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what to include in work samples?

meowmeow

I am confused as to what firms expect when they ask for potential employees to send work samples to them. Do they want a page or two of work from 1-2 projects, 1 page teasers from each project in your portfolio, or not even anything that in depth?

 
Jan 7, 07 1:37 pm

work samples versus a portfolio. Schools want to see a range of skills, application, etc. Employees want to see what they can get out of you - but without having to go through an entire portfolio which usually has more to do with our own individual egos.

I would say 3 pages is usually average (5 tops), that's I ask for from potential employees. Preferably the same size as their resume (a4, etc) so that they can be stapled together and filed (yes filed even if they are rejected).

Jan 7, 07 2:16 pm  · 
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snooker

Guess you are spooooooze to go out in the field and grab a chunk of building and hand deliever it to their office. Just be sure to include a note defining it as a work sample.

Jan 7, 07 4:31 pm  · 
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after carting around reduced copies of cds for years, i finally learned (about the time i got old enough that i no longer interviewed with a portfolio) that a small window of a piece of a nicely developed cd drawing was sufficient to illustrate that you had a facility with the software. usually a plan, dimensioned, noted, etc, with good used of lineweights, and accompanied by supporting images: elevations, construction pix, finished pix, models, whatever.

old guard architects like to see that big roll sometimes. nobody wants to study a full set of cds with you anymore. it's unlikely that you developed/coordinated it by yourself anyway and who has time?

Jan 9, 07 7:55 am  · 
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been awhile since it has mattered for me as well. but last time i was looking for work in an office i had pics from 3 built projects, ranging in scale from a 100m2 to 5000 m2, only work that i was in charge of and did substantial dwgs for.

i also had cd highlights; details that i thought were nice, from projects above and larger buildings where i was part of team. altogether, about 5 or 6 pages, put in back of portfolio. i had complete sets ready back home if anyone wanted, but no one ever did, and only one office really took time to look past photos...was hired based on CV/resume, and experience more than anything. portfolio work was also important i must admit (i think maybe design led firms care more about this than others?)

anyway, if you are new to the game i imagine they want to see that you know how to use software and can set up a dwg properly...

Jan 9, 07 9:55 am  · 
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