Archinect - First Architecture Job

First Architecture Job: Find out and focus on what matters

2014-06-13T02:24:00-04:00

Due to perfectionist attitude of many architecture students, we have a tendency to get carried away on the details. This results in spending way too much time in one area and ending up not spending enough time in other areas. If you have been in an architectural studio, you know exactly what I am talking about.

When it comes to getting your first architecture job, it is critical that you focus on the things that are important. If you get the most important things done first, you will greatly increase your chances of securing a job after graduation. This is great skill to get outside of your own head and realize that some things need immediate attention.

Let me give you an example. Some people say “the design of the portfolio is very important”. OK, accepted and agreed – but only as a stand alone question. But is it really that important in the context of getting a job. Absolutely not. I can say this with 100% confidence. The content of your portfolio probably accounts for 90-95% of su...

First Architecture Job: 5 top ways to eliminate competition to secure a job

2014-06-05T11:57:41-04:00

Most architectural graduates have no idea of the competition that is out there. Every single year there are about 12,000 graduates in North America. Each and every one wants a job. Ok, not so good but not so bad right? There are enough firms to get everyone jobs? Maybe………

What you don't realize is that there are about 40,000 other people already waiting for jobs in the industry. These are architects with tons of work experience who got laid off, graduates from last year who (have done summer internships) are still looking for jobs and immigrant architects from other countries. All of them will beat you in every job application. If you have just graduated, you have got nothing on them. Trust me I have been in that position. Given this, it is paramount that you try to eliminate as much competition as possible.

Note: Online application is the worst strategy. There is literally no way to stand out or eliminate competition. Everybody in the entire country is applying for every single job o...

First Architecture Job: 4 best ways to streamline your job hunt

2014-05-29T12:04:44-04:00

Like I have always said, doing generic applications will lead to failure. There is too much competition out there to be generic and succeed. You must become “special” to some architecture firms because you have got exactly what they want. They will hire you without thinking twice. Here are the 4 best ways you can be more focused and streamlined to get that first architecture job exactly where you want:

1) Streamline your portfolio: Relevancy and drafting skills. If you are applying to a commercial architecture firm that mostly designs university buildings – there should be something in your portfolio to address that. If it is residential firm, your portfolio should be full of residential projects. Remove everything else that is not relevant – even if it includes most of your school projects. If you don’t have much relevant projects, build a new portfolio. Get a trial version of the software they use in the firm that you want a job in, select a real life project and try to model it. D...

First Architecture Job: The single most important thing you must do

2014-05-22T00:50:52-04:00

When it comes to getting that first job after architecture school, many students have no idea what it actually takes to be successful. Let me tell you from personal experience, having observed friends and colleagues and three years of research - it is quite simple if you know what you are doing. On the other hand, it can be very frustrating if you don't know what you are doing.

Let me share with you one simple advice that should be the very foundation of your job 'mindset'. This should be your underlying goal at all times. You may even stop every week or two and reflect whether you are following this one simple step or not.

And that one single most important thing is: EMULATING AN EXPERIENCED PERSON.

Your goal should be to emulate someone who has somewhere around 2-3 years of experience working in architecture firms.

In emulating an experienced person, try to copy their:

Resume. It is simple, non-designy, only showing relevant and recent work experience. Remove all other garbage from you...

First architecture job: 5 questions to ask yourself before job hunting

2014-05-15T08:31:00-04:00

In many cases, architectural graduates struggle to get a job because they have not taken the time to find out what they want in their first job. This results in a generic approach. You will fail by being generic. But you can succeed by being focused and unique. You should really find out exactly where you want to go and then focus your energy towards it.

Here are 5 really important questions you need to answer for yourself before you jump to job hunting and applications:

1) Commercial or residential firm? This is one of the simplest ones but also one of the hardest questions to answer. But you must only choose one and focus. Commercial architecture firms tend to be bigger and there are more opportunities to learn since they have more people, more projects and more resources. On the other hand, residential architecture firms can give you a more well rounded experience in project management and client meetings. Both of them have some pros and cons but I recommend choosing a commercial a...