i have an interview coming up for my first internship with an architecture firm. the job will mostly involve drafting.
the thing is, i don't have much technical stuff to include in my portfolio since i have never worked in architecture before and i have just finished my first year of the m.arch.1.
i'm worried that my portfolio has too much abstract, theoretical stuff that no employer could possibly care about, and nothing that shows that i can draft. i'm also worried that i have too little in my portfolio in the first place.
has anyone been in this situation? any advice on how to make a good early portfolio?
My first question for you is can you draft? If so, you should set out some time and do some technical drwaings of anything you can get technical with. That way you get some practice, and you get what you feel you are lacking in your portfolio.
Of course you may not have time to actually do these drawings and add them to your portfolio. In this case, I would say get any technical drawings that you do have, digitize them, and make a cd for your interview as a leave behind in addition to your portolio.
Unfortunately, a portfolio does require somewhat of a "body" of work. If you don't have much to show, that is ok. A good composition on a page can make a quite an impression, regardless of how much content there is. A portfolio doesn't need to be saturated with work, it just needs to be done well.
If your resume was clear about what level you are in your program then most likely this firm does not expect you to have much experience. If the firm and your school are in the same general region chances are that the employer is somewhat familiar with the school - perhaps has even employed students or grads of your school before - and will be familiar with the level and types of skills of a typical student.
Many firms expect to have to train students extensively. Some even prefer to hire students with little professional/technical experience because they like to train someone who is a "blank slate" more than someone who they feel needs to be deprogrammed of other training.
If you don't have technical work/drafting work to show then you should obviously show whatever you do have. Show a mix of work, make sure to include things you can talk about knowledgeably/passionately, and do NOT call anyone's attention to what is lacking.
Do you have any work that you might have done for something like a materials or structures course? Any construction details? Any basic CAD plans of any sort? If so include them. If not don't worry about it.
Go with what you have, make the best of it, say nothing to indicate that you feel your portfolio is the least bit lacking (unless you're asked something about what skills/experience you're most interested in getting this summer), and let the interviewer come to his own conclusions.
I'd say quality over quantity. Don't worry about the amount of work that you have, it's good right? If you think that they want a well trained drafter, then make sure to show them your drawings. You're skill level is set in stone right now, just run with it and don't worry too much.
If i was looking for someone to do drafting, and I saw on your CV that you had little experience outside of school, then I would assume from the start that you couldn't draft and I would have to train you (so don't worry about it). If your CV was impressive enough that I asked you in for an interview it would be for other than technical expectations.
I probably wouldn't look at your portfolio so much, unless it was seriously incredible, but would focus more on your attitude and thinking about how you would fit into the office as a person; can you learn quickly, are you flexible, enthusiatic, basic stuff like that. So, barring a marathon of portfolio and skill building, you should simply be yourself. If it doesn't work out then it is at least an experience for the next time round. no worries.
i agree with jump. be yourself. and with regards to training, i've never been formally trained. i've always learned "on-the-job." everywhere you go, they'll have different idiosyncratic preferences regarding how they want their drawings.
also, regarding portfolio. i'm personally not interested in the "marketeering" portfolio schtick, where it's all edited and you leave an expensively-printed brochure or cd-rom. i have one with a sample of anything they could ask for. i don't show them everything, but i show them what they might be interested in. i can usually tell this in the first part of the interview or by knowing a bit about the work they do. i think that your portfolio should also be of yourself, as much as one should be themselves in an interview.
first internship - portfolio advice
i have an interview coming up for my first internship with an architecture firm. the job will mostly involve drafting.
the thing is, i don't have much technical stuff to include in my portfolio since i have never worked in architecture before and i have just finished my first year of the m.arch.1.
i'm worried that my portfolio has too much abstract, theoretical stuff that no employer could possibly care about, and nothing that shows that i can draft. i'm also worried that i have too little in my portfolio in the first place.
has anyone been in this situation? any advice on how to make a good early portfolio?
101 people looked at this. no advice?
My first question for you is can you draft? If so, you should set out some time and do some technical drwaings of anything you can get technical with. That way you get some practice, and you get what you feel you are lacking in your portfolio.
Of course you may not have time to actually do these drawings and add them to your portfolio. In this case, I would say get any technical drawings that you do have, digitize them, and make a cd for your interview as a leave behind in addition to your portolio.
Unfortunately, a portfolio does require somewhat of a "body" of work. If you don't have much to show, that is ok. A good composition on a page can make a quite an impression, regardless of how much content there is. A portfolio doesn't need to be saturated with work, it just needs to be done well.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
If your resume was clear about what level you are in your program then most likely this firm does not expect you to have much experience. If the firm and your school are in the same general region chances are that the employer is somewhat familiar with the school - perhaps has even employed students or grads of your school before - and will be familiar with the level and types of skills of a typical student.
Many firms expect to have to train students extensively. Some even prefer to hire students with little professional/technical experience because they like to train someone who is a "blank slate" more than someone who they feel needs to be deprogrammed of other training.
If you don't have technical work/drafting work to show then you should obviously show whatever you do have. Show a mix of work, make sure to include things you can talk about knowledgeably/passionately, and do NOT call anyone's attention to what is lacking.
Do you have any work that you might have done for something like a materials or structures course? Any construction details? Any basic CAD plans of any sort? If so include them. If not don't worry about it.
Go with what you have, make the best of it, say nothing to indicate that you feel your portfolio is the least bit lacking (unless you're asked something about what skills/experience you're most interested in getting this summer), and let the interviewer come to his own conclusions.
I'd say quality over quantity. Don't worry about the amount of work that you have, it's good right? If you think that they want a well trained drafter, then make sure to show them your drawings. You're skill level is set in stone right now, just run with it and don't worry too much.
If i was looking for someone to do drafting, and I saw on your CV that you had little experience outside of school, then I would assume from the start that you couldn't draft and I would have to train you (so don't worry about it). If your CV was impressive enough that I asked you in for an interview it would be for other than technical expectations.
I probably wouldn't look at your portfolio so much, unless it was seriously incredible, but would focus more on your attitude and thinking about how you would fit into the office as a person; can you learn quickly, are you flexible, enthusiatic, basic stuff like that. So, barring a marathon of portfolio and skill building, you should simply be yourself. If it doesn't work out then it is at least an experience for the next time round. no worries.
i agree with jump. be yourself. and with regards to training, i've never been formally trained. i've always learned "on-the-job." everywhere you go, they'll have different idiosyncratic preferences regarding how they want their drawings.
also, regarding portfolio. i'm personally not interested in the "marketeering" portfolio schtick, where it's all edited and you leave an expensively-printed brochure or cd-rom. i have one with a sample of anything they could ask for. i don't show them everything, but i show them what they might be interested in. i can usually tell this in the first part of the interview or by knowing a bit about the work they do. i think that your portfolio should also be of yourself, as much as one should be themselves in an interview.
best of luck!
all very good advice - thank you!
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