Does anybody know what you need for getting a better chance of employment in the NYC/USA? I’m an architectural designer with a European Master’s degree.
All you need is to be more competent than the other applicants. Since you've decided to crowd-source such a basic question, I will guess that your chances are not good.
Sep 16, 20 10:46 am ·
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przemula
Why you're being such a bitch? OP is probably FOB immigrant minding his own business and trying to improve his life, asking an advice how to get a job, and you have to counter with your grumpy old man comments. Go be a downer somewhere else
Sep 16, 20 2:12 pm ·
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Non Sequitur
Why be a wanker when one-post ponies crowd-source super generic questions? Also, I'm not old at all.
what sometimes can give a foreign applicant an edge is when the office you apply to has projects in your country of origin. I was once hired as a designer (not architect!) on the spot in NY, they cleared a desk for me after my talk and could start right away because they were just asked to participate in a competition in my home country (NL). So, do your research and know who to apply to :-)
Indeed, this is the single greatest advantage - to know the culture, code, and language of the home country where your US firm hopes to work in.
Sep 16, 20 11:18 am ·
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Jay1122
Only huge international firms require the cultural and language aspect. And they mostly want senior level, not entry level. Honestly most of time they just find a local AOR to collaborate if they are not familiar. I have only seen less than 5 specifically wants certain language out of thousands posts. To rely on that to find job is not logical. And the competition case mentioned above, you will get booted way too fast after competition is done.
Sep 16, 20 11:30 am ·
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randomised
Jay, just look at the list of employees of offices and where they do projects...Also at jr level it can be a great benefit to know language and customs of other countries. Just look at the employee list of a firm like MVRDV, the position of people, from intern all the way up to senior/associate, and where they actually have projects going...it is a huge foot in the door!
LOL Richard Meier's office.You do know that is a starchitect right? If you can make it into that office, i think you can make it into every office with or without the foreign language part. Oh, female interns should avoid. Maybe handsome guys too.
NYC jobs are cut throat competitive. With 40K-50K for entry level. IDK how you survive on your own with that salary. Probably co-live in basement and cant afford anything. If you have Visa, many small firms do not like that. Big firms will hold you hostage and use you as slave. If you do not believe me, come try it.
Sep 16, 20 11:27 am ·
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Jay1122
Oh wait, you are asking for better chance. Are you in NYC already? And wondering why you can't land a job?
I was in your spot 2-3 years ago. You need to have solid portfolio and good amount of luck. Keep in mind, that your resume will probably be always on the bottom of the stack, since locals are ahead of you. Do you have any professional work experience in US or you just landed here? I'd recommend actually searching the offices that CEOs are from the same country as you - I know it might be very hard to find, but I'm Polish and was first hired by Polish-American architects (didn't even know they're Polish up until the end of interview; and me knowing Polish language was actually a solid advantage, since they were hiring mostly Eastern European contractors and I was able to communicate with them). In my current firm my boss is Bosnian, and she hires a lot of people from Balkans, mostly Serbs or other Bosnians. Maybe she has sentiment to her people - I don't know, but it's definitely a thing.
Sep 16, 20 1:54 pm ·
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Jay1122
"In my current firm my boss is Bosnian, and she hires a lot of people from Balkans, mostly Serbs or other Bosnians." That is definitely racial profiling. Big NO NO. How big is that firm.
Sep 16, 20 2:40 pm ·
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przemula
Yes, it is racial profiling... my ass. Company hires people from all over Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Every single person that works here speaks 2 or 3 languages, and most of us has dual nationalities, nobody is being discriminated. Damn, can't do anything nowadays without being called racist
In addition, are we talking about getting jobs in competitive firm or any mediocre jobs in NYC to set foot in the U.S. for work experience. If you just want mediocre jobs doing renovation and small commercial, probably not that hard. If you want to get into nice competitive firm. Now that is a different story.
Sep 16, 20 2:37 pm ·
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randomised
It will be harder as a foreigner to get into a mediocre office simply because the majority of architects is mediocre at best and competing for that level of firms out there ;-)
Sep 16, 20 4:16 pm ·
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przemula
>If you just want mediocre jobs doing renovation and small commercial, probably not that hard.
It is very hard for foreigners to get even that kind of job, please do not comment if you don't have knowledge or experience about certain things. Local folks people are always ahead.
Sep 16, 20 4:18 pm ·
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Jay1122
The only downside of foreigner is the problem of work visa. Its a lottery and not guaranteed long term employment. Other than that, should not be that much different. It is all relative anyway. Personal talent and skill usually matters most.You can't find one maybe because you suck, not because you are a foreigner. NYC sucks, would rather go to 2nd tier city like Chicago, or even midwest city.
I can't speak for NYC, but over here on the Left Coast there are many foreign-born people working at every level in every size firm. It could just be that the pestilence is making it an especially bad time to be looking for work.
Sep 16, 20 5:01 pm ·
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natematt
I don't think there are that many foreign EDUCATED people working at low levels here.... or really anywhere in the US i would suspect?
OP's work experience is unclear. I know a number of people who have foreign education and experience, and then have started working here, but I don't know anyone who has no domestic education and very little experience that has a job here.
Sep 17, 20 7:19 pm ·
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Foreign Junior Architect
All you need is to be more competent than the other applicants. Since you've decided to crowd-source such a basic question, I will guess that your chances are not good.
Why you're being such a bitch? OP is probably FOB immigrant minding his own business and trying to improve his life, asking an advice how to get a job, and you have to counter with your grumpy old man comments. Go be a downer somewhere else
Why be a wanker when one-post ponies crowd-source super generic questions? Also, I'm not old at all.
what sometimes can give a foreign applicant an edge is when the office you apply to has projects in your country of origin. I was once hired as a designer (not architect!) on the spot in NY, they cleared a desk for me after my talk and could start right away because they were just asked to participate in a competition in my home country (NL). So, do your research and know who to apply to :-)
Indeed, this is the single greatest advantage - to know the culture, code, and language of the home country where your US firm hopes to work in.
Only huge international firms require the cultural and language aspect. And they mostly want senior level, not entry level. Honestly most of time they just find a local AOR to collaborate if they are not familiar. I have only seen less than 5 specifically wants certain language out of thousands posts. To rely on that to find job is not logical. And the competition case mentioned above, you will get booted way too fast after competition is done.
Jay, just look at the list of employees of offices and where they do projects...Also at jr level it can be a great benefit to know language and customs of other countries. Just look at the employee list of a firm like MVRDV, the position of people, from intern all the way up to senior/associate, and where they actually have projects going...it is a huge foot in the door!
Speaking of the devil - https://archinect.com/jobs/entry/150221313/junior-designer-italian-speaking A junior, Italian-speaking designer.
LOL Richard Meier's office.You do know that is a starchitect right? If you can make it into that office, i think you can make it into every office with or without the foreign language part. Oh, female interns should avoid. Maybe handsome guys too.
NYC jobs are cut throat competitive. With 40K-50K for entry level. IDK how you survive on your own with that salary. Probably co-live in basement and cant afford anything. If you have Visa, many small firms do not like that. Big firms will hold you hostage and use you as slave. If you do not believe me, come try it.
Oh wait, you are asking for better chance. Are you in NYC already? And wondering why you can't land a job?
Exactly, and I am eligable to work in US.
I was in your spot 2-3 years ago. You need to have solid portfolio and good amount of luck. Keep in mind, that your resume will probably be always on the bottom of the stack, since locals are ahead of you. Do you have any professional work experience in US or you just landed here? I'd recommend actually searching the offices that CEOs are from the same country as you - I know it might be very hard to find, but I'm Polish and was first hired by Polish-American architects (didn't even know they're Polish up until the end of interview; and me knowing Polish language was actually a solid advantage, since they were hiring mostly Eastern European contractors and I was able to communicate with them). In my current firm my boss is Bosnian, and she hires a lot of people from Balkans, mostly Serbs or other Bosnians. Maybe she has sentiment to her people - I don't know, but it's definitely a thing.
"In my current firm my boss is Bosnian, and she hires a lot of people from Balkans, mostly Serbs or other Bosnians." That is definitely racial profiling. Big NO NO. How big is that firm.
Yes, it is racial profiling... my ass. Company hires people from all over Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Every single person that works here speaks 2 or 3 languages, and most of us has dual nationalities, nobody is being discriminated. Damn, can't do anything nowadays without being called racist
are you saying BLM is all fake?
are you saying my mom is a whore?
Balkan Lives Matters!
In addition, are we talking about getting jobs in competitive firm or any mediocre jobs in NYC to set foot in the U.S. for work experience. If you just want mediocre jobs doing renovation and small commercial, probably not that hard. If you want to get into nice competitive firm. Now that is a different story.
It will be harder as a foreigner to get into a mediocre office simply because the majority of architects is mediocre at best and competing for that level of firms out there ;-)
>If you just want mediocre jobs doing renovation and small commercial, probably not that hard.
It is very hard for foreigners to get even that kind of job, please do not comment if you don't have knowledge or experience about certain things. Local folks people are always ahead.
The only downside of foreigner is the problem of work visa. Its a lottery and not guaranteed long term employment. Other than that, should not be that much different. It is all relative anyway. Personal talent and skill usually matters most.You can't find one maybe because you suck, not because you are a foreigner. NYC sucks, would rather go to 2nd tier city like Chicago, or even midwest city.
I can't speak for NYC, but over here on the Left Coast there are many foreign-born people working at every level in every size firm. It could just be that the pestilence is making it an especially bad time to be looking for work.
I don't think there are that many foreign EDUCATED people working at low levels here.... or really anywhere in the US i would suspect?
OP's work experience is unclear. I know a number of people who have foreign education and experience, and then have started working here, but I don't know anyone who has no domestic education and very little experience that has a job here.
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