Are you hiring?

[nca]

Jim-

Have you been checking the government postings as well as craigslist, ASLA, and Land8?

I saw an opening for a NPS Landscape Architect, but I was underqualified to apply. I’ve been seeing some ads come up on craigs list sporadically. Granted, the craigslist jobs aren’t always the best gigs, but it’s something.

[Sousuke]

I too have gotten into Flash in the last few years. I built a flash website in 2007 when I last switched jobs and in the last year completely redid it with a stronger UI using AS 2.0. Its amazing what i’ve learned in the last two years and the quality difference.

I’m still employed…knock on wood…but its officially ready as of the end of last year. I have also spent alot of time on my printed portfolio and printed samples. Like you i’m designing a packaging system for all of this. The one problem I had in 2007 was that only about 25% of firms would look at my site (after looking at the logs) so this time around i’ll be providing a disk copy within my package.

One thing regarding my site, I have made sure that it DOES NOT get picked up by google very easily.

[Boilerplater]

The NPS wants people who went to 160 credit (5-year) LA programs or they want you to have a lot of experience in the kind of work they do. I think its a little elitist myself. They do strike me as interesting jobs, even though most of them require living and working in a remote location.

[Christopher Patzke]

Can we have the old job listings page back?

[Andrew Spiering]

Here you go…http://www.land8lounge.com/jobs

[Boilerplater]

Wow, the empathy and sense of community here is just flowing.
Not too long ago, on another site, you were angrily posting about leaving planning and how it had jilted you and what other careers you thought you could do. You’d go on about your interviews and job search efforts and everyone would politely listen and offer advice. How quickly we forget.

[Jennifer de Graaf]

omg, yes! I am keeping a naughty and nice list including comments and dates so I don’t forget where my resumes have been over the last 8 years in CA (Texas the years before, no need for the list with those folks – all were nice!). Sounds wretched, but I have decided for myself that if/when I am ever in the position of hiring or not hiring, I will at the VERY LEAST send a response. I promise myself never to be so busy that I can’t send a standard ‘thanks for applying’ e-mail.

[Tim Zhang]

I couldn’t find a fulltime job in the field when I got out of college last year, so I’m working parttime in an urban planning firm, a residential landscape design-build firm, and an interior design office on weekends. I also frequently freelance for an architecture firm on digital renderings and a botanical garden on hand renderings. That is what is so great about Landscape Architecture, it is sooo broad that there are many related fields that can use your expertise. Until I find a fulltime Landscape Architecture job (rare here in socal), I’ll probably keep on doing that just for the sake of building up my resume. The worst thing anyone can do is to remain unemployed. Cold call a few firms a day, hand out freelance flyers at Home Depot, knock on doors for landscape design services, I have done all that.. because chances are, the next qualified job I apply for, I will be competing against more experienced professionals who don’t mind being overqualified for the position, and newly college graduates who’d work for almost free.

Hope that helped.

[Andrew Spiering]

Tim, you’re an all-star! Working part-time at three firms? What an awesome experience to work at all three of those companies in different areas of the design discipline. Way to be a go-getter!

[landplanner]

We seem to think we are nicely inter-connected and instantly informed about this profession by websites such as this one, and I have no doubt that many of us, myself included, find this forum immensely helpful.

In this particular discussion, similar to what one finds on Archinet (without all the bitching and moaning) discussion threads on this very same topic, why don’t we continue to inform one another about what the economic outlook and job prospects are from where your located. Come clean, the good, the bad, the indifferent, the apopalyptic and the hopeful.

Seed planted.

[David Fletcher]

Yes…we are looking for interns:

Submit CV and 3-5 pp portfolio to: dfletcher@fletcherstudio.com

fletcherstudio.com

[Andrew Spiering]

Yes, I saw your posting on Land8.net! You get three, week-long job listings with a basic account. You might want to re-run the ad or upgrade to a standard plan to keep the ad up longer…

Thanks again!

[aj petro]

You have to be agressive in obtaining employment. Dont sit around just posting your resume on the net and think that you will be noticed. You must go out and intro yourself to owners of firms. Find out who they are, and make a surprise visit to their company. Let them know you are hungry for work. You will be surprised what comes out of this. Make as many visits as you can personally and let everyone stay home and post their resumes on the net and complain about the economy. I guarantee you that you will find a job. Owners of companys like to see …. go getters….. they will make a position in their firm if they have to if they are impressed by your willingness to work. In the history of my life, I have never posted a resume. I would go after the company i wanted to work for by knowing the key players in the company then show up asking to talk to them personally ( un announced ) and soon after, I would be working. Theses are companys that were not even hiring. Get my point ! Once your in you can show your creativity and the rest will be history.

[nca]

I appreciate that, but I think this was more true maybe 6 months ago than today. It’s a different ball game now and employers aren’t hiring because there is no work because banks aren’t lending to developers and entrepreneurs, not because they don’t want to hire.

Adding to that, there’s undeniably a surplus in good designers, architects, and illustrators. I’ve heard from more than one person that this industry needs to ‘skip a generation’ in new graduates, not that that’s really possible.

As of today I think getting hired comes down mainly to ‘dumb luck’ more than almost anything else. Just trying to offer defense for all those who are still unemployed and shaking their heads.

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

Dumb luck or right place at the right time? You have a better chance to be in the right place at the right time if you spend more time in more places. Artie’s advice will certainly do that whether or not you agree with his reasoning.

[Author]

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