mangers do not make employees feel like they have their backs or have their best interests at heart. A poor employee-manager relationship that lacks trust is a key determiner in predicting an unengaged employee.
Unclear expectations from management and lack of performance feedback leaves employees dissatisfied and uncertain.

How to spot quiet quitters.

Quiet quitters can be identified by the changes in their behaviours. They are your superstar employee until they are not. You may watch them move away from their usual behaviour of contributing ideas, taking initiative, offering additional effort to get the job done, and being fully engaged in meetings; toward them taking an increasing number of personal and sick days, no longer approaching you, and staying silent in meetings or discussions. They may also become hostile when approached to do additional work and markedly reduce their productivity, especially once targets or goals have been achieved. They may no longer participate in social activities and may withdraw from the team entirely.

These are signs that they are lacking meaning and purpose in their role, and it’s time for you to find out what you can do to help.

What can I do about quiet quitters?

Gallup’s research shows that the manager or team leader alone accounts for 70% of the variance in team engagement. Take this opportunity to reengage with your team members to retain the experience and skills in your business.

Open and regular communication: create an open and supportive environment when employees can speak honestly with you without it affecting their career progression, job security, or relationship with you. A strong, trusting relationship with a manager is the primary bolster against disengaged workers. Ensure part of this communication is regular feedback, focusing on the employee’s strengths.
Listen, take action, and deliver on your promises: quiet quitting is usually preceded by signs of rising dissatisfaction. Look and listen out for these and meet employees’ opinions and feelings with understanding and respect. Plan and work toward flexible solutions that enhance engagement and meaning for the employee and work well for the company.
Encourage work-life balance: keep work to working-hours or clarify your expectations of out of hours working. Respect requests for time-off and ensure your team enjoy their holidays without worrying about work.
Advocate for your team: employees that feel their manager has got their back and has their best interest at heart are more engaged and willing to go above and beyond.
Understand your impact: sending emails at all hours may work for you but you are likely putting undue pressure on your team to do the same, thus encroaching on non-work time that is valuable to them and key to their continued performance. Make sure your team understand what your expectations of them are and that not acting like you is OK.
Keep increases to workload short-term and optional: if you don’t, you are removing your employees’ autonomy and forcing them into an arrangement that differs from the role they agreed to when starting the job.
Equipped: make sure your team have all the equipment, materials, training and resources to they need to do their job well.
Recognition: when employees choose to go above and beyond, or produce stand-out work, acknowledge it and make sure they know you appreciate it. Show employees that their opinions, their contribution, and their ideas are important.
Clarity of expectations: it’s easy for employees to misread the behaviours and expectations of their leaders, leaving them feeling uncertain. Be clear of your expectations repeatedly and consistently.
Discuss development: not everyone wants to take on additional responsibilities and progress. And not all roles allow for people to stay in the same role for years. Be open and honest during recruitment and during times of change. Map careers with your team members so that you both understand what the future you are working towards looks like. The more you know about your individual employee’s goals and desires, the easier it will be to motivate a successful, high-performing team.
Correct compensation: employees can feel undervalued and disrespected when their efforts are not fairly rewarded. The balance can usually be reset with a combination of salary, benefits, perks, flexibility, mentoring programmes, upskilling, coaching and training, clear expectation management, feedback, and appreciation. By building a relationship with each member of your team, you can learn to understand what is important to them and what they are motivated by.

A note for leaders.

Employee engagement ultimately comes from the top. If your middle managers are quiet quitting themselves, then the above tips aren’t going to help your already overburdened manager reengage anyone. If you are seeing a move toward disengagement and an increase in quiet quitters, or actual quitters, then it’s time to look at your working environment.

The natural ideological defence of quiet quitting argues that employees should not feel pressured to work outside of their job description or feel an enduring imbalance in the effort: reward ratio. And, if they do, then this is simply an opportunity to evolve a workplace culture into something fairer, more sustainable, and more in line with modern cultural change.

It is therefore likely that the recent increase of awareness of the new term quiet quitting, instead of being an issue to reverse, may be just the catalyst you need to review, grow, and reengage your staff to help you bring the best out in everyone who works for you and for your business.

Time to Resign

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:35:24 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

There are many ways to resign but honesty is not always the best policy, no matter how satisfying.

The way you leave you your current employer will reflect your professionalism as long as the company remains on your CV.

Resign with dignity and grace to ensure a smooth departure from your employer.

Here are 7 Steps to a successful exit:-

1. Committed to move - Always make sure you are 100% committed to move jobs, that all avenues with your current employer have been covered and discounted

2. Confirmation - Never resign from a position until you have an offer letter in writing defining pay, hours of work, benefits, start date and a signature.

3. Timing – Find the right time to resign. Often the end of day is a good time, keeping the discussion private also allowing your boss to consider your decision over night/weekend before dealing with the next action.

4. Location – This should be a confidential discussion therefore book a meeting room, or ask your employer if you can have a word in private. If you have a HR Department we would suggest that they are present.

5. Put your resignation in writing - Keep your letter short, demonstrating clarity and simplicity with the following information;

Person it is being addressed to.
The position you are resigning from.
Effective from date.
The notice you are giving.
Date of contract termination.
A positive statement thanking your employer for the opportunity.
Your Signature.

6. Other factors to consider

Give your employer enough time to find a replacement.
The best time to leave is at the end of a project, when the transition can be less pressurised on your boss.
Most candidates leave for reasons other than money. If you discuss your frustrations with your employer before handing in your notice, your resignation will not be a surprise or an alternative outcome could have been arranged.

7. Stand Firm

Your current employer might try and make you question your choice of future employer or make promises to influence your decision, stand firm these promises may not be exactly what they seem;
Your boss could raise doubts about your decision, questioning your future employer’s credibility, stability, reputation in the market, etc…
Offer you a meaningless job title
Offer you more money
Offer you the project you’ve always wanted. The reality of what this means:-
Your integrity in the organisation will be in question going forward.
Are they offering you this until they are able to find your replacement?
If the company hits a tough time who will be out the door first?
Have you just been given the pay rise you were due in April? When will the next one be?
Why did your employer not value you enough to give you the promotion prior to handing in your notice?

In our experience candidates who are counter offered and remain, move to a new job within the year.

Tell me about yourself

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:16:00 GMT

Interviews are structured conversations through which the recruiter is trying to find out if you are a suitable candidate for the role and the organisation.

As such they form an extremely important part of any job application process. Whatever other methods are being used to select candidates, recruiters always ask applicants to attend an interview before a job is offered.

Central to the interviewing process is the employers’ need to answer 3 key questions:

Can you do the job?

Will you love doing the job?

Will you fit in?

The interview is a two-way process and so ideally, these are questions you should also be asking of yourself to help you decide whether or not to take the job if it is offered to you.

This blog will show you how to prepare for and handle job interviews confidently and boost your chances of getting the job you want. In particular, we will be looking at:

The main types of interview that you may encounter

Getting ready for the interview – preparation is the key Examples of typical questions and how to be ready for them Important

“Do’s and Don’ts” for good interview tech nique

The main types of interview

Panel interviews: Employers conduct panel interviews, whereby a number of recruiters interview together. Panels may consist of only two people but can constitute as many as four or more. The secret here is to remain as relaxed as possible and try to include all of the panel members when replying to questions.

Technical interviews: these may include very specific questions relating to knowledge of a particular area of Architecture, UK Building Regulations or CAD, for example. The emphasis is likely to be upon exploring factual knowledge. Thorough preparation is needed. Technical interviews could include taking tests as well.

Telephone interviews: these are used in the early stages of an application process but could occur at any point. As the name suggests, they are conducted over the telephone but in most respects can follow the format of a standard interview so prepare well beforehand. Remember, that, as you cannot see the interviewer, it is important to speak very clearly and ensure that you make or take the call in a place where you will not be disturbed. You can also prepare simple notes to use during the discussion. Mind maps work well as they allow for your thoughts to be organised clearly and concisely.

Getting ready for the interview

“If you fail to plan you plan to fail!” Good preparation is absolutely essential for any interview and there are some steps you can take to get ready for the big day:

First – do your research & prepare

Read material on the company website.

Find out if the company has been in the news recently and why. Check out the company / organisations’ website, broadsheet newspapers, relevant professional journals and professional bodies. Useful information to find out about includes projects and services, turnover, locations of offices, history and culture of the company.

Review your application. Think about why you want the job and how your skills, knowledge and experience match against the requirements of the job. That is to say, what can you offer the employer?

Prepare your portfolio to reflect your best and most relevant work at the front.

The best presentation you will ever give is about your work.

How are you going to present it?

What you are going to say about each example?

How are you going to sell your soft skills such as communication, leadership & management etc..?

Start to prepare some questions you could ask at the interview – it is highly likely that you will be given the opportunity and it is important to have something to say here. Asking questions creates a favourable impression and will enable you to understand more about the role.

If the interview involves a CAD test, ensure you practice your skills beforehand. Re-read your CV to remind yourself of dates and details to discuss.

Second – don’t overlook the basics. Make sure you know where you are going

It seems obvious but make sure you plan out your journey in advance and allow sufficient time to reach your destination without getting flustered. Late arrival can convey a very poor impression!

If any problems occur during the journey to the interview and you may be running late, telephone the employer to let them know of the problem. Do not arrive late without letting the employer know first!

By arriving a little early you can get some of the sense of what the organisation is like, relax and concentrate on mental preparation for the interview. Try not to arrive too early as this could increase any feelings of anxiety.

Third – dress code

What you wear and how you look are essential elements to whether an interviewer gains good first impression of you. This means you need to invest time in making sure you look good. Check company websites for information on what to wear. If in doubt you could always ask. Try to wear something that you feel comfortable in and that gives you confidence.

Dress: a suit is generally acceptable. Preferably this should be worn with a shirt and tie (men) or a shirt / smart top (women). Make sure your shoes are well polished!

Presentation: a well groomed look is important. Hair should be neat and if your hair is long, it should be tied back if you know you might be tempted to fiddle with it during the interview.

Jewellery: try and avoid large, conspicuous earrings, rings, necklaces or bracelets.

Piercing and tattoos: if you do have any facial piercing(s) – choose a stud that is neat. We suggest tattoos should be covered.

Make-up: keep it simple – nothing too strong or overpowering. Likewise, avoid strong fragrances as these can elicit emotional responses which may not always be positive.

During the interview

Body language

Body language (sometimes referred to as non-verbal communication) is very important. The way you come into the interview room, shake hands and the way you sit can suggest interest, confidence, nerves or even boredom.

An open stance i.e. not crossing legs or arms, leaning forward to indicate interest is considered the best approach.

Smiling is essential in striking up and maintaining rapport with the interviewers throughout an interview. It conveys confidence and may help you to not look like a victim!

Be careful of waving your hands around too much.

Eye contact

Good eye contact is an excellent way of conveying your interest in the job. Looking down, or at anything other than the interviewer, can make you appear disinterested or insincere. Maintaining good eye contact can help you gauge the interviewer’s reaction to what you are saying (to see whether you should be expanding on your answer or winding your answer up).

With panel interviews, the best advice is to look at and answer the person asking the question, with a glance from time to time at the other interviewers to include them in your reply.

Show confidence

This is often easier said than done, we know, and it is natural that you should feel nervous. However, you need to show you can manage any anxiety. If an employer is looking for someone who can cope with pressure then the interview is a good guide for them.

Don’t go to the other extreme and seem too laid back, act naturally as employers are looking for individuals, not clones, so there is no one way to get it right.

You may be required to shake hands with your interviewer either at the beginning or end of your interview. A confident handshake is one way to create a favourable impression so if you are unused to shaking hands, a practice run with a friend is recommended.

Have questions to ask the interviewers

What do you think will be the major challenges facing this company over the next 3 years? What role would I be expected to play in the first team I am assigned to?

Money

Discussing Money at an interview can be a delicate conversation. You want the job, but with the right package.

What salary you say at interview is often the salary clients expect to pay and negotiation is difficult after that point. Undersell yourself will result in a low offer and oversell could mean no offer at all, as you’re automatically priced out of the job.

The interview should be focused on your skills, abilities and desire to do the job, but hey you are under pressure and the interviewer wants an answer,

Here are a couple of options:

Let the recruitment agency deal with money and point the interview back to them.

Give a salary range - ensuring you will accept the lowest figure if offered!

Ask the interviewer "based on my skills and abilities where would I fit in your salary structure"

Disability disclosure

The decision whether to disclose a disability to an employer is often a personal one and may be based on a number of factors such as the nature of the disability and the demands of the role being applied for. Disabilities can be disclosed before, during or sometimes even after interviews but may also be disclosed during parts of the application process. Decisions about this are largely a matter of judgment. If disclosing disabilities, always do so in a very positive manner, explaining any assistance that may be needed.

It is important to answer any direct questions from the employer fully and honestly.

Feedback

Seek feedback from the employer if you are unsuccessful – it will enable you to address any weaker areas and build on your strengths to help you to perform more effectively at your next interview.

After the interview

Be aware of your surroundings.

Do not light up a cigarette or vape near the office or in the car park, you do not know who is watching you.

Do not call someone and talk about the interview until you are clearly away from the building, you do not know who is listening.

Call your Agent.

As soon as you are in a position where you can talk call Planning Recruitment for a full debrief. This demonstrates interest in the job and we will want to hear from you before speaking with the client on our scheduled call.

Finally some ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ to help you when preparing for interviews

Do:

Make sure you have done your research before the day.

Be able to explain why you want the job. The employer is likely to ask.

Be able to explain convincingly what you can offer the company in terms of your skills, attributes and experience.

Think about some of the strategies you would use in response to competency based and similar questions. Make sure you have examples of evidence you can quote in support of your claims.

Provide evidence for your answers from all aspects of your life – degree, employment history, interests, clubs and societies, positions of responsibility. Spread your answers around!

Be prepared to talk positively about previous employers and why you left.

Don’t:

Make false claims regarding your ability; don’t exaggerate your role in a team or claim an ‘amazing’ ability to do something.

Indulge in flattering the reader about their organisation e.g. ‘I want to work for the number one Architectural Practice in Europe’.

Sit in silence. If you don’t understand a question ask for it to be clarified.

Interrupt the interviewer(s).

Talk negatively about a previous employer.

Meet the woman behind the business

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 11:45:36 GMT

Get to know our Founding Director and her career journey—how it shaped Planning Recruitment and why top talent trusts us.

Click here to watch her video Meet the Woman behind the business

Optimise your CV and let your perfect job come to you

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 13:19:03 GMT

Avoid common resume mistakes that put you out of the race before it even begins.

What’s that old saying? “Opportunities don’t come knocking on the door?” Well, in today’s world of e-recruitment, that may not strictly be true.

With the likes of LinkedIn, CV-Library, BD4Jobs, and Archinect at our fingertips, it is now easier than ever to make yourself available to recruiters and employers who will bring opportunities to you. But are you making yourself seen above and beyond the competition and to the right people?

Claire Colley, Director & Founder of Planning Recruitment specialists in Architecture and Interior Design Recruitment, draws upon her 20+ years of experience recruiting for the Design industry, and gives her advice on how to be seen, in the enduring post-lockdown workscape of e-recruitment.

This blog will highlight the common mistakes job seekers make when marketing themselves online and teaches you how to optimise your CV ensuring you are seen every time by specialist recruiters with the best opportunities.

What does the post-lockdown work world look like now?

It’s unprecedented. In the twenty years I have worked in the architectural recruitment industry, I have never seen anything like it. Employers and candidates have opportunities available to them like never before. With hybrid and remote working, and virtual interviewing and onboarding, it is now perfectly feasible to work for a company outside of your normal commutable area, without having to relocate. Which means that when candidates search online for jobs, the opportunities that are returned to them are more varied, wider reaching, and more abundant than ever before.

But the opposite is also true. For each position available, candidates are no longer just competing with those qualified for the role who live in the area or will relocate. The competing talent pool is now national, global even. Therein lies a new challenge for those searching for their dream job. How can they stand out in a seemingly infinite pool of qualified candidates? To answer that, it’s important to understand how employers and recruiters find suitable candidates.

How do employers and recruiters search for candidates?

Popular e-recruitment platforms like LinkedIn, CV-Library, Indeed, BD4jobs in the UK, and Archinect in the US, enable recruiters and employers to search thousands of resumes almost instantly. It’s an incredible advancement compared to when I started in architectural recruitment in 2001 – I remember when we used to fax CVs to our clients! As recruiters, we have gone from having a respectable but comparatively limited pool of active registered candidates to, today, having hundreds of potentially suitable candidates for each role.

In an industry where reactivity, quality and speed are critical, we need an efficient way to sift out unsuitable candidates in favour of those that meet the role and client requirements. That’s where Boolean search comes in.

What is Boolean search?

All recruitment agencies, job boards, CV search engines, and even client online portals use Boolean search. It is a rule-based search structure that enables us to pinpoint only those resumes with the very specific set of skills, experience, and qualifications that match the role.

CV search engines are great, but there is a caveat. As with most technology, the output is entirely dependent on the input. Boolean search is completely reliant on effective and quality keyword indexing and we are seeing an increasing number of candidates with the right skills and right experience for jobs, being overlooked because of simple errors they are making when uploading their CVs or creating their LinkedIn profiles. It means that they just aren’t coming up in searches, even for roles they would be perfect for.

How can people give their CVs the best chance of being found?

CV search engine software scans your resume for keywords. If your keywords cannot be indexed or are absent, then you will not come up in searches and you will miss out on potentially great opportunities.

The first thing to check, and the issue we see coming up the most with architectural and creative professional’s CVs, is the file format. If the search software cannot scan your CV file, then it cannot index your skills and experience. Your resume is essentially invisible.”

What format is best for a CV upload?

Search software can struggle to scan CVs that:

Are in a PDF format.
Have imagery on.
Are password-protected.

I recommend that you produce your CV as a Word document and upload a password-free, picture-free version. You can send us your PDF format with your project images on, as this is the format that we will use when presenting you to clients. Our best candidates have both versions. As a rule: think PDFs and pictures for people, but a simple Word format for software.

Keywords tips for CVs.

In a system designed around keyword search, they’ll be no surprise that my next tip is get your keywords right.

Be descriptive and detailed. The more descriptive words you have on your resume or profile, the more chances you have of appearing in employer and recruiter searches for relevant positions. Make sure your CV and profile are a detailed representation of you describing your experience, responsibilities, and achievements for all the projects you’ve worked on. Include the sectors you’ve worked in, and what roles you’ve played at what stages. Make sure your keywords comprehensively describe your relevant skills, qualifications, training courses attended, and software and applications you’ve used. Include your previous job titles, how you describe yourself, and what your key, soft and core skills are.

Make sure your keywords are spelt correctly. A human can determine what you meant despite your misspelling, but software will simply ignore it and eliminate you from searches that you should have been in.

Use standardised terminology. You may have worked in companies who used non-standard language for your industry. If you think this may be the case, look up job specs, CVs, and the profiles of people who do your role. Pick out the standard terminology and add it to your resume and profile.

Include acronyms and long-text. Include acronyms or abbreviations and be sure to also spell them out in full. You don’t know which version the recruiter/ employer will enter into their search criteria, so it’s best to have all bases covered.

Repetition. Search software not only indexes the presence of keywords but also the frequency. The software determines that the more times the same keyword is identified, the more experience that candidate has in that area. Then, CVs rich in that keyword will return as more relevant in the search results, appearing closer to the top. Therefore, don’t be afraid to repeat your keywords. Use the personal profile to highlight your skills, qualifications, experience, and accomplishments and to get an extra keyword count in.

Now you have your comprehensive, killer keywords all indexed correctly and you’re coming up in plenty of searches. The next stumbling block we see all too often is the absence of contact details.

What contact details should I include on my CV and LinkedIn profile?

As a minimum, include your name, email address or contact number, and where you live. If you make yourself easy to contact, then you will be contacted more often. Remember, whatever time it takes for a recruiter to get hold of you is time your competitors are being submitted for the job you may want.

Why do I need to include my address on my CV?

It may not seem important in the current workspace to include your postcode. And you may think that by excluding it you will be considered for all roles. But, some roles are still geographically dependent. When we search for candidates for these roles, we add a radius criterion to the search. For example, we may only want candidates within a twenty miles radius of our client’s office. If you have no address details on your CV it doesn’t mean that you will come up in all searches, it means that for all the searches that include a geographical radius element, you will come up in none. Your perfect role could be a couple of minutes down the road from you, and without your postcode on your CV you may never know.

Is there anything else I can do to stand out against all the other CVs?

Thousands of recruiters and employers are running searches on CV-Library and LinkedIn every day. Every working minute, candidates found on these platforms are being contacted for roles. Many are roles that haven’t been advertised yet. My final tip, to give yourself the best chance against your competition, is to keep your profile and CV fully up to-date and complete. Imagine finishing a training course one day, updating your resume in the evening, and being contacted for an exciting opportunity the following morning by someone who just happens to need your new set of skills. The sooner you update your CV the sooner you leave the competition behind.

Get help from the experts.

Once you have made your changes, send your optimised CV to ccolley@planningrecruitment.com with ‘Optimise’ in the subject line and the team at Planning Recruitment will happily run your new & improved Architectural CV through our database and let you know how visible you are in searches.

Final Thoughts.

Employers reportedly spend an average of eight seconds reviewing a CV. Whilst this review-time is longer for Recruitment Consultants, they are still sifting through hundreds of resumes at a time. Help yourself to be found by following the tips above. Because, once you have your descriptive, well indexed, up-to-date CV and LinkedIn profile, you should be able to just sit back and relax as employers, recruiters, and opportunity comes knocking at your door.

Employers Advice on Planning and Managing Remote Workers

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 14:32:29 GMT

We unpack expert strategies for effectively orchestrating a remote workforce. Dive into proven methods for fostering communication, productivity, and a cohesive culture from a distance. This concise guide offers a practical blueprint for any business looking to adapt and excel in the remote work landscape. Stay tuned for essential tips on keeping your remote team engaged and aligned with your organizational goals.

Keep your business moving after Brexit

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:34:46 GMT

Whilst greeting in the New Year the UK said goodbye to the European Union. As a UK recruiter we wanted to keep our clients updated on how Brexit could influence your business with staff retention and hiring.

As an employer you need to ensure your current and future workforce can continue to move forward.

Here is a brief outline about the new “Settlement Status” required by all EU, EEA or Swiss citizens currently living & working in the UK, with quick links for official advice.

While it is not a legal obligation for an employer to ensure all EU, EEA or Swiss citizen employees have gone through the Settlement Process; your employees are at risk of not being able to continue living or working in the UK if they do not apply to the scheme.

Settlement or Pre-Settlement status must be obtained by 30th June 2021.

What’s the difference between Settled or Pre-settled status?

Settled Status

5 years continuous living in the UK.
Resident in the UK on 31st December 2020,
Gives full right to live and work in the UK, without a time limitation.

Pre-settled Status

Must have started living in the UK by 31st December 2020,
Someone with pre-settled status can live & work in the UK for 5 years,
Employees can apply for settled status once they have completed 5 years continuous living in the UK,
Settled status must be obtained before the pre-settled status expires.

Employees rights with settled or pre-settled status

They will be able to:

Work in the UK,
Use the NHS for free,
Enrol in education or study in the UK,
Access public funds such as benefits and pensions if they are eligible for them,
Travel in and out of the UK.

How is the Status confirmed?

Once an application is successful the employee will receive a letter or email confirming this, but this is not proof of right to work for an employer.

The worker needs to provide an employer with a shared code for the immigration system to check they have rights.https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status

Useful links to read: -

You may wish to direct employees to the information that the government is providing by using their Employer Tool Kit. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlement-scheme-employer-toolkit

Introduction for Employers on EU Settlement Scheme and Obligations. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-introduction-for-employers/eu-settlement-scheme-introduction-for-employers

We hope you have found this email informative and helpful, but please note we are an Employment Agency / Business, not a legal entity. Please seek your own advice via the Government Website (links above), your own solicitors or HR Resource. This email is purely to give you direction on how to find the information on changes. We accept no legal responsibility / liability for how you use this content.

If you wish to unsubscribe to emails from us, please simply reply with unsubscribe in the subject line.

Planning Recruitment is an Employment Agency / Business providing permanent and contract staff to Architectural Practices and Law Firms.

#architect #technician #landscape #interiordesigner #lawyer #legalexecutive #paralegal #solicitor