Being good at your job is one thing, but it is harder to identify what qualities will help you take your next career step. Design talent alone, even if you are exceptionally gifted, is no guarantee of progression. What is it that makes the most significant difference in taking an architect’s career forward?
“There are many factors that account for a promotion,” muses Joanna Pawlas, an Associate Partner at Foster + Partners. “It is not just about having talent: a large practice will have plenty of talent and a high calibre of employee within the firm. Progression requires a little bit more.”
The turning point of running your own project
Pawlas sees an architectural career as a series of stepping stones. However, there is one step that she believes marks a significant change.
“If you can prove you have the capability to run a project, that can be a pivotal moment,” she affirms. “Architects ultimately have to have that project running experience in order to progress: proof that you have the organisational skills to manoeuvre a team operation, or a multi team one. For an early career architect, running a project should really be your goal.”
This is a big shift of focus to a wider picture, requiring a different set of skills to those an early career architect might be familiar with.
“Having the capacity to manage both your own and the team’s time is important, and there are people skills that accompany that. You need to be on top of everything to keep group deadlines within sight.”
Show that you are versatile
Versatility is another factor Pawlas identifies as a big career development asset. She has worked in practices of different sizes, which provides a solid bedrock for any future direction an architectural career could take.
“Many of my most successful colleagues have worked for a range of practice sizes. It is a huge factor in developing versatility and provides great background for wherever you choose to go, such as from a large practice to, say, a senior position at a smaller firm.”
“It is very useful to work for a small practice early in your career. You get to do a little of everything: from visiting sites and measuring and surveying to administering the office and picking up the phone to potential clients.”
“At a medium sized firm the projects are larger, so there is a step up in responsibility. Then, at a large firm, you see what it is like to work on masterplans, and in urban planning.”
Stay curious and feed your passions
You cannot be truly versatile unless you stay inquisitive about design, technology and visual media. As architecture is a multi disciplinary sector, it pays to pay attention to current affairs and art and design exhibitions, Pawlas believes.
She considers this integral to her personal and professional growth. It helps her to keep up to date with the latest technological advances. A broad spectrum of ideas and influences provides new design perspectives, whether they are abstract or very direct.
“Fosters is a very design led studio,” she points out. “Creativity in any form is celebrated. When developing an idea, inspiration can be found anywhere, from references to biomimicry to purist Classical art. It feeds in very directly into a project.”
Pawlas reads the familiar media you might expect: publications such as RIBAJ, the Architects Journal, Dezeen or Wallpaper. But a lot of information and ideas come to her more generally via social media: a broad and nebulous stream of alerts and updates from architects, contemporary artists, furniture makers and designers.
“Social media is a very immediate way of staying up to date,” she suggests. “It is an instant fix, but a very useful one.”
Learning from others while making yourself known
Taking inspiration from outside architecture evidently nurtures creativity. But it also provides good networking opportunities. The Architecture Foundation and the Women in Architecture Forum are just two many sources of interesting events and talks that Pawlas subscribes to and participates in.
Katerina Examiliotou is an architect at Grimshaw who believes networking is underrated in terms of career advancement. Architects who consider networking irrelevant to their current specific role might not appreciate the domino effect of communicating with fellow built environment professions, whether more senior or junior.
“Networking is frequently at the forefront of my mind,” Examiliotou admits. “Most of my networking is with clients or engineers. But to a lesser extent I network at an industry level, with the RIBA or New London Architecture, for example.
"This is often simply a talk that is of interest, but it is all personal career development: being exposed to different viewpoints and areas of expertise. It helps your professional progression.”
Networking is as useful to practices who wish to find and win over new clients, as it is to job seeking architects targeting practices they wish to work for. Examiliotou recalls hearing one tenet expressed by business consultant (and former architect) Basil Sawczuk: that well connected people are valuable people.
The importance of vision and focus
Another lesson that Examiliotou has taken from both Director level architects and career coaches is the importance of an overall focus.
“What stayed with me was the general message that you can accomplish more when you have a vision. Skills and charisma help, but having a strong, clear vision of where you want to be is very important.”
This is echoed by business coach Jennifer Holloway. She puts this in very direct marketing style terminology, maintaining that at work we have a "personal brand".
"Using your personal brand to get on, and stay on people’s radars, whether they’re internal colleagues or external clients, is an important part of being effective," states Holloway.
The more people buy into you – respect your judgement and trust you – the easier your job becomes. With the buy in of others, you can work more effectively in a team, solve problems more quickly and, ultimately, be at the forefront when it comes to career opportunities.
The first part of this is working out what exactly you want to achieve. This might be a promotion within a large practice, a new job in a new company, or better buy in from your team or increased influence in meetings.
"Spend time thinking about who you are and what makes you tick, collecting together the basic ingredients of your brand."
Once that is done, identify who are the most important people that should be buying into your brand – your "A List Audience", as Holloway calls it. With these two things in place, it should become clearer as to where to focus your efforts.
Thanks to Joanna Pawlas, Associate Partner; Katerina Examiliotou, Grimshaw; and Jennifer Holloway, Personal Branding Expert.
This feature is one of a series that supports architects in building career resilience. The series is packed with advice to help architects at all professional levels with advice on career progression, advancement, promotion and development.
The RIBA is interested in hearing from members about their own career challenges and successes. Please send us your own experiences, feedback and ideas.
Find out more:
- The learning experiences that transform a career
- Find your voice at work
- Learning from a career champion
- Does your portfolio tell the right story?
RIBA Core Curriculum: Business, clients and services.
As part of the flexible RIBA CPD programme, Professional Features count as microlearning. See further information on the updated RIBA CPD Core Curriculum and on fulfilling your CPD requirements as an RIBA Chartered Member.
