[Amy Verel]

I didn’t see the original posting, only realized this after I saw your discussion after posting my original comment. Just tried to post an addendum here but it’s not going through. So obviously I’m not responding to the same thing which makes it hard for me to comment on the original post.

I don’t know anything about this firm other than they seem to post somewhat frequently on ASLA, so that’s all I’m going on here in interpreting what I read. As I commented, this does appear to be a very sloppily worded posting (and believe me, as a grammar snob that would make me almost equally wary about working for them) but I also still got the sense that they’re looking for a trial position with long term potential after re-assessment, and not simply an ‘Intern’ as we understand it. If they have a predatory reputation in terms of how they recruit and treat employees, that certainly would change things.

Very few job listings will actually state “Three Month Trial Period with Potential for Full Time Work,” of course, but it is extremely common and accepted across industries (I’ve worked in several others besides private sector la) to not grant any benefits other than pay until after a three month period and to have an understanding that the first three months represent a trial period during which they (or you) may decide you’re just not a good fit. I’ve seen this variously spelled out in Employee Handbooks and the like, but this listing just struck me as a spectacularly inelegant way of conveying a common practice.

I do agree with the sentiment that we need to protect ourselves against abuses particularly in this “buyer’s market” though. Just wanted to make sure we weren’t jumping the gun here. If we as a profession could agree on what the hell to call ourselves at different levels of experience/registration, that would certainly help! 😀

[Amy Verel]

P.S. – Did anyone notice under “Skills Required” this listing states the following?

“Design AutoCad Project Managenent In-Design Photo Shop”

This is not copy that was put together with much care, a single comma, or even a basic spell check (also I think the Photo Shop has long since gone out of business in the age of digital, lol), so perhaps we shouldn’t over-analyze their use of the term “internship”! Let’s all just hope this means that they’re SO SLAMMED with work that they desperately need qualified, experienced designers. Who can write. 😉

[Amy Verel]

I agree with the general sentiment about (the very real problem of) utterly ridiculous demands for skills/experience in many job listings, but to be fair this example appears to be more of a wording mishap than an intentional slight against qualified, experienced professionals.

Reading the listing (which is still up at 5:21 pm EST), the posting is ‘Summer Position with Full Time Potential.’ The only time they use the word “internship” is in the very last sentence: ‘This particular opportunity will begin as an hourly internship position with the promise of a full-time position depending on fit and project workload.’

They seem to be using the term “internship” to convey what that this is a ‘trial period’ position with pay but probably no other benefits (with the promise of consideration for full employment after assessment), a situation that is very common for the first three months of employment in ours and many other sectors.

Inelegant, definitely, given our professional perception of what ‘internship’ implies, but this doesn’t strike me as an attempt to undermine or insult/bottomfeed on the experience of qualified professionals. On a broader level though (speaking to the whole “non-RLAs calling themselves landscape architects” discussion), we need a lot more clarity in the profession about what to call ourselves, and this kind of sloppy wording doesn’t do anyone any favors. Architects have “intern” positions that are full time and paid for yet-to-be-licensed architectural designers, but that is not what’s being conveyed here.

I will say that this firm seems to place their job listings on ASLA as a matter of course, so I appreciate their support of the organization and willingness to open the field of applicants (rather than to never advertise open positions and only hire through who-knows-somebody-good sources), which I think is commendable. Definitely should get their wording straight though!

[Amy Verel]

Leidsche Rijn in the Netherlands is an entirely new addition to the city of Utrecht that’s still under construction – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leidsche_Rijn

I did a case study on it in grad school (self plug 🙂 http://courses.umass.edu/greenurb/2006/averel/index.html

[Amy Verel]

With two years of professional work, I’d stick with that. If you have one or two really outstanding pieces from your student portfolio that would really add something new (demonstrate technical abilities/project work areas distinct from your professional projects, or a design area you’re really passionate about), you can always put those in at the end. But I’d focus on professional work, and don’t forget to move your education lower on your resume – it’s less important now that you’ve been working. Good luck!

[Amy Verel]

Thanks Steve and Kerri – just started messing with it but this might be my favorite app EVER – exactly what I need a smartphone to do too!

[Amy Verel]

Will do. Just found this tree app from Audubon – little pricey but no doubt worth it! Think I’ll see how I like the two Mark suggested below (just downloaded) before coughing up 10 bucks though.

 

http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/books_and_reference/audubon-trees_lbhz.html

[Amy Verel]

Thanks Mark – those look like great finds!

[Amy Verel]

Thanks – I’ll try those! Dirr app would be AWESOME – hopefully someday! Wonder if there are other good tree/plant apps in the interim?

[Amy Verel]

For productivity, I found Rehearsal Assistant voice recorder so that I don’t lose all of the ‘mental notes’ I find myself making during my traffic-y, 30 to 60 minutes each way car commute to work.  It’s a nice way to (sort of) recover some of the productivity I lost when I gave up a train commute, and it lets you make little voice memos without too many steps. Which apps are you currently using?

[Amy Verel]

Thanks Leni – great pictures! Love to see more if you have them on Flickr or something. Really wish I could have made it – hate it when job gets in the way of career! 😀

[Amy Verel]

Haha good point Jason – personally I could use some 4-wheel drive landscape these days, but that might incur the standard jokes about plowing snow in the winter…

 

Can’t wait to dig into the guidelines myself, especially since I was originally under the impression that they were $35, but that was just for the hard copy – the free pdf download was a nice surprise!

[Amy Verel]

Ditto on the congratulations! I’m very surprised to hear that about your bosses; every RLA I’ve ever known or worked with/for has used it in their title on their correspondence.  I really can’t think of a good reason NOT to use it, particularly when you’re using other, lesser certifications (no offense to LEED and AICP, I’m just drawing a distinction between a license and a certification).  I’m curious to know if ASLA offers guidance on this but didn’t see anything in a quick peek at the website. If you’re on LinkedIn, you might pose this question on ASLA’s official group as well as here – it’s a pretty big group with professionals at all levels.  I’d be interested to hear the response (as well as additional comments on here, of course).

[Amy Verel]

My thoughts exactly on HuffPo, Noah, so much so that I don’t read it at all unless a particular article (usually commentary like this,written by someone I follow through other sources) comes to my attention.  For that reason I wondered about the potential drawbacks of TCLF using HuffPo, which has a credibility problem with many people, as a platform for Birnbaum’s excellent, now regularly-featured commentary. But then again, it’s a general interest platform that reaches a very wide, non-design audience so it just might be the perfect place for his posts (not to mention further to the exact point he makes in this piece).  And I think HuffPo has so much potential to be uniquely great (which is why the garbage they toss in the mix is so disappointing) that any initiative to raise the journalistic bar there is certainly welcomed!

 

I agree that he makes an incisive observation about the marginalization of landscape architecture criticism, and a persuasive argument about establishing the profession as influential in shaping communities/environments at the societal level.  Raising the cultural presence and influence of the profession among the general public is a key (if not primary) piece of the strategy to foster a better understanding/appreciation of what, exactly, we do.  No disrespect to snowplow drivers (particularly from my current vantage point in Queens!) but I wouldn’t be sad to retire that witty rejoinder that serves me so well when someone ponders, in all earnestness and ignorance, what it is that I DO during the winter months…

[Amy Verel]

Congrats on the interview! One question I like (and one that has worked for me in the past) is to ask ‘what are the main projects in the pipeline that I could expect to be working on?,’ which is a polite, wholly acceptable way of asking ‘why are you bringing on a new person?’  This simultaneously invites the interviewer to expand on a topic they like talking about (upcoming work the firm has won-even if you know about it, they will enjoy talking about it so let them) and gives you a good idea of what to expect day-to-day if you are offered/accept the position, all without having to ask the awkward ‘what would an average day look like’ type of question.

 

To further address your legitimate economic concerns, you might probe further with follow-ups about what sort of time frame is anticipated for the upcoming projects they mention, and also what ongoing contract work you might also be assigned (pre-quals for large agencies, long-running project/clients, etc).   Best of luck to you!

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