.......
Dear architecture world,
Please hire this excellent employee with 30 years of experience.
He/she sounds great.
This is just silly.
-keopi

p.s. On a side note, how has anyone been able to get their foot in the door if they've just graduated from college? I only have 13 months of professional experience (some in starchitecture) and am pretty afraid that's all I'll ever get in this field at least for the next 10+ years. Where are the entry-levels?

Curious Keopi....my posting is silly??

no!! your posting is NOT silly!!!
the architecture world is silly!!
you should have a job, you've put in your time, you're clearly interested for staying in for 30 years. i think it's SILLY that it's come to this :(

i'm also beginning to think it's silly to start a career in architecture if this is what they do to their veterans.

whew...thanks keopi. Thought on top of it all I was being silly.
I would be hard pressed to encourage you right now, BUT let me say this, when it is going well, when you are designing, working on projects, in the field seeing them realized, and then seeing the clients' / users' positive reaction, it is worth it. Since we are around our peers so much, we often underestimate what we do and what unique conceptual skills we / you have ,and how that can be of benefit.

"how has anyone been able to get their foot in the door if they've just graduated from college?"

I got my foot in the door by showing up in person at an office that posted something on archinect. I dropped off my portfolio and said I would be back later that day to pick it up and answer any questions.

Simply met the right person at the right time.

But I see a bit of optimism in the number of projects we are getting recently, nothing really big, but the small projects are keeping us busy.

The personal appearance is important. A client of mine, an orthodontist, posted a job on Craig's List. He had 200 applicants. 1 (ONE) showed in person. Guess who got the job.

@intexas: we've had quite some people turn up at our doorstep lately without prior notice, asking for a job. Guess who we didn't hire? (just to point out that there are two sides to every story)

guess so, but he, my client, pointed out that the resumes he received began to blur, "all just sheets of paper" until the one candidate brought their resume by in person. He felt that she was interested enough to make the effort and not just email it. If you aren't hiring, I'm sure it would be a bother. I usually call ahead and say I would like to drop off a copy for their review, often after I have applied on line. Most of the job search advice is to try to get a face to face with someone to help set you apart, soooo you may be reaping the benefit of that advice.

by the way usernametaken, are you hiring?

cheer up tex! I have seen some positive stuff in the government sector. I believe Robert Ivy has an intro about it in this month's Arch Record with the GSA and stuff. He claims they have the money and the work so we shall see.

keopi,

i just graduated with a 4 year preprofessional BA in architecture and I found work right out of school. (Graduated in May, started work in June) A small little boutique firm - but I have been able to get my hands fully involved in many projects. From CD's, to cost estimation, to surveying, to rendering, and even LEED applications. I know that I am an extremely unusual circumstance - but I stand as proof that if you really work your ass off, and swing a little bit of luck and good timing, there are always jobs out there in the field.

Good luck all.

intexas, i'm not sure whether or not you've seen... but your old boss ralphie stopped by here when i was still lurking and some people really tore him a new one.

ralph? maybe ralph from hks not hok, most of the hok leadership is named bill, bill valentine, bill hellmuth, bill odell

Tex - with your background (ie healthcare) you should land work - seems the bulk of work available is in the heathcare (design) field, with a decade of years' experience or more. Make's it a little impossible for the rest of us, who don't have that many years in a particular sector, to land a job in that sector. It also tends to pigeon-hole people into only certain aspect of the profession. You'll do fine, I'm sure.

thanks roobqt...here's hoping.

30 years, awards! damn! what's wrong?
Can I get a Job if I have dreadlocks? Does integrity count? or are they just looking for standard yuppie Diesel fashion whore types? I worked with civil engineers and land surveyors they pretty much don't care as long as you get the work done, on the other hand I've never worked in an architect's office and I' ready for it, but I want to keep my integrity as well.

kahnarchy - you have to actually sell your soul to work in an architecture office
don't do it, don't do it
yeah I wish I still had my integrity

jesus.saves - thaks for the advice, right now I'm designing a home for a friend's dad, he's got some land so I'm just gonna hold on like that and hopefully I get more small clients.

kahnnnnnnnn....................you can keep the integrity, but it may be difficult to find the right office for a fit. Please keep trying to do your own thing. The house is a VERY good start. Build on that.

Thanks in texas

yikes. just read the predictions for the construction industry in new arch record. Seems we are a year away from good news.

yikes. just read the predictions for the construction industry in new arch record. Seems we are a year away from good news.

I think things are starting to look up... Keeping my fingers crossed...

Bringing UP an old topic...

I read about follow up technique online and it said to follow up with the company president if you can't get the name of the hiring manager because it is likely his assistant or whathaveyou will forward the letter/email to to the HR - - which I did...

Now, I'm quite sure I'm not the first one who's ever done this with the company but I'm tad worried that I may have just destroyed my chances w/ the company by doing that. =\ Well...can work FOR or AGAINST me...I hope...

Also, to any one who works/worked/applied for Gensler in SF, how soon do they NORMALLY call you after a job posting??? I mean, I'm not putting all my hopes on Gensler (I'm applying everywhere...LOL) but I just want to know if after a week or so, I should just "give up" on that job...Also, how do they see follow up calls???

i tend to go around hr when i can and send things directly to the company president. this is where i've had my best luck. i don't think i've ever received a call back from sending something to a company's hr dept, and i won't ever do it unless they specifically call for it. if your work is good, then it should be good enough for the big man's desk.

i doubt you've destroyed your chances, things are just really, really bad. during the few interviews i've had it's been typically explained to me that 350 people applied for the job, and i was one of 10 they selected to talk to. so, even if you are one of the ones, there's really only a 10% chance of getting the job. i even had an interview in october with an architect that wasn't even hiring, and he pulled my resume off a two-foot thick stack of resumes he'd recently received. i'd keep trying, but the chances of getting a call back are exponentially less by the day. after two weeks, i'd write it off. that said, prior to the recession i had received calls about resumes i had sent out as much as a year earlier, so you can always get lucky. you never know.

remember, after you send out a resume, always call a week later to follow up and make sure someone has taken a look at it. after that, leave them alone.