As a professional, there will inevitably come a time when you will need to search for a new job. This should be a simple enough endeavor, but as you sit there, contemplating your next steps, it begins to appear quite complicated. What firms do you apply to? Which ones will be the most fruitful? How do you know you’re not making a mistake? The questions go on, but ultimately, what you’re really searching for is some kind of guideline or “measuring stick” to help you in your first couple of steps. This article is your measuring stick.

Part 1: A Little Reprogramming

It’s time to become a detective

Your first task as a job seeker is to adopt a temporary identity as a detective. Every detail moving forward is a new piece of information that will help you discern the inherent character of the firms you are investigating. Naturally, most employers will (hopefully) put up an appealing front in the form of their website, job posting, Archinect firm profile, or social media presence. Your goal is to look at the underlying qualities. To discover who they really are under the surface.

Cast aside your assumptions

Sherlock Holmes said this best:

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”
– From A Scandal in Bohemia by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

We all tend to have preconceived notions about what certain firms are like: “That firm is too corporate, I don’t want to just be a number,” or “their work isn’t rigorous enough, I want to work on real design projects”. Some of these points might be valid, but you must first cast aside your assumptions and be open to whatever it is you might discover in your research. Often you will come to learn that the rumors you’ve been hearing aren’t actually true. The horror of overlooking a perfect job opportunity can be easily avoided through this simple shift in thinking.

Release the emotional kryptonite

Emotional baggage in regards to work can come in many forms, often most of us commence a search for a new job because something is lacking in our current situation. As a result, our motivation can tend to place too much focus on escaping where we currently are and less on the positivity of progressing in our career.

Whatever your reasons for taking this next step, it’s essential to set aside your emotions so that you can make clear and rational decisions. The need to support your family, pay your bills, get out of a bad situation, or go to the next level in your career are all completely legitimate drivers and going in with a level head is the best thing that you can do to help you achieve them.

Just remember what Sun Tzu, the Chinese general and strategist, said about how emotion can impede on our objectives:

“The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege”
– From The Art of War, Chapter 3: Attack by Stratagem

Like a general at war, we too must take control of our irritations and move ahead in our mission, free from the irrationality that comes from overeagerness. In this way, our siege will be successful and our army intact.

Part 2: Okay… So How Do I Pick the Right Place?

The Grand Strategy

Start with a list of some firms that you are interested in applying to (even if they aren’t currently hiring). If you aren’t sure where to start, a good approach is to gravitate toward places with projects that inspire you. Once you have a good list of about 5 or more employers, it’s time to start researching.

Most of us tend to want to work at places that provide good opportunities for growth, work-life balance, interesting and exciting work, and positive office culture. These are the inherent characteristics we’ll be looking to learn more about.

Detective work

It’s quite easy to determine if a studio’s work is interesting: just go online and look at their portfolio, or take a look at the Archinect Jobs Visualizer to quickly browse the work of firms that are currently hiring. It’s the other characteristics that can become harder to measure. Let’s take office culture: every office will say that they have an amazing office culture, but this is obviously not the case. So how do you determine the true nature of the culture in one of the offices on your list?

The easiest way is to go online to a website like Glassdoor and look at the reviews. This is only one form of data (remember Sherlock’s quote?). See what people are saying in the reviews but also take the negative ones with a grain of salt. Depending on the tone and motive behind a negative review, you can mostly gauge if it’s from disgruntlement or genuine constructive criticism — use your judgment. The next way is to talk to people who used to work there. Be specific in your query: What was it like? How were the hours? Why did you leave? Would you recommend I apply there? Do they have mentorship? Support licensure? So on and so forth. Try to get below the surface when talking to former employees; you want to learn things you couldn’t find out anywhere else.

take note of people who are overly positive as well as people who are overly negative; extremes tend to carry inconsistencies...

If you can, also try to talk to current employees, use the same specificity in your questioning here as well. A good rule of thumb is to take note of people who are overly positive as well as people who are overly negative; extremes tend to carry inconsistencies. You’re only gathering data and trying to deduce what a place is actually like, not necessarily what someone else says it is like. Your task is to synthesize the info you collect into something that you feel gives you an idea on if you should continue pursuing this place or search elsewhere. Also, check out Archinect’s “Just Design” series, in collaboration with Architecture Lobby, for profiles on firms that are taking the idea of a healthy work environment to the next level. This will equip you in establishing a frame of mind of what’s possible for you in your career when it comes to excellent culture.

Get inside their heads

Next is to learn as much as you can about the leadership at the firms on your list. In a perfect world, you would know the person hiring you on some kind of personal level: a mentor, a teacher, a family friend even, anything that gives you the inside scoop on their character and values. Having a previously established relationship with the person you’ll be working for, is one of the best insurance policies you could have when it comes to employment. With that said, a working relationship can sometimes alter a personal one in ways that both parties might have never anticipated — life’s never black and white.

If you don’t personally know your prospects, you’ll have to do some more investigating. Remember that everyone in the workforce is playing some kind of role, a character, even you, it’s quite normal. You might be playing the part of the young enthusiastic designer, or perhaps the intermediate professional eager to impact the profession in some new way, and even then, there is the seasoned master, playing the role of the wise mentor. Shakespeare said it famously:

“All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players; / They have their exits and their entrances, / And one man in his time plays many parts.”
– From As You Like It, the Shakespearean comedy.

And so ultimately, you want to see beneath this “character” and get a sense of the intrinsic values of the people that you will be working for. It’s important here to understand that all you can do is get an idea. Until you meet a person personally, you can never really truly know their character and even then, one meeting can only say so much. This is the constant struggle for employers who have to hire someone after only one or two interviews.

The best way for you to get to know a prospect is to apply for the job and go in for an interview. Have some questions prepared for them: “How do you feel about work-life balance?”, or “How do you tend to address a team member who has made a big mistake on a project?”, even “What’s your philosophy on leadership?” Yes, you are there for an interview, but so are they. Also, keep in mind that this dynamic between you and an employer will be different depending on your experience level. If you’re right out of school, you might want to know more about mentorship rather than leadership philosophy or you may want to ask what a typical day would look like for you.

If a firm isn’t hiring, but you’re interested, it’s completely okay to send over an email expressing your interest to learn more

Informational interviews are always something to try as well. If a firm isn’t hiring, but you’re interested, it’s completely okay to send over an email expressing your interest to learn more. The worst that could happen is that you won’t get a meeting, but, if you do, then you can start building a relationship. Down the road, when opportunities open up, you’ll be top of mind.

Get historical

In addition to being a detective, you’ll also want to get a bit historical. Every firm has some kind of history and reputation. Focus on the longevity of the staff, both currently and in the past. When you look at the current staff for an office, how long have the team members been working there? Is there a disproportionate amount of people who are new? Why is that? It could be a good thing, perhaps the firm is expanding. But it could be more questionable, perhaps people keep leaving for deeper reasons. Your research with current and former employees will give you some insights into what’s going on. You’re not looking for something bad here, all you’re doing is gathering data to inform you in your decision making.

Be smart about your investigation also. Try to talk with people that you have some kind of relationship with, even if it’s just someone you went to school with. Regardless if you and this person ever knew each other, you share the commonality of the same school, and so you can use that when reaching out.

Someone you’ve interacted with in the past is even better. And if you’re sending a cold email to someone, just be sure to acknowledge that you understand that they are busy and that it is okay if they are not able to get back to you. Keep it short and sweet.

Part 3: Just Do It

In the end, you’ll eventually have to take a chance, get out there, and see where the chips fall. There isn’t any amount of data, research, and investigation that will replace personal experience. Embracing the techniques we’ve discussed will give you a solid grounding in your process, but the most important thing to remember is to not cripple yourself. If you sincerely believe a particular place is where you should be, then send over your materials and put your best self out there. If it ends up being the wrong place, it’s okay, you can learn from the experience. But if it’s a perfect fit, then you will have been justified in taking that chance.

You’ve got the tools. Start your investigation, embrace your inner general, and get ready to play your part on the world stage.