Archinect
anchor

How to market yourself to a mid size-large firm when all you know is residential

It_is_I

Hello all

I have had quite a difficult time finding a job.  I have been unemployed since last may.  For the last five years I had worked in a small firm doing mostly residential, house additions. I enjoyed the work because they cared about design even though it was nothing contemporary.  I finally landed a job with a similar size firm that did more commercial, but was layed off after a couple of months, due to some differences with management over the amount of knowledge I should have had on commercial projects, even though i had no previous experience. I was told by the firm you are not here to learn anything, just to give you some perspective.

I have been trying to land a position whether it be entry level, or junior architect at a mid size or large firm that does larger scale projects, but it seems that the fact that I have only residential experience is hurting me, I can't even get an interview.  My portfolio consists of mostly residential and a little bit of school stuff since i have been out of school for 5+ years. 

Any advice on how i should market myself to firms that do more commercial type work? I would really like to work for bigger firms in nyc and it seems almost impossible at the moment to get even an interview.  I would assume that having experience in construction documents, and being willing to take a more entry level position in order to catch up to the things i have missed would be looked upon positively. Thanks for any replies  

 
Mar 7, 13 12:58 pm
EvanH

Maybe try to target firms that do senior living work or firms whose commercial projects reference a more residential look like hospitality or multifamily residential?

Mar 7, 13 1:34 pm  · 
 · 
kunal.ghevaria

The market is picking up. Be optimistic, and have as many people review your portfolio and give you feedback as possible. Hang in there!

Mar 9, 13 9:55 pm  · 
 · 

Block this user


Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?

Archinect


This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.

  • ×Search in: