As the title suggests, I am looking to understand if temporary internship positions (3-4 months at a time) should be counted towards overall years of experience? I have looked through the AIA's material and haven't found a proper definition of "Years of Experience". Any advice is helpful. Thanks!
Non Sequitur
Apr 8, 21 12:05 pm
if it’s unpaid, then it counts as negative experience.
natematt
Apr 8, 21 12:55 pm
I would count years of experience as.... years of experience. If you have worked 3 months at a firm that's a 1/4 year experience. You do four of those you get yourself a year.
Assuming this is a professional internship where you are actually doing architectural work, it's probably not that different from an entry level position, and there is no reason not to include it.
What you should not do is work 3 months over one summer and call the whole thing a year. You do a few of those and you'll find that you've written a check your skills cannot cash.
tduds
Apr 8, 21 1:08 pm
Yes, include it in a cover letter sentence ("...[x] years of experience."). & also be specific on your resume that it was an internship.
Gregory Walker
Apr 8, 21 3:48 pm
from the employer's side, be clear about the length of time. also, understand a significant majority of us will rarely look upon 3 summers (and i'll be generous and say 4 months for each summer) of working during school as equivalent to a full year within an office. not even close - continuity of experience counts for far more depending on the size of the office and responsibilities you had.
thisisnotmyname
Apr 8, 21 4:53 pm
A seasoned interviewer will rapidly get past how many years you claim and drill down to what you actually did during whatever employment situations you have had. In summer employments I have worked with 3rd and 4th year undergrads who could produce CD-level drawings with minimal supervision. I have also worked with other 3rd and 4th year architecture students who were incapable of doing anything more advanced than maybe answering the phones and going to the store to pick up office supplies.
As the title suggests, I am looking to understand if temporary internship positions (3-4 months at a time) should be counted towards overall years of experience? I have looked through the AIA's material and haven't found a proper definition of "Years of Experience". Any advice is helpful. Thanks!
if it’s unpaid, then it counts as negative experience.
I would count years of experience as.... years of experience. If you have worked 3 months at a firm that's a 1/4 year experience. You do four of those you get yourself a year.
Assuming this is a professional internship where you are actually doing architectural work, it's probably not that different from an entry level position, and there is no reason not to include it.
What you should not do is work 3 months over one summer and call the whole thing a year. You do a few of those and you'll find that you've written a check your skills cannot cash.
Yes, include it in a cover letter sentence ("...[x] years of experience."). & also be specific on your resume that it was an internship.
from the employer's side, be clear about the length of time. also, understand a significant majority of us will rarely look upon 3 summers (and i'll be generous and say 4 months for each summer) of working during school as equivalent to a full year within an office. not even close - continuity of experience counts for far more depending on the size of the office and responsibilities you had.
A seasoned interviewer will rapidly get past how many years you claim and drill down to what you actually did during whatever employment situations you have had. In summer employments I have worked with 3rd and 4th year undergrads who could produce CD-level drawings with minimal supervision. I have also worked with other 3rd and 4th year architecture students who were incapable of doing anything more advanced than maybe answering the phones and going to the store to pick up office supplies.