Interviewing & the Art of Writing Resumes & Cover Letters

A workshop led by Mariko Masuoka, (Principal, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects), Augusta Barone (Partner, Robert A.M. Stern Architects) and Robert McClure (Director of Hiring, Pickard Chilton Architects).

Summary Notes

For additional information see Tips for Getting Hired

Resume: Critical

• Keep resume to 1 page
• Proofread and spell check, have someone else proofread as well
• Include contact information at the top of each page
• Use contact information that will still be applicable upon graduation (i.e. a permanent gmail address may be preferable to a university provided email account)
• Font size should be 9.5 minimum
• Do not use exotic fonts, they may not be recognized by the recipient's computer
• Use a standard paper size so the recipient can print easily
• Test printing your resume to be sure what you see on screen is what you get in printed form
• Work experience, include the duration, not just the year you began
• If you list references, and be sure to inform your references you have done so. An unexpected phone call won’t not go as well as an anticipated one

Resume: Recommended

• Organization
1. Lead with your educational experience
2. If you are licensed, include this information right below education
3. Follow education with awards, computer skills, references
4. If you are licensed, include this information right below education
• Include LEED accreditation, this may be leverage for firms
  lacking a person with such experience
• Include 3 references, both academic and professional, that the
  interviewer can email
• The best references are those that the interviewer knows

Letter of Interest

• Include contact information at the top
• Reference the firm's work, the letter should be
  customized to the firm and speak to how your experience,
  interests, and goals align with theirs.
• Use the letter to highlight and expand on resume strengths
• Know your audience, tailor the letter to the person you are
  writing to if you know them
• Specify the date when you hope to start working so the employer has a
  sense of if your plans and availability. If you plan to take a
  summer off, justify your time off by saying how your experience (travel, etc.) will better you as a potential employee

Identifying a Contact Person

• Find a specific contact at the firm you’re interested in,
  you will have much better return writing to a person than to
  jobs@ABCArchitects.com
• Talk to people: Ask your professors and fellow students about
  the firms you are interested in
• Identify a contact in your cover letter, “John Doe recommended
  that I contact you...”

Work Samples & Portfolio

• Use images that are big enough, one large good image is more
  impressive than lots of small and potentially illegible images
• Consider creating a website on a provider like Lulu or Exhibit to
  allow prospective employers to flip through more work samples
• If possible, tailor your work sample page to each firm
• If you sent a certain number of work samples via email, bring
  more work to an interview
• Portfolio should include global to specific, try to cover a range
• Include both academic and professional work
• Consult someone in graphic design, see Luke Bulman’s work
  shop on Planning Your Portfolio
• Bring additional reference material along with your portfolio
  to interviews that you can leave to the side and reference if
  necessary (example: I brought a detail drawing of this project
  that I’m particularly proud of)
• Use full bleed images to provide relief
• Prioritize, highlight aspects of your work purposefully

Leave Behind Tips

• Include name & contact information at the top of every page
• Consider sending a hard copy in addition to an PDF copy by email
• Write a thank you note after an interview, hand written is best