How to Create the Best Architecture Resume That Lands You Your Dream Job in 2024

How long does an employer spend reading through a resume, including the architecture resume? JUST 6 to 7 SECONDS. Those few seconds decide your chances of getting the job at all. In contrast, how long do we spend to create a resume? Hours, probably incomparable to those short seconds.

So here is a pressing question for architects and graduates – how do you create an architecture resume that attracts the attention of your employer longer than 7 seconds and score yourself an interview?

What Is A Resume?

For most professions, a resume is the most important document you need to submit in your job. If your portfolio shows a graphical representation of your skills, your architecture resume shows a timeline of history – where you have worked, the roles, and even your responsibilities at each level of your role.

Preparing Your Architecture Resume 

Architects excel at creativity in design and drawings, but when it comes to writing, many find themselves at a total loss. While the majority of your architecture resume will be covered in words, it can still be a mix of both graphics and writings – no points lost for being creative whilst planning and writing your resume.

Here are some of the questions you need to consider – what skills and experience should you add and how do you quantify them? After all, most employers love numbers. They don’t just want to know your skill areas; they want to know how skilled you are and the best way to show it in your resume is through your achievements in numbers.

You can even design your architecture resume so that it is not a boring piece of paper.

Structure Of Your Architecture Resume

• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Contact details.  

For most professionals, the most important sections are the skills and experience. However, for a fresh graduate with little or no experience, the education section will be the focus, which can be further paired with the skills/curriculum or extracurricular activities sections.

There are so many things we can add in a resume. Some have even created 2-3 pages for a resume to the dismay of recruiters and hiring managers (some hiring managers find 2 pages acceptable as long as every information is relevant).

This brings up our next point. Relevancy. It is the keyword you should remember in creating your resume. What is relevant for the role and the architecture firm you are applying to? Add only what’s relevant and remove everything else. Else, your resume will be full of irrelevant information that the recruiter will just decide to remove your resume from their list.

Experience Is The Most Important

When talking about experience, do not just state the role. Highlight your contributions in the said position. We also need to remember that HR managers are usually the first persons to see a resume and they may or may not be familiar with architectural projects. If you do not specify your role in a project, it increases your application’s chances of being dismissed for being irrelevant.

Go along with a reverse chronology for your work experience. Your most recent role should appear first, making it easy for the recruiter to see. Again, it is not enough to just state your role; add how many and what types of projects you did, the workflows, and other activities assigned to your role. 

Adding Skills In Architecture Resume

It is still important to highlight your skills, regardless of your years of experience. However, it need not be a paragraph. The best way to add them is in bullet points. Some architects also like to rate their skills, in infographic formats or simply in levels of beginners to advanced. The jury is still out on this method. The reason is that such ratings are subjective and merely suggestive. The architecture portfolio plays an important role in this case. Whatever skills, especially technical ones, mentioned in the resume should be reflected in the portfolio.

Follow these 12 tips to create a superb portfolio and make your application stand out!

Common Key Skills 

Here is a list of common skills for architects. Note that not all architect roles will require every skill in this list.

- Technical software skills - AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup
- Architectural Visualisation - Photoshop, Illustrator, Architecture rendering software
- CAD drafting and 3D modelling
- Building Information Modelling (BIM)
- BIM coordination
- Project management
- Parametric modelling
- Communication skills
- Leadership skills
- Knowledge on building codes and by-laws

Other Details In Architecture Resume

You should also add in any events and competitions you have participated in, especially more so if you have won an award! These are a must for fresh graduates with no experience. You can even add in any volunteer activities. All these show your interest in and out of architecture as well as the interpersonal communication skills.

Choosing The Right Words For Your Resume 

In all the above points, there is one thing in common: choosing the right words. Choosing the right adjectives and action verbs can make or break your resume. 
Instead of saying ‘a fresh graduate skilled in 3D modelling, parametric software’, you could say ‘a passionate fresh graduate skilled in both parametric and non-parametric modelling’.

Numbers are as important as words. Stating ‘an AIA registered architect of 5 years specialising in residential design’ is better than just stating ‘an architect specialising in house design’. The number of years, projects, clients you have worked with are all quantifiable. Just remember not to go overboard with numbers because this can overload the senses. 

Tips To Creating Your Architecture Resume

Alight Your Resume With The Job Description

When looking for a job, we need to first understand the job title and description. Even for the role of an architect, the responsibilities can differ from firm to firm. Try to customise your resume for each position. Compare yourself against the job description and see where you stand. You may not have all the skills stated, but it all comes down to how you highlight the ones you have.

Be Creative

You can definitely be creative with your architecture resume. It isn’t advisable to simply list down everything on a paper. There are such resumes in other fields. However, in architecture where creativity is the top skill, let your creativity and personality shine in both your resume and portfolio. 

Here is an example by Gaja Pellegrini. As a recent graduate, she highlighted her work experience, education and competitions as a journey. Additionally, she also highlighted her software and languages skills and her expertise in graphics. 

This architecture resume by Evan Stravers is quite eye-catching even though it is all text. We can easily make out each section, and all keywords and phrases are in bold.

Always Have A Portfolio Ready

While a portfolio is not included in a resume per se, they go hand in hand together. Have your portfolio ready even before you apply for a role so that once the employer requests for it, you can send it right away. You can also opt to add in a simpler CV in your portfolio so that all information about you is in one place.

You should also want to read - The Best Architecture Portfolios: 10 Inspiring Examples (2022).

Final Advice

Our final advice – never prepare your resume (and portfolio) at the last minute. Always try to customise your resume according to the position, but you should have a generalised version where you have all the information. This way, it is easy for you to prepare different versions of your architecture resume.

Equip yourself with the in-demand skills you can add in your resume and portfolio to wow your future employers. Join Novatr’s BIM Professional Course to acquire BIM skills. If you are interested in more sophisticated modelling, you can choose to Master Computational Design for real-world application. Both courses are prepared and delivered by industry experts working in some of the best AEC firms.

You can also find more career insights and tips in our Resources so head over once you are done here!