Archinect - Features

Your Architecture Work Sample Isn’t Your Portfolio. 10 Creative Tips To Keep in Mind When Job Searching

2024-09-12T12:20:00-04:00

In many cases, your work sample is the first visual evidence you will offer a prospective employer when applying for a new architectural position. What you include in your sample, as well as how you structure and present it, is therefore important for creating a good first impression and increasing your chances of progressing through to an interview and job offer.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to work samples, just as there is no one-size-fits-all approach to design. Your own work sample will be influenced not only by your preferences and tastes but also by the medium through which you are presenting it, the type of firm you are applying to, and the stage of your career.

The following set of ten tips on creating your work sample is, therefore, not a rigid prescription but answers to common queries we hear on the topic, suggestions based on the experience of our team and community, and questions to ask yourself as you assemble your own work sample to aid your next job searc...

How To Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Architecture Portfolio When Job Searching

2024-08-07T11:49:00-04:00

Your architecture portfolio is one of your most powerful tools when searching for a new career opportunity. Whether describing your work at a networking event or presenting your previous projects in an interview setting, the ability to clearly and succinctly pitch your portfolio has the potential to evoke intrigue and excitement in the listener and influence the lens through which your prospective employer will read your wider work. However, the ability to capture a body of work as rich, complex, and varied as an architecture portfolio requires deliberate planning and preparation.

With that in mind, we have assembled below a series of tips to help you design and deliver a brief elevator pitch to introduce your architecture portfolio during a job search.

Do you have advice for pitching your portfolio while searching for your next role? Let us know in the comments.

How to Use Archinect to Get a Job: Optimizing Your Profile With Your Current Portfolio and CV

2021-01-26T09:00:00-05:00

It goes without saying that the job market for architects is really tough right now. It does need to be said, however, that there is much more job seekers can do to improve their chances of getting hired. Naturally, Archinect, the first and only go-to talent marketplace for the Architecture industry, is the place to start.

Archinect currently hosts nearly 40,000 active job seekers within our huge directory of architecture portfolios and profiles in Talent Finder. Archinect also hosts tens of thousands of firms that are actively utilizing Archinect to find new staff. The problem, as we've heard from many employers, is that too many job seekers are doing a less-than-stellar job at selling themselves.

But fear not, we're here to help! We've compiled the feedback from employers, and studied our huge database of job seeker profiles, to put together a simple guide to help you optimize your profile to increase your chances of getting employed.

Announcing the winners of Archinect UK Portfolio Competition 2017!

2017-07-27T04:09:00-04:00

Earlier this year, we launched the UK portfolio competition to celebrate and expose the wealth of fantastic work already up on Archinect as well as to encourage individuals not registered to upload and share their work with our global online community.

What should be in your portfolio? Firms tell you what they're looking for and how to get hired

2015-05-28T12:15:00-04:00

Putting together a portfolio for a job application is practically a design commission in of itself. What projects should be included? How should they be presented? Most importantly, what does the compendium of work say about you, the applicant? After speaking with employers, we discovered that the work itself isn’t necessarily as important as the thought and agility the portfolio demonstrates.

Architecture and Design Graduates – How to Secure Your First Position – Part 1: Writing Your CV, Writing a Cover Letter

2011-07-14T13:37:00-04:00

by James Long/Ellicott Long

Finding your first architecture or design job can be a daunting experience. It is the culmination of all those years of hard work and study and the chance to go and get some real experience in the industry. Throughout my time recruiting within the design profession I have seen a lot of graduate level CV’s and design portfolios and I have met a lot of candidates looking to take that first step into a design firm. This article hopes to provide some useful guidance on how to maximise your chances of success in securing that initial role and draws on examples that I have myself experienced both in the UK and Asia.

As there is quite a lot to focus on so this guide will be published in 3 parts:

Part 1 (this article): Writing Your CV, Writing a Cover Letter
Part 2: Assembling a Portfolio, Applying for Positions
Part 3: Interviewing Successfully, Accepting An Offer

Architecture and Design Graduates – How to Secure Your First Position – Part 2: Assembling a Portfolio, Applying for Positions

2011-07-14T13:37:00-04:00

by James Long/Ellicott Long

Continuing our Graduate Theme, we now focus on Part 2 of our article for Architecture and Design Graduates.

Part 1: Writing Your CV, Writing a Cover Letter
Part 2 (this article): Assembling a Portfolio, Applying for Positions
Part 3: Interviewing Successfully, Accepting An Offer

Architecture and Design Graduates – How to Secure Your First Position – Part 3: Interviewing Successfully, Accepting An Offer

2011-07-14T13:37:00-04:00

by James Long/Ellicott Long

In the final part of our Graduate Advice blog I look at how to interview successfully and then how to handle your first offer.

Part 1: Writing Your CV, Writing a Cover Letter
Part 2: Assembling a Portfolio, Applying for Positions
Part 3 (this article): Interviewing Successfully, Accepting An Offer