An individual’s education, internships, licenses and certifications, affiliations with architecture organizations or agencies, work experience, and skills should all be included in a landscape architect resume. Landscape architecture resumes, like other resumes, should present information objectively, quantifying where possible. Although a landscape architect may have extensive work experience and education, only the most recent or most relevant should be included in the resume, which should be no more than two pages in length.
All resumes should include information about the applicant’s education. This means that a landscape architect must list the institution where he received a bachelor’s or master’s degree in landscape architecture or a related field, as these are the minimum educational requirements to enter the field. A major landscape architecture organization or other agency within the individual’s jurisdiction should accredit the institutions listed on the resume. The Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board of the American Society of Landscape Architects, for example, accredits programs in the United States.
A summary of any supervised work study the individual has completed should be included in the education section of a landscape architect resume. Internships are an example of this type of work. Some programs include internship opportunities in their curricula, and licensure in some jurisdictions may require as much as four years of supervised work experience. Employers will be able to see that the candidate has been able to apply his landscape architecture knowledge in a practical setting if these internships are shown.
On his landscape architect resume, a landscape architect should list any licenses or certifications he holds. These indicate that the candidate has met industry minimum standards and is familiar with current landscape architecture law as well as the region’s unique soil, water, climate, and plant idiosyncrasies.
If at all possible, include the candidate’s affiliations on a landscape architect resume. For example, the architect could state that he is a member of the American Institute of Architects. Landscape architecture standards are maintained these organizations, which are similar to certifying and licensing agencies. They also provide field information and, in some cases, match employers with architects who are willing to work. The fact that the candidate has these affiliations demonstrates that he or she is serious about being a professional in the field.
Work experience should account for a substantial portion of a landscape architect’s resume. The candidate should list his or her most recent employers or clients, as well as the dates of employment and the scope of his or her responsibilities for each job, in this section. Each responsibility should be listed after a bullet point, and each responsibility should begin with a verb to demonstrate what the candidate did or accomplished. To distinguish the candidate, successes and achievements should be quantified, such as “Reorganized landscape plan to a 25% cost reduction.”
Employers are also interested in seeing a landscape architect’s abilities. Schedules, site and field analysis, cost estimate preparation, team supervision, computer aided design (CAD) or geographic information systems (GIS) use, and reading landscape blueprints are just a few examples. Candidates at the upper levels should be able to demonstrate more advanced or specific skills than those at the lower levels.