Finding a job as an intern: more than just a pretty resume

January marks the beginning of spring semester, and for some this is their final semester before stepping into the work world. For others, a new year inspires a sense of renewed optimism: maybe this year the economy will finally get better and you'll either get a raise or move to a new firm where you can get more experience and do more interesting projects. No one really knows what the economy is going to do this year, though by most reports I've heard is that layoffs should stabilize this year and perhaps hiring will even begin again. I've blogged before about getting a job in a down economy, and that information is still good, but I wanted to share a few tips culled from some recent newspaper articles that I think would be useful.

First off, think hard about your skills when putting together your resume. Do you just have experience with Revit and Adobe Illustrator, or are you proficient in them? Do you have organizational skills gained from running your school's chapter of AIAS? Do you have construction experience due to being a major member of your church or synagogue's facility improvement committee? If you've already had an architectural job and are trying to get a new one, think about all the things you did at your past architectural jobs. Use active verbs as much as you can: instead of "Did construction documents," say "Involved in all aspects of construction documents on large hospital project." Figure out ways to let potential employers know about your skills, but at the same time, be honest.

Being honest is twofold here: one, don't exaggerate your skills, plump up your GPA (not that you even need to include it--if you graduated, you graduated, done deal), lie about your job experience, etc. When you're unlicensed, it can be pretty obvious to potential employers when you're lying about your job experience. Unless you worked at a really small firm, chances are pretty good that you never were a "project manager." Maybe a "job captain", but not a "project manager." That brings me to the second part of being honest on your resume: if you're unlicensed with less than ten years of experience, keep your resume to one page. Anything longer and people are going to think that you're padding.

When you're sending off your resume, remember that this is still a pretty craptastic job market, so don't take rejection personally. Use your unemployed time to do or learn other things, maybe even earn some IDP credits. And when you're sending off your resume, stay focused and be reasonable about positions for which you are a good fit. If the position wants at least five years' experience and you only have three, don't waste your time--there are plenty of unemployed five-year interns who will be considered first for that position. Also, if a job is advertised for which you are a good fit, but it's an hour commute each way, be realistic about it--will your old beater car really make it, or will you be able to take public transit there in a reasonable amount of time?

Finally, it's not just what you know, but alas, who you know. Networking face-to-face is still the best way to meet people, so try joining trade or industry groups or at least attending one or more of their functions. Ask around with your friends and see if their firms are hiring or if they know if anyone is hiring (you can even call former coworkers to find out if they've heard anything about hirings). Apparently, some recruiting companies are using LinkedIn to find good candidates, and you can use LinkedIn to find people who work at the company with whom you want to interview. Regardless of how you make contacts, be able to sell yourself in a minute or less--if you call a firm and get the very person you want to talk to, being articulate right off the bat can help get your foot in the door.

Some of the tips in this post have been culled from articles in the Denver Post (Page 1K & 8K, 11/8/09; and page 1D & 10D, 1/12/10). Next time, I'll talk about being on the other side of the equation: what if you're employed and you're trying to help a friend get a job? If you have questions or a topic you'd like to see discussed here, let me know in the comments or drop me a line via email from the sidebar. Thanks!