"Ability to Communicate" - David West, Studio Egret West

Filmed by Bespoke Careers at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin, David West, Founding Partner of Studio Egret West as he discusses the importance of communication, his ‘strategy with specificity’ ethos and what he does for fun.

What CV advice would you give a candidate?

We’re always hoping that people are going to have a strong ability to communicate, so we judge people’s CVs quite quickly by their ability to actually communicate the special thing that they are offering, their experience and the quality of their projects. One single piece of advice I would give is to distil down to one, two or three key projects rather than everything you’ve ever worked on.

What makes a good first impression?

Ideally, we are looking for confident people who will be able to handle the responsibilities that we give them. We like people to take responsibility really early on, so a sense of confidence and a smile is probably the most important thing for us.

What type of portfolio do you prefer to receive?

I’m happy either way – we’ve had some really extraordinary hard copies sent through before. If you’re going to send something hard just ensure it’s beautifully bound in the usual way or designed in a particular way. 

What makes a CV stand out?

A letter of introduction that says ‘Dear David’, or ‘Dear Crystal’ or ‘Dear Studio Egret West, I would like to work with you (not for you) because…X, Y and Z’. 

How would you recommend people dress for an interview?

I’m happy for people to wear whatever they feel comfortable in. It goes back to being confident, whatever the candidate feels happiest is in good for me.

What questions should people ask? 

I like to see that the candidate knows in some way, shape or form where they might be wanting to head. I think it’s a very fair question to ask what they might be working on, the type of scale or project and who they might be working with. We don’t have a problem with any of us asking anything, so we’re very open-minded.

What is your design ethos in three words? 

Strategy with specificity. 

What do you do for fun? 

We have a lot of clubs, I’m most passionate about our cycling club. I’ve just cycled from Sharong to Cannes, we did a cycle from London to Manchester last week. We also have a yoga club, Tai Chi, basketball, softball and a sports masseuse. Health and well-being is very much at the heart of our practice, we want it to be the heart of the buildings we make so we want it in the heart of the studio as well.