Since it seems the only stable markets for the next several years will be schools, civic and possibly healthcare, what are the chances of person with 10 yrs of mostly residential experience landing a job in a firm that does everything but residential
Obviously now it is exponentially tougher than it was 2 years ago. Still, anyone have experience in this regard?
firms often prefer to hire experience in their primary building type(s) - in a labor market this fluid, there are likely to be many such candidates to choose from. so, you have to offer something to trump the advantage offered by the other candidates - such as special in-depth software experience, strong CA exposure, project management expertise, etc.
in my experience, transitions of this sort are more easily accomplished by tapping into personal networks - somebody who already knows you well is more likely to take the risk and overlook your building-type limitations.
cadcroupier - what stone writes seems about right to me. however, you might improve your chances a bit by narrowing your ambitions a bit and focusing your efforts on a building type that interests you - say, schools. then, you can bone up on that project type, maybe do a little desgn work on your own to build a little portfolio material, and start talking the talk. this woukd give you a bit more credibility when applying at firms doing that sort of work. it also demonstrates both interest, drive and aptitude.
Transistion from residential to schools or civic
Since it seems the only stable markets for the next several years will be schools, civic and possibly healthcare, what are the chances of person with 10 yrs of mostly residential experience landing a job in a firm that does everything but residential
Obviously now it is exponentially tougher than it was 2 years ago. Still, anyone have experience in this regard?
hard, but not impossible.
firms often prefer to hire experience in their primary building type(s) - in a labor market this fluid, there are likely to be many such candidates to choose from. so, you have to offer something to trump the advantage offered by the other candidates - such as special in-depth software experience, strong CA exposure, project management expertise, etc.
in my experience, transitions of this sort are more easily accomplished by tapping into personal networks - somebody who already knows you well is more likely to take the risk and overlook your building-type limitations.
hope it works out for you.
cadcroupier - what stone writes seems about right to me. however, you might improve your chances a bit by narrowing your ambitions a bit and focusing your efforts on a building type that interests you - say, schools. then, you can bone up on that project type, maybe do a little desgn work on your own to build a little portfolio material, and start talking the talk. this woukd give you a bit more credibility when applying at firms doing that sort of work. it also demonstrates both interest, drive and aptitude.
good luck.
thanks stone \ jabber
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