I Got Hired: Architectural Assistant at GPAD

Posted on: 30 November 2023 by Richard Finch in Graduate stories

Charlie Fletcher is a Class of 2022 Architecture graduate, now working as a Part 1 Architectural Assistant at GPAD.

It took me a while to get to my current position. After graduating I took a month off to have a break before starting my applications. Following this, I had to sort out my portfolio and cv to make them standout. The architecture industry is particularly competitive for Part 1‘s, so despite sending off lots of applications and receiving some good feedback from prospective employers, I was struggling.

I had five interviews from at least a hundred applications I had sent off. I know many of my peers had found it hard but now I believe all of them are employed and moving onto exciting new Beginnings.

I actually heard about this job on Instagram. My opportunity came around Christmas time and since then I have really enjoyed working on various projects.

My favourite experience so far has definitely been learning about the architecture industry, with practical experience, and meeting people at different stages of their career and listening to what they have to say.

The most challenging part of my graduate journey was getting my current job. It has been quite a journey and has certainly tested my resilience.

My top 3 tips for current students and recent graduates.

  1. Don‘t give up and think you are not any good, it is a really hard market for Part 1‘s and you are more than capable and you’ll be surprised what you know from what you have learnt from University of Liverpool when start applying it to practice life.
  2. Make sure you invest time into yourself. For me, my applications got a lot better when I started to focus more on exercise and spending time with friends and family. It helped me gain confidence which is key when things aren’t quite going your way.
  3. Do keep in touch with tutors and peers. They can help you refine portfolios and CVs but more importantly they can relate to you and will help or just be someone to talk to when you get unsure. They have all really helped me!