Architect Resume Examples

Most architects start off in junior roles until they learn the ropes; a stand-out architect will show rapid progression into higher level roles as they demonstrate the technical qualifications, soft skills, and design sense needed to be trusted with more responsibility. Many architects can stay in junior positions for years without progressing, yet our example jobseeker in the architect resume sample moved on within just a year to graduate from an architectural assistant position to running her own consulting firm for six successful years.

Employers are tired of seeing certain phrases. Those phrases include results-oriented, highly ethical, team collaborator—you get the idea. Instead they want to see specifics, and our example jobseeker delivers by using phrases relevant to her industry. She talks about design vision, green technologies, and technical innovation in her opening summary, and takes the time to emphasize both her creative skills and the hard engineering and architectural capabilities needed to produce reliable architectural designs.

You always want to be specific when focusing your skills, such as the mention of specializing in corporate development and public spaces in our architect resume sample. However, you should avoid boxing yourself into a corner by being overly specific; make mention of your specialties, but don’t focus solely on them. Use abilities and background experience that has wide appeal, such as the highly sought-after experience with LEED green building certification standards, knowledge of building codes, and experience with AutoCAD software.

Absolutely. When working on architectural projects, it can be difficult to think of metrics to quantify your achievements when you’re not always working in percentages covering efficiency, productivity, and the like. When you consider your history in the context of the dollar value of your projects, it’s easy to find a way to quantify your contributions. Whether mentioning the size of projects for an eye-catching metric or discussing saving $50 million over a building’s lifetime through the use of green technologies, including numbers in your resume makes your impact jump out at employers.

No architectural firm will hire a candidate who isn’t a board-certified licensed architect with licensure in the state they intend to work in. Always include relevant certifications that may give you an edge, but be sure to cover architecture licensing with both the year and the state body granting the license, such as the 2005 Licensed Architect granted to our sample jobseeker by the California Architects Board.