Architecture CV Examples, Template & Tips

A great architect must be as much a creative artist as they are a capable scientist. Balancing the requirements, expectations, budgets, and creative visions is no easy task, and it can be hard to determine what to focus on in an architect CV.

How to stand out in a pile of CVs where each one is designed to stand out? Everyone’s going to come with their own artistic twist on the classic CV, so do the unexpected: Focus on the data. Your portfolio will speak for itself.

This guide will tell you how to write an architecture CV that gets you the job. You'll see numerous architecture CV examples to level up your application as well as an architecture personal statement that speaks for itself.

Create an effective CV in minutes. Choose a professional CV template and fill in every section of your CV in a flash using ready-made content and expert tips.

Create your CV now

Create your CV now

The LiveCareer online CV maker lets you build a professional CV fast and download it as a PDF or DOC.

Considering other positions? See CV examples for different jobs:

• Artist CV Example
• Designer CV Example
• Fashion CV Example
• Graphic Designer CV Example
• Painter and Decorator CV Example
• Project Manager CV Example
• Video Editor CV Example

Want to explore other options? See our selection of CV examples for other jobs. 

Architecture CV Example

This is the blueprint for an architecture CV. Let’s get to the drawing board and write your own CV. Here's what to include in your application:

1. Write an architecture CV personal statement

Ultimately, it’s your portfolio that’s going to seal the deal. However, if someone picks your CV out of the pile, they better not be bored and discouraged by what they read. Many go straight to explaining their design philosophies. However, this may not be the right place.

Is six lines enough to explain your design philosophy? Doubtful. Instead, devote your architect CV personal statement to illustrating the impact you can make for the company, in terms of results and numbers. 

To write a CV personal statement that serves its purpose, answer the following questions in one sentence each:

1. Who are you, what’s your experience?
2. What type of projects are you experienced in delivering?
3. What’s your most impressive/relevant achievement?
4. What’s your most unique achievement?
5. What are you hoping to be able to achieve in this job? (Think about the employer, not yourself.)

This part is easiest written right at the very end.

Architect CV examples: personal statement

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

Create your CV now

2. Write your architecture CV job description

The work history section is a more-detailed expansion of your personal statement. Here, you should quantify the volume, value, and type of projects you have completed, instead of being simply descriptive. 

What’s more important in architecture—that the design meets profitability and safety specifications, or that the design and philosophy is pleasing?

Surely, the first one. The design can always be adjusted. However, certain criteria always need to be met. The same goes for architect CVs. Therefore, allow the employer to digest the numbers, and calculate exactly what you can deliver for them. 

Your personal style or convictions will suddenly seem less significant when you have a proven track record of delivering. List your achievements, and showcase a range of proven experience that matches the employers expectations. 

Use the PAR (Problem Action Result) formula to help you build your bullet points. List 5 to 9 for your most relevant positions, under this heading:

[Job Title]

[Company Name, Location]

[Dates of Employment]

For older positions, limit the bullet points to only original information (that doesn’t appear under other positions). 

Architecture CV examples: work experience

3. Sketch out your education in your architect CV

Of course, every architect must have their appropriate ARB and RIBA accredited licenses. Once you have a few years of experience, just limit yourself to barely listing them, without going into detail.

For a perfect CV, list your degrees in the following way: 

[Degree Class] BA [Degree Name](Year Graduated)

[University Name]

If you are lacking experience for a CV and writing a student application (your first CV), you may want to add bullet points here to highlight your achievements, extracurricular activities or areas of excellence while studying.

Architecture CV examples: education

4. Make a list of your architecture skills

There are many hats that a successful architect must wear. If you are focusing on listing quantitative results of your work in your architect CV, and your portfolio illustrates that qualitative side, your skills section could be a good place to list your IT skills, such as software you have mastered, and soft skills such as teamwork or effective communication.

Architecture student CV example: skills

5. Draw up additional sections for your architect CV

If you are extremely accomplished, you could summarise your key projects in a Notable Projects section. Alternately, you could leave it to your portfolio, and use up the additional space on awards, certifications, or languages.

If you are seeking to break into the industry, even something like volunteering could help: 82% of managers would rather hire someone with volunteering experience.

If it’s not relevant, white space wins over it.

Architecture CV examples: additional sections

6. Write an architecture cover letter

Remember how the personal statement wasn’t the right place to explain your design philosophy? Here’s a chance to let it shine. If you choose to devote most of your cover letter to your philosophy, make sure you start off with a strong introduction such as:

Architect cover letter example

Only then delve into your philosophies. Once they know who you are, and what you can do. Then tell them how.

The ideal architecture cover letter is composed of:

• 1st Paragraph (60-80 words)—List your years of experience, and the main reason why you are the best fit for the position.
• 2nd (Main) Paragraph (120-200 words)—Outline the most significant reasons for why somebody should hire you.
• 3rd Paragraph (40-60 words)—Express your interest in the company and explain what you hope to do for them.

• Call to Action (Single Sentence)—Ask them to look at your portfolio and give you a call back.

Write a short and simple cover letter. It's a useful tool especially if you're a junior as it let's you show transferable skills. 

7. Architect CV format

We know you design things for a living, so we won’t tell you what CV font to use. Remember, though, to send your architect CV as pdf and not go overboard with the file size. You know how to use white space and margins for a clean CV layout. 

Make sure to not trade off legibility for a more interesting CV design, however. 

How long should a CV be? If you're a junior, write a one-pager. For more experienced candidates, two pages should suffice.

If you're going to use one of free CV templates, e.g., a creative CV template or a modern CV template, make sure it's ATS-friendly. ATSs can have problems parsing visual CVs and complicated CV structures.

As architect jobs are not really numerous, make sure to craft every application carefully, and track where you applied in an Excel spreadsheet. If you don’t hear back after a while, give them a friendly call.

Now, you know what makes a good CV and what a good CV should look like. Soon, you’ll be taking something exciting to the drawing board!

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

Create your CV now

Did we answer all your questions on how to write an architect CV? Got any job hunting tips and tricks you’d like to share? Did you find our architecture CV examples useful? Use the comments section below. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.