Architecture students in the UK are
normally expected to take a ‘Year Out’ in practice after their first three
years of education (Part 1), before returning to university for the two year
long Diploma course (Part 2). The purpose of this gap year is to get some
experience in the construction industry, and I believe that this system is
great - as explained in my earlier ‘Year Out’ blog post. However, the process of actually finding the placement in
the current economic climate, in a field that is known for being extremely
competitive, is not easy – partially because there is so little practical
information on the topic. This is why, having answered several emails asking
for advice, I have decided to create a list of the 7 main things I learned
while looking for the Part 1 placement last year. Of course, there are no
absolute rules and everyone will have their own job-hunting stories - I am
sharing mine in hope that some of what I learned might be useful.
1 - Think globally.
As Architecture is becoming increasingly
international, it makes sense to keep up and consider the offices beyond one’s
town or country. Why limit yourself to a few good studios locally, if you have
the whole world of options to choose from? Besides, some places simply have
very little work and finding a job is nearly impossible – while other markets
are in much better shape. Experience abroad is as valid for the PEDR (only one
of the years must be in the EU), and living in a different environment for some
time is undoubtedly good for anyone interested in becoming an Architect.
Applying internationally is definitely
worthwhile – even for the sake of satisfying one’s own curiosity about the different
requirements/conditions/offers for graduates across the globe; with some luck,
one can end up picking between the capitals of the world. My personal
experience in this regard has been rather positive, with some interest from studios
in France, the US, Japan and Singapore. The offices in the UK were surprisingly
much less responsive, both in terms of application to response ratio as well as
speed (by the time London offices started inviting me for interviews, I already
had several solid job offers) – so it makes a lot of sense to consider
alternatives, and research the market situation globally. For ideas about the
different destinations, see this map of where my coursemates are spending their Years Out.
2 - Network.
The importance of networking is stressed by every article
out there, yet most seem to tell you to abstractly ‘meet the right people’ at
some conference or business event – not very helpful/applicable to most students.
Coming from a family of Architects with a wealth of connections does not apply
to everyone, either.
There is, however, a unique source of contacts that every Architecture
student can (and should) use: the studio. Not only is the studio a place where
Architecture students (of all years) spend most of their time, it is also a
place where one gets a unique chance of talking to the professionals in their
field on a one-to-one basis, for extended periods of time (during tutorials/reviews).
There is hardly a better place to find advice, feedback on your portfolio, or
some insider information about offices that are looking for Part Ones. In fact,
tutors will often receive emails from alumni looking for someone to join their
studio, or will be able to write a recommendation letter addressed to someone
they know professionally (if you ask nicely – and remind them several times).
Older
students, having returned from their Part 1 placements, will be able to give
advice on which types of studios to apply to for the best experience; or
recommend you to their ex-employer (who are often impressed by the Mack
graduates, and specifically look for a replacement from the same School). The
Architecture world is relatively small, and using your connections increases
the chance of finding a good job dramatically. Asking friends/family for help
does not hurt, either.
3 - Refine the portfolio.
The portfolio is arguably the most important
thing for an employer; it is also your main chance of grabbing their attention
before they move on to the next applicant. That’s why it should be relevant,
short and well-designed. My strategy was to mix the CV and select images into a
two-page PDF ‘teaser’ - if it generated interest,
I would have more work to send/ bring to an interview. This allowed me to
adjust each package to the specific studio, giving more emphasis to physical
models, renders or technical details depending on what their own work is like. Every
application I sent contained a link to this website with further information -
surprisingly, none of the companies that invited me for interviews seemed to
have a look. From this, I learned that the short ‘teaser’ technique works well
as it provides enough information and creates further interest, leading
straight to the next step: the interview, where the employer is happy to
discuss your projects in depth, and in person (rather than spending a lot of
time going through your full portfolio alone).
Of course, it takes some time and mental
effort to try and reduce all the work to a few images, and it involves a
certain risk, but this technique also means that some of the main boxes are
ticked: all the images are powerful and create curiosity to see more work (and
invite you to an interview); the file size is small (anything above 3MB risks
not being opened at all) and the PDF is easy to print (only 2 pages as opposed
to 50; it also helps if they are A4 format and printer-friendly so nothing gets
cropped). Finally, this ‘teaser’ technique helps with timing, as one can start
sending the CV/portfolio before all the projects are 100% finished, and keep
working on further images.
During the interviews, on the other hand, it is good to show the projects and the thinking behind them in depth – a lot of people in my year did this in book format, which created a memorable connection to the topic of literature, books and the tactility of paper that we were exploring in 3rd year. I also used the same book for the Degree Show as well as further exhibitions – this way, all the work had to be formatted and printed only once (with Blurb, whose selection of papers/covers helped make the portfolio pleasant to the touch as well as the eye). Below is the digital version of my portfolio book:
4 - Make most of the Degree Show.
The Degree Show is a great way to
celebrate one’s work with coursemates, friends and family, yet it also attracts
a considerable amount of interest from practices and can therefore result in unexpected
job offers. Older students tell stories of glorious times before the Recession
when large numbers of Architecture graduates at the Mack would get employed
right at the Degree show; although this was not the case in my year, a whole number
of forward-looking offices were still present with the intention of picking the
best graduates before the competition got them.
Part of this selection happened
during the Assessment when no students were present and the studios involved in
giving Awards could have a good look at all the work – leaving business cards
by the Drops they found interesting; a nice surprise on the day of the Degree
Show. This was the case with Holmes Miller Architects who support the Award for
the best 3rd year project in Glasgow, for example – it was
incredible to receive their congratulatory email and be invited for an interview before the Degree Show had even started.
And
yet, the majority of offices come to see the work during the Degree Show Night,
which gives students the perfect chance to explain their
projects and impress potential employers with their carefully designed Drops (exhibition
walls) in a festive and relaxed environment – much more fun than attending formal
interviews. This way, a delegation from John McAslan+Partners went around the 3rd
Year Shows in several leading Architecture Schools talking to the students about
their work and inviting a few from each School to exhibit their work in London –
with a further interview invitation (and a clever promotion of their office as
a great destination for Part Ones - as part of the Exhibition Opening/ Open Studio
Night that drew significant interest)
The
Degree Show is full of unforeseen opportunities: for example, my flatmate
managed to sell several copies of her architecture illustrations without ever
having planned to do so (in Edinburgh, a lot of architecture models have a
price tag on them; I imagine visitors buy some as independent pieces of art); other
coursemates were invited to submit their work for publications, and so on. During
the Night when everyone comes to celebrate your work, it is a good idea to be proactive
and ready to grab the opportunity – with some business cards/ booklets/ apps/ QR
codes(?) nearby just in case.
5 - Prepare to wait.
Most architecture offices will not be actively
looking at portfolios unless they feel they need some help; often they will
only start hiring after they have secured some larger project – which
unfortunately means that it’s difficult to predict what time is best for
applying, or when one will be hearing back.
I sent my first application out in April,
yet the first responses started coming only in June. Sending carefully
considered applications and not hearing anything back for a long time is somewhat
frustrating – but it’s part of the normal practice: after all, most
applications for the Part 1 positions are speculative, and it is unlikely that
the offices will be looking at all the portfolios they receive until they
actually need someone. My personal experience suggests that July (and a bit
before/after) is the most active time for interview invitations, and that the
average response speed is around 6-8 weeks - but this can vary quite extremely
(it was almost suspicious when one of the offices replied in just two hours).
Some of my coursemates knew where they will
be working as early as April, some had to keep applying for months before
something worked out, and some are still looking – the main thing is never to
give up. Waiting may not be easy, but it is a very important skill to develop
as an Architect – I always remind myself of the great masters who had to wait and
keep fighting for decades before some of their projects got built; it really
puts things into perspective.
6 - Use social media.
What sets graduates apart from most of the ‘older’ competition is our online literacy and the fact that most of us are active on
social networks – which are increasingly used for work. Companies post job
vacancies on their Facebook/ Twitter/ LinkedIn pages, career advisors at School
(see here)
re-tweet and share real-time information about opportunities for students, and
following the people/ studios you’re interested in working for keeps you up to
date with what’s important for them – meaning that you can engage in a thoughtful
way and impress them during interviews. Several
of my coursemates found that having an updated LinkedIn profile helped them
show the skills/education that lead to employment; it’s also simply a sign of
being professional-minded and up to date with technology (today, if you cannot
be found online, it almost looks like you have something to hide).
Even if you are not planning to use social
media to find work, it is still useful to remember that a lot of employers will
Google you before making the job offer – it’s worth making sure they will not
find anything that could make them re-consider your adequacy. Do take the time
to figure out the Privacy Settings for Facebook, for example – it’s not that
complicated, and will make sure the whole world does not see those embarrassing
pictures your helpful friends tagged you in (not getting into any altogether is
even smarter). Instead of hiding everything, though, it makes sense to take some
time to turn your social media activity into an advantage and let it feature on
your CV – your boss might hire you in part because he’s heard something about
that ‘social media thing’ and understands it’s good for business - even if it’s not quite from his generation (for
example, my Part 1 flatmate was asked to design not only buildings, but a new
website for his company as well).
7 - Be open-minded.
Architecture students today might be graduating into
some of the toughest markets, yet we are also some of the most multi-skilled
and flexible professionals - and can therefore be successful in almost any
field. The way multiple design limitations often end up producing some of the
best works, the current economic climate should force one to be creative with
their Year Out – not necessarily in an Architecture office. The PEDR suggests
that the Year Out experience should be in the construction industry – and several of my
friends have found that working in an engineering company, on a construction
site, or volunteering has given them a better and more practical understanding
of how things get built. Interior, landscape, lighting, furniture and product
design fields significantly overlap with architecture; one can also find some
incredible areas to specialize in – such as my coursemate who combined his
interests in extreme sport as well architecture and now spends his time
designing (and testing) skate parks.
If finding a job in the field does not work
for some time, it might be a good idea to keep developing one’s skills by
participating in competitions (a great addition to CV/portfolio) or even inventing
your own speculative briefs – something Steven Holl Architects did a lot in its
early years before built projects were commissioned.
It would probably be a better world in general if designers were more proactive: I recently heard a story about an Architecture Graduate who could not find a job or any commissions, so he approached the local Council with an idea of designing a public pavilion for one of their picturesque locations – some time and negotiations later, he’s building three structures and has a whole group of local high school students helping him as part of their Design education – a win-win situation for everyone.
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Hopefully, some of this was useful, and
gave an insight into the exciting (and slightly terrifying) prospect of finding
the Part 1 Placement in Architecture. If you want to add something or ask a question – please do so in the comment section below;
the whole point of this blog post is to collect and share the scarcely
available information in one place.
