A Part I Architectural Assistant CV should be clear, honest and easy to scan. You are not expected to sound like a Project Architect. You are expected to show potential, care and relevant evidence.
The best Part I CVs make it simple for a practice to understand your education, software, project interests, availability and portfolio link.
Watch: starting the Part I job search
This Architecture Social episode is directly relevant if you are writing a Part I CV and trying to understand how the first job search really works.
Put the practical details near the top
Do not make a hiring manager hunt for the basics. Your location, degree, expected availability, right to work, software and portfolio link should be easy to find.
- Name and contact details.
- Location and availability.
- Education and graduation date.
- Portfolio link or attached PDF note.
- Software, with honest confidence levels where useful.
Show academic work properly
Academic projects can be strong evidence if you explain them clearly. Mention the brief, scale, design idea, tools used and what the project proves about your thinking.
Avoid long abstract descriptions. A practice wants to know whether you can communicate, learn, draw, think and contribute.
What practices usually scan first
For a Part I CV, the first scan is usually practical. The reader wants to know whether you are available, whether your portfolio opens, whether your software matches the role and whether your work shows enough promise for a first professional step.
That means your CV should not hide behind a long personal statement. Keep the opening useful, then let the portfolio do the visual work.
Include experience without overclaiming
Retail, hospitality, volunteering, construction exposure, admin work or student society roles can still help if they show reliability, communication or responsibility. Just connect them to useful behaviours.
Use software carefully
If you list Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, AutoCAD, Adobe, Enscape or Grasshopper, be honest about how you have used them. A simple project example is more useful than a long software list with no context.
Connect the CV to the portfolio
If your CV says you are interested in housing, public space, retrofit or computational design, the portfolio should support that claim. If it does not, either adjust the CV or reorder the portfolio.
Listen: related Architecture Social podcast
The podcast version goes deeper into the early Part I job search, including where to look, how to present yourself and what practices are trying to assess.
You can also open the related Architecture Social podcast page.
Common mistakes
- Trying to sound senior too early.
- Using an overdesigned CV that hides key information.
- Forgetting to include a working portfolio link.
- Listing every software tool without evidence.
- Sending the same application without reading the job advert properly.
Architecture Social view
Stephen’s recruiter view is that Part I candidates do not need to be perfect. They need to be clear, prepared and easy to assess. That alone can put you ahead of a lot of rushed applications.
Next step
Check live architecture jobs, then use the architecture CV guide and portfolio guide to tighten your Part I application.
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