How to start your Job Search Campaign in Architecture or Design

When starting your job search it is important to create various plans and prepare for a long-term haul, in which you must view this process as its own job.

First, you should understand the city you want to target or cities, and if you are going to visit for in-person interviews, you should understand how the city functions!  When focusing on one city, research ahead of time, where all of the offices are located, which areas of the city to avoid, and what are the best ways to move around.

For virtual targeting, you should try to keep the amount of cities you are targeting to around 3 to 4, as you do not want to overload yourself with possible offices. If you are very specialized, you might want to expand your search to target more opportunities that might not be as readily available.

Second, recognize how much time you will need for each firm you are applying to (Portfolio personalized for each firm, etc.), and understand how many open positions there currently are at each firm. Consider the firms that you are very interested in, and even if they do not currently have openings available, try to reach out for an Informational Interview. Learn more about Informational Interviews here.

Third, you should already have a plan on how to explain your situation and how the visa process works. Many decision makers at firms do not understand that the visa process can take much less time. Many of the firms, do not understand how the visa process works, so you must be prepared with this information ready to dispel misconceptions.

Fourth, prepare to pitch yourself to the decision makers, so you should have a 2 minute introduction about who you are, and how you can contribute to their team. Prepare for taking on new challenges and different jobs that maybe you might not have anticipated.