There’s no question the pandemic-impacted economy can be a daunting prospect for job seekers. Not since the Great Recession of 2007 — 2009 have new graduates faced so much uncertainty in the job market. Who better to advise the class of 2020 than those who have been there: architecture professionals who started careers during the height of the previous recession?

In a recent webinar, AIA brought together four panelists to share their tips. Based on their experiences, Abi Brown, Donald Mouch, So Young Lee, and Jonathan Tolbert shared various practical strategies for boosting career resilience.

Whether you’re a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, these tips can help build career resilience to withstand economic uncertainty, employment changes, project setbacks, firm mergers, family priorities and other challenges.

Never underestimate your network

• Stay connected with professors, classmates, friends, family, extended community, alumni; you never know who in your network will have a pivotal connection if they know you’re looking.
• Use LinkedIn and social media to keep tabs on where people are and what they’re doing.
• Be upfront when looking for a new job, and help others in
  their search.
• Don’t hesitate to reach out to professors, even if you weren’t close. Remember: your school wants you to succeed.
• Reach out to career services, alumni networks, and local AIA chapters to ask for help, request a mentor, or reengage when you need encouragement.

Stay involved

• Participate in design competitions to sharpen your design skills individually or with a team of friends and you may even win!
• Use competitions and events to supplement your portfolio with new building typologies to broaden your experience.
• Take advantage of your student discount to attend events and conferences (as evolving social distancing guidelines allow).
• Volunteer with AIA, Open Architecture Collaborative, USGBC, Urban Land Institute, and others to extend your network within the profession and stay engaged if you’re working in a different field.
• Keep pursuing your license to maximize your marketability.

Be flexible and think outside the biz

• Expand your search to different sectors, different size firms and new locations. Don’t be afraid to relocate for the right opportunity or ask if remote work is an option to save moving expenses.
• Consider an architecture-adjacent position. An internship for city government, a job in real estate or facility management, a display designer in retail or museums — even non-architecture positions can help you develop valuable skills. Panelists who accepted positions like these during their job search gained experience in software (drafting/rendering) skills, contracts, budgeting, marketing, communication, customer service, and more that provided a leg up in interviews.
• Let your boss and colleagues know your long-term goals, so some tasks and experiences can support where you want to go.

Ask the right questions and be strategic

• Bring your questions to an interview and decide if the firm has a culture you want to join.
• Questions about how the firm handled the previous recession, and the current economic uncertainty can tell you a lot about the culture.
• If you need a visa, if you need a certain salary, if you need flexibility, be honest throughout the interview process and seek out positions that will meet your needs.
• If you need the job to pay the bills, then continue your job search once employed. It’s OK to change jobs if the fit is not right!