Theres a large civil works archi-engineering firm I heard was hiring, very good salaries too. McDonuogh Assoc. It's not high design but it is interesting / technical work - train stations, airports etc. The big design firms are fickle - try them again in 2 months - they may need new bodies then. Smaller design firms are always looking even in bad economies. Try River North area. A lot of small decent design firms there.

Over the past several months both Smith/Gil, goettsch, and Murphy/Jahn have been adding people. Perkins/Will i also believe is adding people, however as ive mentioned to others on the 'nect asking about jobs in chicago, most people are looking for project manager type experience level... judging from the 3 years of experience im guessing you are not quite there yet? However, that shouldnt discourage you... you should try to contact these offices at least. Smith/Gil in particular was on a hiring rampage for months... it might be worth your while to see if thats still true.

Thank you all for your quick and helpful responses. I'll get right on it.

this is not a good time to be looking for jobs in this region. i left a great job to move to chicago (because of my girlfriend) and have sent out over 90 resumes in the chicago area. i've got a lot of connections in chicago and as far as i can tell it's just dead. i've gotten a lot of good feedback but everyone just says they're not hiring. some places are flat out telling me they're not hiring before we even interview, and others have forwarded my resume on to people they "know" and when i follow up the response is just "why did you move right now?" it is the end of a tough year, and with maybe a few exceptions, most firms seem to be waiting until next year to see what happens with the economy and the elections. there are a lot of hiring freezes. i've just begun interviewing for temporary jobs to hold me over until after the holidays. i'm sure things will be better next year.

I'm a recent MArch graduate from a reputable Midwest school and have been trying to find an entry-level position in Chicago for the past 5 months. It's literally D E A D. Many of the larger firms had at least one wave of layoffs due to economy and clients pulling projects b/c of fear. Honestly, I think the layoffs have only begun and I wouldn't be surprised to see many more once all the current projects are put into construction admin. with no new work flowing in [as is the case with many offices I've had interviews with. They have work for maybe a full year, but projects are being shelved, some indefinitely, and they have no idea what they plan on doing come next summer when all they're work is in the CA phase.] Anyway, definitely try Smith/Gill as they're still hiring, though not as much as over the summer. Keep going at it, something will open up.

good luck.....

i've been looking for an office gig since late 2004 in detroit..

there was a small residential firm in ann arbor,michigan that was hiring.

I started with Hobbs+Black in Ann Arbor, MI in July and, to my surprise, 5 part or full time people started after me working on this one larger retail project we have that's in the CD phase. Don't know if they're looking to hire more (or when those people who started recently actually interviewed), but it's worth a shot. Right now it's all CAD work though.

I tried some big firms or boutiques on IL and eastcoast, my feeling is all of them are scared by the economy even they are currently not influenced at all. I called it psycho-terrification

my experience for what it's worth - I just spent the past almost 6 months unemployed here in Chicago. I quite my Intern Architect/Acting like a Project Architect position of 2 years to start an internship program for the summer - you read that right, I quit my job.

I have been at my new job (large national firm and loving it) for almost 2 weeks. Ultimately it ended up know several people currently working there who recommended me for a position that I wasn't even aware of. What I did do in my time off was educate myself and keep my name out there with ALL types of firms. Ask for informational interviews everywhere you want to work - even places that are without a doubt not hiring. I went on about 20 info. interviews, and exactly one job interview...it only takes one after all.

Anyways - what I want to say is : don't focus too much on looking for a job opening. They ARE so few and so far between right now, and especially here in Chicago it seems. Make connections, go to AIA meetings, Architecture lectures, (the humanities fest currently going has some good ones), and do informational interviews! Go back to old teachers/colleagues, ask them who they know here then hit them up - you want to learn more about what they are doing, what their current projects are where they see future projects coming from. What firms could they see you working at - would they mind if used their name in making a connection...Find firms in your niche (note to self: for some reason Landon Bone Baker never ever ever responds to emails...no matter how much name dropping and "I love your firm, and would really appreciate the chance to learn more about the work you do...." I still want to work for them/with them someday)

I know how much it sucks - I ate a bottle of Tums in a few days freaking out about not having a job. Look outside the architecture world too - I am now working @ an arch firm, but I didn't get in through that route...

hope this offers some help

i would definitely try smith gill but i've heard they have a large turnover there. other than that, just try to ride it out through the election and holidays. this crisis is very psychological and once everyone calms down people will start hiring again. clients aren't paying out of fear and therefore firms aren't hiring at the moment.

Ya its bad here in Chicago right now. I have'nt heard of mass layoffs, but certainly spot layoffs and hiring freezes. I have friends in Florida and San Diego who said it's really bad there. I think Chicago market is tight but could be much worse.

Have you looked in, gulp, the suburbs? There are some very large firms in the burbs that are completely overlooked because their not in the city proper.

jack you still got that pen that writes upside down?

thanks for your help Jack. I'll look into, ugh, the burbs. thanks again

I second (or third or fourth) that Chicago is dead right now. Just judging from ad postings, Chicago seems more dead than anywhere else in the country. I had also heard that places like Smith/Gill were hiring. If so, they aren't currently making it known on their site. I lost my residential job at the end of August and don't expect the market to recover anytime soon. Residential, international hospitality, even health care... all talks shut down once clients pulled their jobs. The problem is, I get the feeling commercial has only begun to tail off. Hunker down, it might be a long winter! If you ever wanted to move to Seattle, now might be the time. I hear they're rolling right along.

But, seriously... everyone throw out names if you're hiring...