Good People. Hard Searches. Real Results.
A few examples of the recruiting work behind Talent-Smiths.
We can tell you all day that we understand architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture.
But it's probably more useful to show you the work.
Talent-Smiths helps design firms find experienced people for positions where posting another job advertisement isn't getting the job done.
We're a small, specialized recruiting firm. And that's intentional.
We learn the work. Understand the people you need. Find the ones worth talking to. And make the introductions.
Here are a few examples of what that looks like.
Selected Recruiting Work
Project Manager | Atlanta, GA
A search for an experienced project manager ready to enter a small but quickly scaling studio.
The Challenge: Hiring a Project Manager for a small, fast-growing studio isn't quite like hiring one for an established firm.
Smaller teams mean wearing more hats, taking on responsibilities outside your job description, and helping build processes that might not exist yet.
The firm needed someone who could manage projects today but also grow into a larger leadership role as the business expanded.
And just as importantly, someone who understood exactly what they were signing up for and was genuinely excited about it.
Our Approach: We targeted Project Managers with roughly 8–10 years of total experience, including a few years already managing projects.
Experienced enough to take ownership from day one, but still early enough in their leadership careers to be excited about what came next.
Rather than pitching a traditional PM position, we focused on the bigger opportunity.
More responsibility. A direct relationship with firm leadership. And the chance to help shape a growing studio rather than simply fit into an existing structure.
We identified people whose experience and career goals aligned with that opportunity, then approached them directly.
The Result: A successful placement that grew into something much bigger.
Since the hire, the studio has continued expanding, adding several new positions, some of which we've helped fill.
And the Project Manager we originally placed?
They've grown into the second-in-command role on the team.
Exactly the kind of long-term outcome we hoped to help create.
Not just someone who could do the job when they started, but someone who could grow alongside the firm.
Interior Design | Phoenix, AZ
Staff Interior Designer
Supporting an interiors studio in its search for a designer with the right combination of project experience, technical skills, and studio fit.
The Challenge: Finding an interior designer with retail experience is one thing. Finding someone who understands the unique challenges of designing retail spaces within airports, transit centers, and other high-traffic environments? That's a much smaller talent pool.
The firm needed someone with relevant project experience, strong technical skills, and the ability to contribute in a hands-on, collaborative studio environment.
Our Approach: We mapped the local market, identifying interior designers with retail and commercial project experience across the Phoenix area.
But rather than simply pitching another design position, we focused on what made this opportunity different.
More interesting project environments. A collaborative team. And the chance to get more deeply involved in the actual design process, rather than working on just one small piece of a project.
We took that story directly to designers whose experience aligned with the firm's needs.
The Result: One candidate submitted. One candidate hired. Three weeks.
Not every search works out that neatly, and we wouldn't pretend otherwise.
But this one showed what can happen when you understand both sides of the move: what the firm actually needs and what would make the right designer interested.
Sometimes it's not about finding more candidates.
It's about finding the right one.
What these searches have in common.
Different firms. Different positions. Different cities.
But the hiring problem is usually pretty similar.
The firm needs someone with a specific combination of experience, skills, and personality.
And the right person isn't always looking for a new job.
That's where we come in.
We don't believe the answer to a difficult search is sending more resumes.
It's understanding who you're actually looking for, finding those people, and giving them a good reason to have a conversation.
Have a position you're struggling to fill?
Tell us about it.
We'll talk through what you're hiring for, where the right people are likely working, and whether we can help make the introduction.