This is a long post, but any help would be appreciated.
So I am in the lucky position of having three interviews coming up in the next week with different types of architecture firms. Before anyone gets upset at me, I'm not in the US or Europe, so landing interviews so far hasn't been as hard as I think it would be over there (although still not a cakewalk). I think my portfolio is pretty decent and I've got skills in the right software, so that has really helped me. I only have a couple of years of work experience, so I'm young but not exactly unseasoned.
I have a few general questions about the interview process and about which firm would be the best choice for my future. I'd also be interested in hearing any anecdotal or general dos and don'ts during the interview. Life stories, rants, or advice are certainly welcome.
One firm is a large corporate office with offices in several countries. Their work seems similar to Callison or NBBJ. I like the idea of working for a large firm as I may get to travel occasionally and they have some good training programs and resources. I'm afraid of getting pidgeon-holed into doing one thing though.
Another firm is medium-large, only in this country, and the work isn't quite as exciting but it seems like the office culture is great and I would be on a small team, taking a project from start to finish. After a few years there, I could potentially have some real buildings I saw all the way through to completion. I like this option the most, but again, the work isn't the most exciting (they're great, just not quite at the caliber of the other two).
The last firm is a large boutique (almost starchitect) and I think I'll mainly be doing 3D modelling and competitions for them. This one seems the most interesting but I'm concerned I won't learn how to put a good set of CDs together for awhile.
So questions would be:
1. For those who've interviewed or been the interviewer at some of these different types of firms, did you feel the interviews were pretty different? Did you approach the interview differently? I feel like at one firm I might want to talk more about theoretical work and at another just focus on detailing and project experience. Any tips on what firms look for here?
2. I'd like to eventually have my own practice, but I'm not set on that idea. If the company was awesome, I would be thankful for having the job and stay on for as long as I can. Have some of you that were dead-set on having your own practice found work in larger companies to be rewarding enough to stay? Has anyone here setup their own shop after working in a large firm for years? How did the switch go?
3. black suit or charcoal suit (my pink one is at the dry cleaners)?
4. I'm worried about getting an offer from one firm, telling them I have to wait to interview with the others, and then having them withdraw the offer later. Does this ever happen or are firms usually ok with giving you a few days to decide? I don't want to blow my chances with one, fail the next two interviews, and end up back on my ass.
At the end of the day, I might not get offered a job anywhere, but I wanted to ask the Archinect community in advance how they would approach this. Again, I hope this post doesn't come across as insensitive; I left the US precisely because I knew I couldn't find work there.
hey Hawkin, if you shoot me an email I can give you some more details. I'm roughly in South-East Asia.
Had the first interview today and I think it went well. Mainly focused on Revit work and knowledge of spec. writing, detailing, etc. Didn't even look at my portfolio much.
I'd still appreciate some advice in case I get a couple offers.
there are lots of ways to rank the opportunities at hand depending on your priorities. but keep in mind there is a good chance you'll try one or both of the other types of the firms early in your career as you move around to gain perspective --- this is an understood aspect of early practice for many --- so maybe that makes this particular decision feel less life-defining and more just about trying something new
Hi, dontfront, thx. Yep, i know some countries around that area with loads of work. Mainly one involved in war in the 70s and a well-known city-state :)
For my experience, I would just begin with the biggest / most famous or the starchitect if he is REALLY famous (so option 1. or 3.). But I'd go ideally for 1. (multinational corporate). It will be good to see in terms of management, team work, etc. plus you will get more contacts and international exposure.
With experience, it will be easy then to move to boutique / starchitects, they appreciate the management skills you get in that kind of offices. It is always easier to move that way (corporate to small) than the other way around (small to corporate).
So I had the second interview late today w/ the semi-starchitect firm. The vibe actually seemed pretty cool and it sounds like I'll be in a small team and see a large project through from start to finish, which is really what I'm going for.
I have the interview w/ the larger corporate office next week so we will see how that goes. I do think the larger corporate firm might be ideal, as long as I don't get stuck just doing one thing.
Feels crazy to actually have a choice of firms. When I told one firm how much $ I wanted, he looked at me like I was crazy (apparently doesn't understand how bad it is back home, should've asked for more I guess).
Thanks jmanganelli for the advice, I would really like to have one solid, well-designed project in my portfolio that I saw all the way through, so that is my main goal. It is helpful to realize I will be bouncing around, but with the way the world is, I really hope I can get at least a couple years of stability.
The job market is definitely better in certain countries if you have the social and financial means to do it. It's been pretty tough thus far but I think it's going to work out.
Oct 8, 10 10:35 am ·
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Interviews and Job Decisions
Hello All,
This is a long post, but any help would be appreciated.
So I am in the lucky position of having three interviews coming up in the next week with different types of architecture firms. Before anyone gets upset at me, I'm not in the US or Europe, so landing interviews so far hasn't been as hard as I think it would be over there (although still not a cakewalk). I think my portfolio is pretty decent and I've got skills in the right software, so that has really helped me. I only have a couple of years of work experience, so I'm young but not exactly unseasoned.
I have a few general questions about the interview process and about which firm would be the best choice for my future. I'd also be interested in hearing any anecdotal or general dos and don'ts during the interview. Life stories, rants, or advice are certainly welcome.
One firm is a large corporate office with offices in several countries. Their work seems similar to Callison or NBBJ. I like the idea of working for a large firm as I may get to travel occasionally and they have some good training programs and resources. I'm afraid of getting pidgeon-holed into doing one thing though.
Another firm is medium-large, only in this country, and the work isn't quite as exciting but it seems like the office culture is great and I would be on a small team, taking a project from start to finish. After a few years there, I could potentially have some real buildings I saw all the way through to completion. I like this option the most, but again, the work isn't the most exciting (they're great, just not quite at the caliber of the other two).
The last firm is a large boutique (almost starchitect) and I think I'll mainly be doing 3D modelling and competitions for them. This one seems the most interesting but I'm concerned I won't learn how to put a good set of CDs together for awhile.
So questions would be:
1. For those who've interviewed or been the interviewer at some of these different types of firms, did you feel the interviews were pretty different? Did you approach the interview differently? I feel like at one firm I might want to talk more about theoretical work and at another just focus on detailing and project experience. Any tips on what firms look for here?
2. I'd like to eventually have my own practice, but I'm not set on that idea. If the company was awesome, I would be thankful for having the job and stay on for as long as I can. Have some of you that were dead-set on having your own practice found work in larger companies to be rewarding enough to stay? Has anyone here setup their own shop after working in a large firm for years? How did the switch go?
3. black suit or charcoal suit (my pink one is at the dry cleaners)?
4. I'm worried about getting an offer from one firm, telling them I have to wait to interview with the others, and then having them withdraw the offer later. Does this ever happen or are firms usually ok with giving you a few days to decide? I don't want to blow my chances with one, fail the next two interviews, and end up back on my ass.
At the end of the day, I might not get offered a job anywhere, but I wanted to ask the Archinect community in advance how they would approach this. Again, I hope this post doesn't come across as insensitive; I left the US precisely because I knew I couldn't find work there.
Which region are u in? South America? South-East Asia? Middle East? Indian subcontinent?
hey Hawkin, if you shoot me an email I can give you some more details. I'm roughly in South-East Asia.
Had the first interview today and I think it went well. Mainly focused on Revit work and knowledge of spec. writing, detailing, etc. Didn't even look at my portfolio much.
I'd still appreciate some advice in case I get a couple offers.
there are lots of ways to rank the opportunities at hand depending on your priorities. but keep in mind there is a good chance you'll try one or both of the other types of the firms early in your career as you move around to gain perspective --- this is an understood aspect of early practice for many --- so maybe that makes this particular decision feel less life-defining and more just about trying something new
Hi, dontfront, thx. Yep, i know some countries around that area with loads of work. Mainly one involved in war in the 70s and a well-known city-state :)
For my experience, I would just begin with the biggest / most famous or the starchitect if he is REALLY famous (so option 1. or 3.). But I'd go ideally for 1. (multinational corporate). It will be good to see in terms of management, team work, etc. plus you will get more contacts and international exposure.
With experience, it will be easy then to move to boutique / starchitects, they appreciate the management skills you get in that kind of offices. It is always easier to move that way (corporate to small) than the other way around (small to corporate).
Thanks for the advice!
So I had the second interview late today w/ the semi-starchitect firm. The vibe actually seemed pretty cool and it sounds like I'll be in a small team and see a large project through from start to finish, which is really what I'm going for.
I have the interview w/ the larger corporate office next week so we will see how that goes. I do think the larger corporate firm might be ideal, as long as I don't get stuck just doing one thing.
Feels crazy to actually have a choice of firms. When I told one firm how much $ I wanted, he looked at me like I was crazy (apparently doesn't understand how bad it is back home, should've asked for more I guess).
Thanks jmanganelli for the advice, I would really like to have one solid, well-designed project in my portfolio that I saw all the way through, so that is my main goal. It is helpful to realize I will be bouncing around, but with the way the world is, I really hope I can get at least a couple years of stability.
The job market is definitely better in certain countries if you have the social and financial means to do it. It's been pretty tough thus far but I think it's going to work out.
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