Finishing my architecture degree last year I needed to find a job. As a new architect in South Africa during the worst of covid, my prospects weren't good. Even though I was one of the top students that year, I sent over 80 emails to architecture firms across the country. All of them in that polite, verbose format. No one was looking for a new employee. Finally at the end of my wits. I started resending all those emails, but this time with a single sentence telling the company who I am and what I want, and a greatly simplified portfolio of only a few pages. The response was instantly better and I had a company ask me to come for an interview that very same evening that I wrote those emails. Been working at that company now for close to a year and loving every second of it!
Great to see another full-length video! Thanks for always being educational and entertaining, Kevin and Andrew. I was willing to show my portfolio however RU-vid seems to automatically delete links.
Great video guys! Loved how you touched on the various types of portfolios and I agree with so many things. Especially what you said about showing what you want to do in that job position, that is so important, but not always done. Also, appreciate the shootout! Now, I've got 2 things I kinda think the opposite, so I'll leave my input here to get the conversation rolling 😄 1- During the portfolio review series I did with Steven (Show It Better), we looked at thousands of portfolios, of all different kinds. ISSUU, Behance, personal websites, and a lot more. And what I've found is that the ISSUU way (digital portfolio with a "physical" feel where you can turn pages) is the best. You can create a narrative around your projects by taking advantage of a linear process. It's less friction for those viewing as well, as you don't have to think where to click or where to find information. Just flick the page and let the person who has created that portfolio tell you their story. Often times personal websites are messy and aren't neatly put together. Plus a proper hierarchy between images and texts is harder to achieve there as you'll need to dominate web design. Site builders limit you on that creative approach, especially with white space. Not to mention that each device will open the website in a different way. In my opinion, portfolios are all about guiding the viewer's eyes using whitespace. Behance, Instagram, and even personal websites may be a bit limiting in that sense. 2- I'm not so sure about this, but I haven't seen print portfolios anymore (especially after the pandemic) And also a portfolio is always evolving and changing. As students or recent grads, you might out of the blue join an arch competition with friends to practice your skills or take on a new challenge. You can easily update a digital portfolio and include that new project, and not so much with a print version where it's all set in stone, and to change something you need to spend money and print it all over again. Anyways, just trying to create a discussion around this. I learn a lot from you guys, love everything that you guys put out! I'm currently working on a course on Portfolios and InDesign for Architects, and I've been thinking a lot about these things lately 😄
Physical one for interview is a different thing. Refer to our job interview episode. Also we need you guys make ones about single page portfolio for email. Nudge nudge.
And yes, often websites are messy, but so are the majority of folios I have seen too. It’s ways of thinking about how to arrange and present information in the best possible way.
The part about 'employers have already seen your best work, so they're not interested in talking about it again and want to talk about something else' is absolutely true in my own experience in my last interview. We spoke about my previous work experience, about the roles I was involved, and what was my thought process for certain projects. Had I insisted on a tour of my portfolio, they'd probably be disinterested.
It’s a prop. And it should some them something else they haven’t seen that would help illustrate those work experiences that is not in your digital folio
Regarding showing diversity in the portfolio, I learned from the art industry that it's better if you show an expert level of something, plus an intermediate level of what else you can do. It's called the "T" structure. Idk if that applies to architecture as well or not.
Andrew’s face after says: “There will potentially be someone there who just wants to play with something…” is the best! 😂 Too few people remember how important it is to understand WHO you are interviewing with. If you want the the interviewer to think you are a good match for their firm you need to find out what makes them exciting and show that you have those qualities or at least have a genuine interest in acquiring/improving those qualities.
I would have never thought about the email part and it´s actually the first impression a potential employee will get from us. And I loved the idea of a sort of "all in your face" website. I´m so structured and organized that I would probably have made a very categorized website... You're so right with that one! PS it took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize the fireplace was a mac
I have been waiting for this video since the very moment you had mentioned it in the previous video. Great timing as i am making my portfolio atm! Thanks guys.
In the UK, practices do NOT like links to portfolios. They ask for a PDF only (Sample portfolio is sometimes preferred). Also, I came across employers who barely looked at my CV and just rambled through the interview, with the most random questions and no structure. Extremely frustrating as I put so much effort and motivation into preparing for it. Anyway, I love your email idea, so I'll try to incorporate that in my next job search. 👌
Even after twenty years in practice I still learn from archimararthon. The definition of portfolio is eye opening and will cause me to rethink my company website and presentations.
Great tips and insights. Thank you very much for the video. I have already started sending it out to my students as homework to watch it. 😀 I liked the part about the email and that you should be creative in compiling it. Although too short email only with a link might look like a spam 😆😅
Great video as usual. The single page email portfolio makes so much sense and you guys broke down the purposes of the different portfolios so clearly. If anyone ever asks about portfolios I’ll send them here 😂
Thank you for the informative video on portfolios. I do concur with you on the issue having a lot of content covering the technical aspects of portfolios but less if not none do delve into the ‘why’ of making one. I love your Mac 🖥️ fireplace 🔥
Great and important video, guys! I always learn heaps from you. Portfolios are a sensitive topic as most of the time people are more worried about how to "enlarge" them instead of focusing on the important stuff, how to be a better communicator of ideas and that includes portfolios, cover letters, and interviews. Spot on that!
Just a humble tradie. Thanks for making content. Can you make a lecture series. Make it based on long term sustainability while avoiding the profit motive.
Fantastic video! But I do have a question. When cold calling a practice do you think it is important to write up a cover letter to go along with your portfolio? Or should the portfolio do all the talking along with your one - two sentences on what you are looking for?
Nice video, thanks a lot for the tips. Very interesting and useful to think about the job application emails. Does your advice result in an email with a very short text + the single page portfolio as an image + the larger portfolio as pdf or website link + a cover letter (if we aim to keep the email short, I guess we need it?) ? Isn’t this all a bit too much content, especially with the fact that there will be 2 portfolios, or did I get something wrong?
Nice to see another full length video! Thnks for sharing, I especially love your point about designing an email as an introduction to your portfolio rather than a wall of text for 'whom it may concern' to delete immediately. I've never thought about it that way but that is certainly a way to immediately stand out. I'll further emphasize the discord, there are tons of fellow architects and students who are willing to critique portfolios, or just hang out and talk about architecture!
