is it considered poor form to email a coverletter and resume unsolicited? my resume is in PDF, but i realize that sending an unsolicited email w/ attachment is a bad idea. i can instead send them a link to my resume, which is on my website, though I feel like there is less chance that they will look at it.
is it better just to call? or does that waste people's time?
and lastly, has anyone here had success using this method?
im currently looking for an internship for the summer. i think that the best thing to do is actually to show up at the office. at a few small offices i met the architects in charge and had pseudo-interviews on the spot.
since it's not always possible to visit all offices, if you call, some offices will give you the name and e-mail of the person incharge of hiring.
well thats what i did, probably not the best technique though, i still dont have a job.
Honestly,
There is nothing wrong with pursuing a firm before anyone begins to pursue; however, a very appropriate way to do so is to call the firm and speak with the secretary or whoever happens to answer. Ask them if it is okay to send your resume, cover letter, and portfolio. If they say yes, the tell them your name and how they should expect it(ie: snail mail, or email, etc...). Also, I would encourage you to have someone "sponsor" your cover letter. It looks a lot more attractive for someone to speak for you who has prestigue rather than yourself.
Anyhow, I base this information from a business class I took-Personal Selling. The professor who taught the class is the former CEO of Ford Motor Co. for Europe, CEO of Kodak, and some other huge companies...so I take his word for it-he has hired the best so I value his opinion.
If you have any other questions about how to go about interviewing please let me know.
Mjh00c is right. Obviously, firms who are actively looking for employees are more likely to respond, as are firms where you deliver your resume personally, even if you only talk to the secretary. Knowing someone in the firm your looking at or having a professional recommend you are not always luxuries every entry level designers have.
Sending an email unsolicited, especially if not to human resources, will never get read. I never read anything when I dont know where it's from.
When I began looking for a job I started by putting my resume and coverletter, along with a teaser for my portfolio (just a couple of images and text) together in envelopes and going to firms personally when I could, and mailing them when I couldn't. I got a few interviews, but ultimately, if you don't have experience with construction documents, or working as a cad monkey, your best bet is to surf the classifieds and target those firms. Good luck to you, it took me six months.
sorry Cloutier but i believe that showing up unsolicited is a dangerous way to go, i worked at a small firm in boston...we had a few things published so people knew who we were and felt like it was ok to just show up prepared to take a principals time. not wise - i think it sends a message that might be too aggressive - i know my boss at the time really hated being interrupted by people wandering in the door looking to 'chat'. hell, he hated it when i bothered him, and i worked there!
put together a good website and/or resume portfolio sample and distribute however you like...be sure to follow up via phone. it may take a while to get in touch with the desired person but be persistant - it will eventually work. i believe that you do have to force people to take notice, but you should give them 'an out' if they dont have the time...i.e. ignore a phone call.
do what you need to do. who cares whether some think its bad form. if you did everything to be agreeable with the profession, you would constantly be running in circles.
In my experience firms have appreciated receiving resumes even if they were not seeking help, if asked first. This can be as simple as calling a firm and telling them that you would like to send them your resume, be friendly, and they will undoubtedly, whether looking or not have you send them your resume. In most cases firms are glad that there are people interested in working for them, without them soliciting, and will at least be polite enough to accept your resume and cover letter. Also by making this initial contact you will stand out when they receive your information. This is less about protcol in the proffession, meversusyou, and more about tact, in regards to first impression and gettign the job. There are things you can be rebelious in, but get your foot in the door first.
Whenever I have resorted to "cold-calling" in the past, I always made sure to have someone to address inquiries and let them know roughly when I would be calling to follow-up. Addressing your inquiry to someone you've spoken with or at least mentioning who told you to direct it, means your willing to put in a little effort and might actually get your letter read. Further, following through on what you've committed to writing exhibits some level of professionalism and indicates that you may actually be together enough to warrant time for an interview. It's worked for me so far.
How big of a difference is there btw sending a package via snail mail (provided you warned the office it would be coming and addressed it accordingly) or taking the time to visit the office(s) in person to drop off the resume/letter/portfolio? Considering that all due tact and professionalism was exhibited, is it worth it to show up in person?
its always worth the extra effort. show them who you are in person. i know alot of people that have great talent with graphics, presentation, design, and it shows in their portfolio... but they cant seem to hold a decent conversation to save their lives.
let them know you can speak for yourself. i've always been a fan of trying to control the interview. i ask questions that i already know a series of follow ups. i even designed a portfolio for the specific purpose of taking it into an office for the first time.
details are the name of the game. that is basically what architecture is, so if you can control every minor aspect of yourself, the better you are.
Visiting in person is worth trying with some firms. I think if a firm has a street-level storefront or something like that then they'd appear to be more approachable. But otherwise I would definately call the firm rather than dropping by.
If dropping by is your ONLY approach to your job search then you're going to miss a large proportion of the firms in the city - especially the smaller ones - because they aren't set up for walk-in traffic and there isn't necessarily any way to get to them.
Architecture firms don't usually get unscheduled visitors (except product reps, who aren't always welcome anyway) so they often see them as a nuisance - kind of like dropping in on people without calling first. It isn't the same as dropping by a business that's usually open to the public - like a store or restaurant!
Our firm is in a large old loft complex. There are actually several architecture firms of varying sizes in the complex - probably about 20% of all the firms in this greater metropolitan area. There are no doorbells, no receptionists, doormen, or security guards to let one in. Access to any of the buildings is by key only, and unless you've made an appointment with us (or any of the other firms in the complex) we wouldn't know to come let you in. I think if you did somehow get into the buildings and wander around to the firms most woule be more disconcerted than impressed.
Plus, if you drop by unexpected and we actually have time to talk to you that might mean we're very underworked at the moment - in which case we might have a good conversation but we're probably not hiring!
Calling firms and asking to whom to direct your resume is usually a good way to not only get your papers into the right person's hand, but to guage which firms are currently busy and hiring.
sending resumes unsolicited
is it considered poor form to email a coverletter and resume unsolicited? my resume is in PDF, but i realize that sending an unsolicited email w/ attachment is a bad idea. i can instead send them a link to my resume, which is on my website, though I feel like there is less chance that they will look at it.
is it better just to call? or does that waste people's time?
and lastly, has anyone here had success using this method?
Send resume and cover letter to firms asking for help. Lot's of us out there to choose from.
im currently looking for an internship for the summer. i think that the best thing to do is actually to show up at the office. at a few small offices i met the architects in charge and had pseudo-interviews on the spot.
since it's not always possible to visit all offices, if you call, some offices will give you the name and e-mail of the person incharge of hiring.
well thats what i did, probably not the best technique though, i still dont have a job.
Honestly,
There is nothing wrong with pursuing a firm before anyone begins to pursue; however, a very appropriate way to do so is to call the firm and speak with the secretary or whoever happens to answer. Ask them if it is okay to send your resume, cover letter, and portfolio. If they say yes, the tell them your name and how they should expect it(ie: snail mail, or email, etc...). Also, I would encourage you to have someone "sponsor" your cover letter. It looks a lot more attractive for someone to speak for you who has prestigue rather than yourself.
Anyhow, I base this information from a business class I took-Personal Selling. The professor who taught the class is the former CEO of Ford Motor Co. for Europe, CEO of Kodak, and some other huge companies...so I take his word for it-he has hired the best so I value his opinion.
If you have any other questions about how to go about interviewing please let me know.
Mjh00c is right. Obviously, firms who are actively looking for employees are more likely to respond, as are firms where you deliver your resume personally, even if you only talk to the secretary. Knowing someone in the firm your looking at or having a professional recommend you are not always luxuries every entry level designers have.
Sending an email unsolicited, especially if not to human resources, will never get read. I never read anything when I dont know where it's from.
When I began looking for a job I started by putting my resume and coverletter, along with a teaser for my portfolio (just a couple of images and text) together in envelopes and going to firms personally when I could, and mailing them when I couldn't. I got a few interviews, but ultimately, if you don't have experience with construction documents, or working as a cad monkey, your best bet is to surf the classifieds and target those firms. Good luck to you, it took me six months.
Check out Perkins Eastman they are currently hiring and they usually hire interns forte summer
sorry Cloutier but i believe that showing up unsolicited is a dangerous way to go, i worked at a small firm in boston...we had a few things published so people knew who we were and felt like it was ok to just show up prepared to take a principals time. not wise - i think it sends a message that might be too aggressive - i know my boss at the time really hated being interrupted by people wandering in the door looking to 'chat'. hell, he hated it when i bothered him, and i worked there!
put together a good website and/or resume portfolio sample and distribute however you like...be sure to follow up via phone. it may take a while to get in touch with the desired person but be persistant - it will eventually work. i believe that you do have to force people to take notice, but you should give them 'an out' if they dont have the time...i.e. ignore a phone call.
my two cents
i do it all the time
do what you need to do. who cares whether some think its bad form. if you did everything to be agreeable with the profession, you would constantly be running in circles.
In my experience firms have appreciated receiving resumes even if they were not seeking help, if asked first. This can be as simple as calling a firm and telling them that you would like to send them your resume, be friendly, and they will undoubtedly, whether looking or not have you send them your resume. In most cases firms are glad that there are people interested in working for them, without them soliciting, and will at least be polite enough to accept your resume and cover letter. Also by making this initial contact you will stand out when they receive your information. This is less about protcol in the proffession, meversusyou, and more about tact, in regards to first impression and gettign the job. There are things you can be rebelious in, but get your foot in the door first.
Whenever I have resorted to "cold-calling" in the past, I always made sure to have someone to address inquiries and let them know roughly when I would be calling to follow-up. Addressing your inquiry to someone you've spoken with or at least mentioning who told you to direct it, means your willing to put in a little effort and might actually get your letter read. Further, following through on what you've committed to writing exhibits some level of professionalism and indicates that you may actually be together enough to warrant time for an interview. It's worked for me so far.
great thread, this is useful stuff for us youngens...
How big of a difference is there btw sending a package via snail mail (provided you warned the office it would be coming and addressed it accordingly) or taking the time to visit the office(s) in person to drop off the resume/letter/portfolio? Considering that all due tact and professionalism was exhibited, is it worth it to show up in person?
its always worth the extra effort. show them who you are in person. i know alot of people that have great talent with graphics, presentation, design, and it shows in their portfolio... but they cant seem to hold a decent conversation to save their lives.
let them know you can speak for yourself. i've always been a fan of trying to control the interview. i ask questions that i already know a series of follow ups. i even designed a portfolio for the specific purpose of taking it into an office for the first time.
details are the name of the game. that is basically what architecture is, so if you can control every minor aspect of yourself, the better you are.
Visiting in person is worth trying with some firms. I think if a firm has a street-level storefront or something like that then they'd appear to be more approachable. But otherwise I would definately call the firm rather than dropping by.
If dropping by is your ONLY approach to your job search then you're going to miss a large proportion of the firms in the city - especially the smaller ones - because they aren't set up for walk-in traffic and there isn't necessarily any way to get to them.
Architecture firms don't usually get unscheduled visitors (except product reps, who aren't always welcome anyway) so they often see them as a nuisance - kind of like dropping in on people without calling first. It isn't the same as dropping by a business that's usually open to the public - like a store or restaurant!
Our firm is in a large old loft complex. There are actually several architecture firms of varying sizes in the complex - probably about 20% of all the firms in this greater metropolitan area. There are no doorbells, no receptionists, doormen, or security guards to let one in. Access to any of the buildings is by key only, and unless you've made an appointment with us (or any of the other firms in the complex) we wouldn't know to come let you in. I think if you did somehow get into the buildings and wander around to the firms most woule be more disconcerted than impressed.
Plus, if you drop by unexpected and we actually have time to talk to you that might mean we're very underworked at the moment - in which case we might have a good conversation but we're probably not hiring!
Calling firms and asking to whom to direct your resume is usually a good way to not only get your papers into the right person's hand, but to guage which firms are currently busy and hiring.
I faxed out about 60 in an attempt to get my first job in architecture, got 3 replies, two job offers, and one job.
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