i have searched the archinet forum, actually spent the majority of the last two days reading all of the posts regarding job search questions. a few that i have are still unanswered.
do you show work you have done with an office as part of your portfolio? or do you only show the drawings to show your experience with the drawing and drafting process. i.e. if i was part of the design process can i talk about it as if i was presenting one of my own projects (of course mentioning that it was a team effort)? can these projects also be included in the 2-3 pages of sample images that you might send along with the resume? i have been out of school for 7 years and have a few interesting projects under my belt, but i am always worried about showing them as they are not wholly my work.
what sort of skills do you mention on your resume besides computer literacy?
a question for those that read the resumes and cover letters. what are some skills or traits that pique you interest when you are reading a cover letter? do you want to hear that they are a team player, good leader type things, or would you rather hear about their individual skills like site and code analysis, model building and photography?
thanks to all that take the time to answer these questions. please check back often as i am sure to have more questions as these are answered.
Most projects are a group effort and employers know this, YES show your work done in an office. What I did was list the project team members on the portfolio page. In the write up paragraph I usually mentioned the firm, but place the emphasis on me and my involvement. Remember, you are selling yourself, not your last firm. AIA has some guidelines on this if you look at their website.
What you can do is have a couple of people read over your job search material and provide feedback. This will help with content and readibility, as well as mundane things like grammar and spelling which really matter.
As for the "I will be calling you...." question - make the cover letter not like a form letter as much as possible, give it some personality. I tried to make any connect I could between myself and the firms I applied to. I researched the firm and mentioned things we had in common, like certain philosophies. I complimented them on their work citing specific things. So, I'd say, if you can come up with something other than "I will be calling..." then do it. Make sure it is still professional.
I would be happy to look over stuff (although my experience level is less than yours, and have never hired anyone).
strawbeary has it right - architecture is a "team sport" and employers like to see photos and drawings of completed work in which you participated - just be prepared to clarify honestly for the prospective employer what your role was on the projects - if you only picked up redlines on the project for a weekend before the CD's were released, it might be hard to make a credible case that you were a major contributor to the project design and documentation - i prefer to see a project list included, with a specific explanation at each project indication what the candidate did on that particular project
as an employer, i am immune to the "I will be calling you - " phrase - 75% of the time the candidate never calls - the other 25% of the time the candidate can't (and shouldn't) get past our gatekeeper at the switchboard - i will say that we owe anybody who sends in a resume a response and our firm makes a diligent effort to reply in a reaonably prompt manner - but, during the may-june time period when we're inundated by recent graduates, it's sometimes difficult to stay on top of that response expectation
what we want to know is what you have done and what you can do - include some simple examples of your best work - keep it simple - a couple or three 8-1/2 x 11 pages with graphics designed to capture our attention - if you submit electronically, make it in a single, moderate sized PDF - don't make us open and manage 17 different JPEGs.
try to remember that in any firm of any size, your credentials are likely to be circulated internally among 7-12 people - the easier you make it for us to do that, the better it will be for you - i always prefer electronic submissions for that very reason - i can circulate your materials within the studio with relative ease
please make sure the damn files open and look the way you want - you would be amazed at the number of times i receive an electronic resume that simply won't open or, when it does open, is garbage.
Jan 20, 06 8:42 pm ·
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more resume coverletter questions
i have searched the archinet forum, actually spent the majority of the last two days reading all of the posts regarding job search questions. a few that i have are still unanswered.
do you show work you have done with an office as part of your portfolio? or do you only show the drawings to show your experience with the drawing and drafting process. i.e. if i was part of the design process can i talk about it as if i was presenting one of my own projects (of course mentioning that it was a team effort)? can these projects also be included in the 2-3 pages of sample images that you might send along with the resume? i have been out of school for 7 years and have a few interesting projects under my belt, but i am always worried about showing them as they are not wholly my work.
what sort of skills do you mention on your resume besides computer literacy?
a question for those that read the resumes and cover letters. what are some skills or traits that pique you interest when you are reading a cover letter? do you want to hear that they are a team player, good leader type things, or would you rather hear about their individual skills like site and code analysis, model building and photography?
thanks to all that take the time to answer these questions. please check back often as i am sure to have more questions as these are answered.
another question for the people reading coverletters. does seeing this sentance at the bottom of the coverletter make you cringe?
i will be calling you in 2 weeks to set up an interview time or answer any questions you might have.
what is the best way for a prospective job seeker to inquire about the chances for setting up an interview after sending a resume and coverletter?
Most projects are a group effort and employers know this, YES show your work done in an office. What I did was list the project team members on the portfolio page. In the write up paragraph I usually mentioned the firm, but place the emphasis on me and my involvement. Remember, you are selling yourself, not your last firm. AIA has some guidelines on this if you look at their website.
What you can do is have a couple of people read over your job search material and provide feedback. This will help with content and readibility, as well as mundane things like grammar and spelling which really matter.
As for the "I will be calling you...." question - make the cover letter not like a form letter as much as possible, give it some personality. I tried to make any connect I could between myself and the firms I applied to. I researched the firm and mentioned things we had in common, like certain philosophies. I complimented them on their work citing specific things. So, I'd say, if you can come up with something other than "I will be calling..." then do it. Make sure it is still professional.
I would be happy to look over stuff (although my experience level is less than yours, and have never hired anyone).
strawbeary has it right - architecture is a "team sport" and employers like to see photos and drawings of completed work in which you participated - just be prepared to clarify honestly for the prospective employer what your role was on the projects - if you only picked up redlines on the project for a weekend before the CD's were released, it might be hard to make a credible case that you were a major contributor to the project design and documentation - i prefer to see a project list included, with a specific explanation at each project indication what the candidate did on that particular project
as an employer, i am immune to the "I will be calling you - " phrase - 75% of the time the candidate never calls - the other 25% of the time the candidate can't (and shouldn't) get past our gatekeeper at the switchboard - i will say that we owe anybody who sends in a resume a response and our firm makes a diligent effort to reply in a reaonably prompt manner - but, during the may-june time period when we're inundated by recent graduates, it's sometimes difficult to stay on top of that response expectation
what we want to know is what you have done and what you can do - include some simple examples of your best work - keep it simple - a couple or three 8-1/2 x 11 pages with graphics designed to capture our attention - if you submit electronically, make it in a single, moderate sized PDF - don't make us open and manage 17 different JPEGs.
try to remember that in any firm of any size, your credentials are likely to be circulated internally among 7-12 people - the easier you make it for us to do that, the better it will be for you - i always prefer electronic submissions for that very reason - i can circulate your materials within the studio with relative ease
please make sure the damn files open and look the way you want - you would be amazed at the number of times i receive an electronic resume that simply won't open or, when it does open, is garbage.
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