Firm Research Tips
Things to think about before and during your research:
- What’s your preferred firm size?
- What project types do you like, and which clients do you like working for?
- What are the values you’d like your firm to have?
- Do you prefer computer modeling, hand-drafting, water coloring?
- Do you want young co-workers around?
- Do you want to work for well-known principals? Or a well-known firm?
- Do you need the office to be accessible by public transportation?
- Would you like a friendly city life nearby?
Tips:
- Visit the websites of all firms you’ll be applying to, at a minimum.
- See the firm in person and interview in person, if possible.
- Call someone at the firm to get a better feel for it.
- Start with a list of as many firms as possible, and narrow it down throughout the course of your research. Some places you find from directories, etc. will not be hiring, so cast a wide net.
- Research cities as well as firms – When you’re not working, what is there to do nearby?
Places to search for firms:
- Archiplanet.org – search by city, or by keywords like “sustainable”
- In the advertisements of local magazines or local websites
- The AIA directory – there’s one on Yahoo, and some chapters have directories on their websites
- On the USGBC and AIA websites there are listings of award winners – that’s a good resource for the top firms in various areas
- The career fair information pages for universities near your favorite city
- Firms that attend career fairs are usually looking to hire.
- Lastly, Google. When you’ve found firm names from other places, Google is a good place to search for articles or reviews of those firms. Find an outside opinion, if possible.
