Your Next Job: Step 5

Your job is always to find your own next job — whether it’s within your current company or in a new situation. It takes ingenuity and diligence to find the right one. Here are some practical suggestions for opening new doors of opportunity, especially in difficult times.

Step 5: New Market Opportunities

In the Fall of 2019, we were encouraging our clients to look ahead at least 3 to 5 years — to the changes that their clients would need to face. In 2020, the 5x whammy of health, economic, environmental  social, and cultural disruptions made us all aware that there would be more significant disruption within the A/E/C industry. Now is the time to dust off our crystal balls and begin a series of what if brainstorming sessions so we can explore the emerging horizon and create new playing fields for ourselves.

Architects and designers see their experience in the context of building types; however, in the face of seismic change, design firms must reinvent their own go-to-market strategies.

• What are the markets that will be successful in the coming years?
• How are clients redefining their own go-to-market strategies?

In 2009, we predicted that the market sectors that were likely to hold steady or grow included transportation, energy, sustainability, healthcare, education, and research. During the pandemic, transportation took a big hit, but it is likely to come roaring back. The others have been expanding, as has affordable housing.

If you don’t have experience in these specific markets, you may be able to look at your projects in new ways, using different categories and terminology. For instance, renovation projects are “adaptive reuse” and urban centers are ripe for “building repositioning.” Do you have experience with energy-efficiency or other building cost savings? How can you leverage it in a different (or adjacent) market sector? Experience with design of aquariums, convention centers, or hotels and resorts might translate to transportation facilities, which are essentially public places where people gather.

For a good example of a firm that is investing in the future and creating a new category of service offerings, take a look at stok.

Tip #5: Deconstruct your experience and reinvent yourself. It’s time to take your résumé (and portfolio) and look at it in new and better ways.

Would you like more ideas?

In the coming weeks, we’ll continue to provide step-by-step suggestions for opening new doors of opportunity. Stay tuned!

Step 1: Market Research – posted

Step 2: Mapping – posted

Step 3: Market Positioning – posted

Step 4: Professional Credentials – posted

Step 5: New Market Opportunities – posted

Step 6: Presentation – posted

Step 7: Rainmaking – posted

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Thank you for reading! If you have suggestions, please reach out to us via LinkedIn or email.

For more help with your career and professional development, check out our HELP DESK.

Suggested resources:

• Back in 2009, Seth Godin (the bestselling author, entrepreneur, and agent of change) wrote a blog post on “slack” time – how you can invest in yourself “to build a marketing asset that you’ll own forever.” If you haven’t signed up for Seth’s Blog, now’s a great time to start.
• Archinect offers a feature section on Employment. It includes a link to “How to Use Archinect to Get a Job: Optimizing Your Profile with Your Current Portfolio and CV.”
• Bloomberg has feature stories on architecture and the built environment, as well as the economy. Check out CityLab Daily.
• DesignIntelligence publishes excellent insights and information on the AEC industry. They have recently made their publications available for download.

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The original article was published by ArchNewsNow in 2009 and has been updated for 2021.