How to hire the best information architecture experts: Full guide

Having skilled information architects on your team is essential for creating outstanding digital experiences and turning visitors to your website or app into repeat customers. Conversely, an unskilled information architect can confuse your customers – and even drive them to competitors.

However, hiring the right person for your information architecture role can be tricky since it’s a highly specialized, technical position. There’s more to the hiring process than just asking the right data architecture interview questions.

That’s why we’ve stepped in to help. In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about how to hire information architecture experts.

What you need to know before hiring an information architecture expert

Before hiring an information architect, it’s important to think carefully about the tasks you’ll assign to a new hire and who they’ll work with.

Short-term hire vs. permanent position

First, consider whether you need an information architect for a one-time project or on a long-term basis.

Small businesses might benefit from having an information architect ‌ design a new mobile app, for example. But once that’s done, the business may no longer need someone in this role. In that case, hiring an information architect contractor might make more sense than hiring a full-time employee.

Larger businesses with multiple websites, apps, and other digital products might benefit from hiring for a permanent information architecture role.

Project complexity

It’s also important to think about the complexity of the project you have in mind for an information architect. An entry-level data architect may be able to take on a simple app, for example, but you might need a more experienced candidate for a complex website or software product.

Project team

Information architects frequently work alongside user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) designers. If that’s the case at your business, you should carefully consider the unique skills an information architect will bring to your existing team. These could include building wireframes and sitemaps, prototyping, and structuring databases. You’ll want to emphasize these skills in your hiring process.

How to find compensation information for an information architect

It’s also essential to consider what kind of compensation package you need to offer to hire a top software architect.

A good place to start is to check sites like Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter for similar jobs posted in your area. According to ZipRecruiter, information architecture experts in the US earn around $119,000 per year. Advertising a salary for your job role that matches or exceeds this average will help you attract top candidates to apply.

Your company may also catch strong candidates’ attention by offering additional benefits, like remote or hybrid work or more time off than similar companies. You should list these benefits in your information architecture job description to help your company stand out.

Also, during the recruitment process, don’t be afraid to ask candidates what benefits they want. Being flexible in meeting their requests can help you be more competitive in hiring the top applicant.

Skills and qualifications to look for in an information architecture expert

Look for the following skills and qualifications when screening your information architecture candidates:

1. Wireframing

A wireframe is a draft of a website or app that displays how all of the headlines, content, and other elements will be laid out. It serves as a working blueprint for a digital product.

Information architects must be comfortable building wireframes within deadlines and modifying them in collaboration with UX and UI engineers throughout the design process.

2. Flow mapping

User flow maps illustrate how an information architect intends users to move through a website or app. It should include stages from onboarding to conversion.

Information architects need to be able to collaborate with product managers in creating user flow maps.

3. Programming

Information architects should be proficient in common programming languages like Java, PHP, and MySQL. Knowing these languages helps information architects understand the limitations and possibilities of a new design and create their user flow maps accordingly.

4. Graphic design

Information architects need basic graphic design skills to create wireframes and mock-ups of new designs. They should be proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and similar software tools.

5. Problem solving

Candidates for an information architecture role should be able to think creatively to solve problems. Thinking outside the box can, for instance, help information architects deliver challenging projects on time or design websites that achieve multiple design goals.

6. Communication

Information architects must communicate clearly with UX and UI engineers, project managers, and software developers. Strong communication skills ensure an information architect’s design is executed correctly.

Where to find skilled information architecture experts

Experienced information architects are in high demand, so competition can be fierce for attracting top candidates to your job. Advertising your role in the right places can make a big difference in the outcome of your hiring process.

One of the best places to start looking for information architecture experts is on LinkedIn. Many veteran information architects have a strong presence on LinkedIn, and you can easily invite them to apply for an open role. There’s also an information architecture group on LinkedIn with more than 6,500 members.

In addition, you can attract candidates to an information architecture job using major online job boards like Indeed or ZipRecruiter. Both of these sites are frequented by information architecture experts ready to move into the next stage of their careers.

If you’re hiring for a short-term or contract role, you can post your job on a freelance marketplace site like Upwork. That said, information architects on Upwork typically expect to work remotely and as independent contractors. So, this approach may not work for every company.

Finally, you can advertise your open role on social media. This works especially well for larger software companies since many information architects will likely follow your social media accounts. For smaller companies, posting on social media can help you announce your open job and potentially reach information architecture experts through word of mouth.

Creative ways to find information architecture candidates

Since information architecture is a specialized role, you can boost your hiring process by finding candidates in creative ways. Here are two ideas.

1. Approach course instructors

Consider approaching instructors who teach online information architecture courses if you can fill your open role with an entry-level information architect. These online courses typically have graduating classes of dozens of new information architects. The instructor could help you identify top students to recruit.

2. Seek out communities on social media

You can find many information architecture experts on social media if you know where to look. For example, Reddit has an r/UXDesign forum with many posts related to information architecture. Facebook also has a group dedicated to information architects. 

Even though these groups don’t allow job postings, they can help you network with experienced information architects and kickstart your recruitment process.

How to select the best information architecture candidates

Once you have a pool of applicants for your information architecture role, you need to decide which individual will bring the most value to your company. The best way to do this is by using a combination of pre-employment tests and interview questions that assess each candidate’s technical skills, soft skills, and personality.

Pre-employment tests enable you to objectively evaluate candidates early on in the hiring process. Based on test results, you can narrow down your applicant pool and decide who to advance to the next stage of your interview process.

TestGorilla makes pre-employment testing a breeze thanks to our library of more than 300 expert-designed tests. The test library includes role-specific skills tests for software architecture, enterprise architecture, computer system architecture, solutions architecture, and database network architecture, which you can use to evaluate information architecture candidates’ technical skills.

TestGorilla also enables you to mix and match up to five tests to create a custom assessment. For instance, you can pair our Software architect test, a personality test, and a communication skills test to get a full picture of your information architect candidate’s abilities, traits, and aptitudes. 

Plus, you can add one-way video interview questions to any TestGorilla assessment. This is a great opportunity to ask behavioral interview questions that shed light on an applicant’s preferred work style, collaboration skills, and work motivations. 

It’s also easy to use these interview questions to follow up on skills tests. For example, you can follow TestGorilla’s Computer Systems Architecture test with questions about whether a candidate is familiar with the software and design tools your company already uses.

Common mistake to avoid when hiring an information architecture expert

One of the most common mistakes businesses make when hiring an information architect is not paying enough attention to candidates’ soft skills.

It’s easy to get too focused on the technical aspects of information architecture during the hiring process. However, the candidate you hire must work closely with other digital experience designers and project managers.

For the candidate to succeed in the role, their soft skills – like communication and prioritization – must be as strong as their coding and information organization skills.

You can assess soft skills using TestGorilla’s assessments alongside behavioral interview questions. For example, you can use our Critical Thinking test to evaluate how candidates approach difficult problems or our Communication test to assess candidates’ ability to communicate with colleagues and actively listen to others. 

In addition, you can ask candidates interview questions about how they’ve handled team conflicts in the past, how they prioritize work, and how they respond to stress. Check out our guide to software architect interview questions for ideas about what to ask your candidates.

Hire the best information architecture experts with TestGorilla

Hiring the best information architect is key to building digital experiences that your customers love and that generate revenue for your business. However, the technical nature of this role can make it hard to know which applicant is the right choice for your company.

With TestGorilla, you can look beyond candidates’ resumes to fully understand the hard and soft skills they’ll bring to your company.

Sign up for TestGorilla today to create your first pre-employment assessment for free and ensure you hire the best information architecture expert for your business.