Hand carry your resume, letters, samples to the receptionist at the firms you want to work for. See if you can get the business card of someone there you could call back in a few days. The smaller the firm the better chance you have of bypassing the HR monster. Emailing is largely a waste of time.

You don't need CACB to get a job, you need it to certify your degree before you apply for intern status aka the first step towards license. Look up your school and program here:

http://www.naab.org/r/schools/search.aspx?searchtype=A

The reason why you might not have had any call-backs is probably related to your lack of experience and /or billable skills, not whether or not you're missing some mysterious paperwork.

Toronto is saturated hard with fresh graduates with M.arch from local schools with COOP and programs geared towards working in the professional world. These are the types that the large firms hire. Seek out small shops, they might be more inclined to take you on since their projects / clients are not 40 storey condo buildings.

@Volunteer I've talked to a lot of people about whether or not walking into a firm is a good or bad idea, and all of them told me it was a bad idea to just walk into a firm because it would be intruding on their busy day and probably find it annoying. I don't want to have a bad name before I even start working. But I do feel like e-mailing is getting me nowhere.

@Non Sequitur Thank you for the clear up about the CACB and what would you consider billable skills? Also, do you think small firms even if they don't have a posted job opening would still hire, or should I only apply to places with job openings?

I work in Toronto. I wrote a post about making successful applications here:

Getting a job: You need to take that shit seriously.

I will add my voice to those who say it's a bad idea to walk into a firm looking to make contact and pass on your application. Maybe that was what you did 10 or 15 years ago, but whenever it's happened in the offices I've worked in I've never seen it follow through, and many times I've heard grumbles about the presumptuousness of the applicant. It's especially awkward when we all work in an open office with no receptionist, as many smaller firms do.

Delph, who ever told you not to walk into an office is a fool. At the very least, you can hard-call a senior partner and introduce yourself. It's much easier to say no that an email, specially one where the applicant has no work history, than to a friendly face. Remember, everyone, even the top dogs in the corner offices once started out with zero experience.

My office is wicked busy but yet our senior VP will always take time to speak to someone even when we are not actively looking for staff. With enough calls and some luck, you'll get someone on a good day willing to hear you out. But the resume folder is several hundred un-read emails deep.

As for your other question, billable skills are things your employer can charge an hourly rate to their clients. These, at the intern stage, normally amount to proficiency at drafting and basic detailing / modelling.

You can also look on the OAA job adds.

The idea is not to be pushy; meeting people is what a receptionist is for is it not? You are not asking for any principal's time. If you are nicely dressed and groomed and polite, you have just met several hiring qualifications off the bat. You can't do any worse than you are doing now. If you do get an interview by another means are they going to remember that you were the person who dropped off a resume in person and hold that against you?

Well thank you for the advice from both angles. 

@Stephanie I read your article and my portfolio is where I have the question. The school I went to was in the transition phase between hand drafting and CAD/Revit. All my projects from my first 3 years of University are hand drafted. Only in my last year do I have CAD/Revit projects. Would you suggest only using those examples? Or do you think the hand drafted even sketches to watercolours would be a good thing to show in a portfolio?

Also, just a general question, is a portfolio the most important piece in getting a job? 

@Non Sequitur thank you for the advice. I've actually applied to every junior/intern position that has opened up on OAA for the last month, there has been no response from any of the cover letters, resumes I've sent out. 

I guess my biggest question was whether I was missing something that I was supposed to do.

Use work that puts your skills in the best possible light. There are a lot of people who appreciate very well articulated hand-drafting. 

Since you're unemployed right now, you have plenty of time to re-work old projects with new methods you learned later in your degree. If you like an older project but don't like how you presented it the first time around, it would be beneficial to revisit and revise. 

Connections are the most important piece in getting a job, but lacking connections your portfolio is a close second.

I stand by my position on walk-ins: I've never seen it work and I don't think it's worth the risk of pissing off someone who has the power to hire you. Addressing a printed application directly to the partner, I've seen that work (numerous times). Emailing an application is probably the least productive method. Word of mouth and recommendations from people you know are the best ways in.

Good luck!

Have you joined the Toronto Architects Association? Their website shows about fifteen lectures and meetings between now and the end of March. Seems like it would be an excellent way to meet other architects and find out who is doing what in the city.

@Stephanie Thank you for help and advice, it's been very helpful. 

@Volunteer Thank you, I didn't realize they had lecture dates posted there.

Don't let Stephanie dictate how you approach a firm, that's ridiculous. If an owner thinks of you as 'presumptuous' by walking in and asking to chat with a manager, YOU DON'T WANT TO WORK THERE ANYWAY.  Having said that, the major Canadian markets are currently soul-crushing places to try to find a job, but opportunities are out there.

There is no 'wrong way' to get your foot in the door. Be fearless, be persistent, and make it a full-time job to get that first job.

Coming from an American, who went to school in the US, and now working in Vancouver, I'll share a few observations that I've noticed that might be a hurdle for you.

1. For me, networking was key to getting a job in Vancouver.  I had several years of work experience, so I wasn't in the same position as you being fresh out of school, but I was able to tap into a small network of people that I had connections to from school.  Others in my office have also made the "networking" comment.  I don't know if that's unique to Vancouver, but it was definitely a factor.  

2. There are very few architecture schools in Canada, and many of them have work terms as part of their curriculum, which is a huge benefit to being rehired after graduation.  We currently have several work term student interns in my office, and they tend to have priority over anyone else if they decide to return.  

3. Related to #2, there is definitely some loyalty paid towards Canadian school students/graduates.  Many of our partners went to Canadian schools, and they tend to give students from their alma mater a break.  If you think about it, Canada is a small county population wise, and they tend to take care of their own.  I'm not even sure a degree from GSD will trump a fellow Dalhousie grad.

Other suggestions:

Have you thought about trying to set up informational interviews instead of job interviews?  It might be a better way to get your foot in the door, and be able to talk to someone who has some influence in the firm you're talking to.  Informational interviews can also be less stressful, and casual than a formal job interview.  

In terms of your portfolio skills, I personally feel good hand drawing skills are a strong asset that should be showcased.  A good office will be looking for talented designers with a diversity of skills, not just photoshop.  That being said, you also want to showcase some good rendering/modeling skills along with everything else.  In all reality, those are valuable skills that most, if not all offices are looking for.  

I hope that helps.

@rothko67 Thank you it does help very much. I've never actually heard of an informational interview until now.

Since I do not have any connections yet, how would you suggest I go about finding someone to interview?

Aaarrrrgh! One of the Architects posting here trying to help you is in Toronto. Offer to take her to lunch for heaven's sake.

I'm a fan of Ravi Soups