For freshers, the first placement at a firm is mostly an internship where they are exposed to the workings of an office and professional workplace etiquette. Usually, this happens in the 4th or 5th year so that the student gets those many years whilst being trained architecturally to form a mindset about what kind of architecture it is that would benefit from their participation. 

Furthermore, the subjects and work that intrigued one during college years can help to choose a desirable workplace that teaches and urges growth in a direction that is congruent with oneself. Reaching out to seniors and other employees who have worked or currently work at a firm of your interest will throw more light on the micro-environment, the exact work typology, and about the day-to-day there. 

Keep surfing the internet and reading up about stuff you like. You might just discover a lesser-known firm that is doing precisely the kind of work you like. You must also make sure and reconfirm whether your official academic internship can be recognized by your college and university.

It is important to choose what firms you want to work in and to gauge if you would be compatible with them because your interest there will determine the kind of work you produce there.

Later, if and when you have to join another firm, you will definitely have to talk about your past experiences (projects, companies, etc.) and it is always an attractive feature if you do so passionately which is more likely to happen if you aim for a firm you feel you genuinely like to begin with.

A portfolio (extremely preferable when online so that it can be viewed anytime, anywhere, and can be forwarded to other professionals in your favour) is one of the most important aspects for anybody with an architecture/design background. It will be a representation of you, your skills, and your personality. Hence, put in a good amount of time, work, and most essentially, thought into making one. 

After planning out a genuine resume, make a list of all the work you have done that can be classified as architectural and pick out the best ones or the ones you feel explain your thought or design process best and compile them strategically and legibly in a fashion that speaks about your personal style and yet is formal. 

Some firms have a specific format that they need your portfolio to be in and you must be equipped to pour your work into such moulds effectively. Matharoo Associates in Ahmedabad, for example, currently asks of the applicants a set of 9 images that speak about them, their architectural journey and work.

It is highly recommended to also add personal projects and/or artworks in a ‘Miscellaneous’ section, that you feel would appeal to whoever is reviewing your portfolio. There is a fine line between showcasing your talent and bragging and luckily, it is very difficult to go wrong there while compiling a portfolio.

It is likely that whoever is browsing your portfolio is also viewing hundreds of others at the same time. Try to therefore stand out; not deliberately and desperately, but because you are different and your compilation must make that clear. You need not pretend and be flashy to do this. Contemplate the kind of person you truthfully are and think about different representation options to convey the same. Honestly be yourself; it will always benefit you in the long run.

As easy as it sounds, the process of making a portfolio, mailing it places and waiting for responses is not an easy one. That duration could prove to be really tiresome and mentally taxing. It is therefore important that you use your time in the interim wisely. Stay updated about firms and their openings. Keep looking up the plethora of portfolios on Pinterest and other websites to draw inspiration from and to know where to begin. Consider getting a subscription to architectural magazines and others that subconsciously educate you about the current affairs in fields that intrigue you.

Create profiles on platforms like LinkedIn, Couchsurfing, etc. to easily reach out to other professionals and to make it easy for them to connect with you. Spend some time regulating your online persona; you could be looked up too (people do their research just like you do yours). Use the remainder of your time doing more homework about the firms you have applied to; it could prove to be really useful if and when it’s time for an interview with them and even otherwise. Gain skills that are looked for and look for firms that are in need of people with skills that you have and hone those further. Basically, keep your creative juices flowing by creating new projects, try to gain as much information as you can and expand your network as wide as you can. Good contacts could always help you somewhere down the line.

Even though you might have poured you heart and soul into making your portfolio, the first impression is made by the mail you send. It is practically impossible for someone to see the actual effort behind the creation of a portfolio. It is therefore crucial to address your mails respectfully, personally, systematically and accurately. You might even have to alter your portfolio a little bit here and there based on who you are sending it to. Avoid sending a sample custom mail with a custom template to every recipient.

Mails are formal messages which are apt for initial and introductory communication. However, you may schedule and make a call with the respective correspondent, make inquiries, and express your eagerness to work with them. You could even figure out the feasibility of visiting an office and meeting them. A lot of famous people today have stories about simply walking into a big fish’s office in their day and asking for a job and well… landing it. You never know; they might keep you in mind from that specific interaction and if not, there’s no harm done. In fact, it is not going the extra mile, but simply a common courtesy to enquire and know whether or not a certain organisation is hiring at a particular point of time and to send/not send your portfolio. This shows that you value both your time and others’. 

Any new hire can be heavily affected by the slightest recommendation from someone in charge or of influence. A good recommendation could elevate your chances of getting hired significantly. Try to find out if the firm you are interested in conducts workshops or seminars that you could be part of. Participate eagerly in the same and you could have a point of reference to ask for a recommendation. Doing this would include identifying your interests sooner and enrolling yourself into the respective activities beforehand. However, it is futile to try and force a recommendation where there isn’t one. It could only harm your chances.

It is common to keep refreshing your inbox and to feel anxious about all the mails you have sent. Try to stay objective about the whole process. Do not get your hopes too high or too low. Wait for a week for their response and then send a reminder mail. Discontinue options that do not respond even then (your time is valuable too). 

It is advisable not to send your mail around a Friday as it could go unnoticed between a haystack of other mails and spam over Saturday and Sunday.

Once your portfolio has been reviewed and deemed worthy, there usually is another screening round consisting of an interview that could be in person or remotely via a virtual online meet. In any case, be prepared to confidently be your best self. It is okay to take time to answer questions. You do not necessarily have to have the answers to all their questions immediately. Furthermore, a lot of questions asked in an architectural interview would be based on one’s personal opinions on a range of topics. It is okay to not have enough knowledge about a subject and it is sufficiently respectable to say that you do not know enough about something to have an opinion yet. 

Check out “11 Architecture interview questions & answers in 2023” for more material on architectural interview questions and how to approach them.

It could so happen that a particular skill or avenue that you hold expertise in does not have an agency or department (yet) in the firm you have applied to or gotten in. Even then, (and perhaps especially then) mention what kind of assets they are that you could bring to the table. What if your skill and proficiency, which will be based on your explanation, communication and passion, makes them consider opening a new department in that avenue. There are often no fixed set of roles in design companies and most of them are always eager to expand. It is also hard to deny someone that can and wants to add value.

The reason this article very loudly (if not apparent so far) urges you to be honest with your portfolios is because it is going to end up being one of the only resources a firm will have been provided with about you, from you. It is okay to consult and to take the help of your peers or other professionals while making one, but it is better to be 100% involved and in control of your portfolios and mails. Do not make it difficult for yourself to stand up to a version of you that has been made up in your portfolios. Even if you continue to be a version of yourself in the interview and eventually get through, it will probably prove to be an increasingly difficult façade to keep up when you actually start working there. Be as much as you are and spare yourself an imminent imposter syndrome. Also, a graph going low to high is way more impressive than a graph that is unreliably stagnant or going high to low. 

As first-year students, most of us might have dreamt about interning and working at the largest, most glamorous, and high-paying architectural firms. As you grow and form your opinions and mindset about the field, you start placing what exactly it is that architecture has in store for you in particular. It is okay to start with smaller and lesser-known architectural firms. In fact, sometimes, it is amazing for one’s growth and practical understanding. When you do get in somewhere, take care of your inhibitions and premonitions by trusting your architectural training and largely, yourself.

Try to make workshops and seminars a part of your architectural education as much as you can. Apart from the knowledge, exposure, and experience, they give you a clearer picture about what it would be like working with somebody. It would objectively point your interests towards or away from a certain organisation.

Most importantly, practice humility. It is okay if someone assumes that you do not know something when you actually do but not when they assume you do know something and you actually don’t. 

“Keep your pot empty and place it below the source so you may easily fill it.” Constantly be open to any kind of new useful information. Be eager to learn. Ask questions and then ask some more.

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Text provided by Elsa Dominic-

“Architecture is one of the most fundamental yet complex forms of expressed art. Many of us find it hard to perceive the beauty around us which is much more than just bricks and blocks and buildings. Our daily lives can turn out to be much more wholesome and interactive if we start appreciating the art that is architecture and the architecture that is art.”

Elsa is an architecture student and intends to be a medium that tries to explain the thoughts behind years of space-development which has culminated into what we see around us today, their nitty gritty and the impact it has on us every day of our lives. As she has come to believe, words have acted not only as her best pals but also as the simplest vessels that connect people with spaces.