When deciding where to send a resume, how do we narrow the field of thousands of firms to those whose work will interest us, those who provide a valuable learning environment, and those where our contribution will be most respected? The majority of architecture firms are small firms. They don't receive a lot of press and may not have a web site. Those few firms that do the 'coolest' and most publicized work are inundated with unsolicited resumes, regardless of the quality of the experience for the intern. Less well-known firms place 'help wanted' ads that offer only cursory descriptions of the firm and its work and often don't even mention the firm's name.

With a lack of reliable sources of information about the culture and quality of experience at many small and medium-sized architecture firms, we believe that this type of information is extremely valuable to interns and architects seeking new or better employment. Answering the all-important question, "What is it like to work at this firm?"

In this environment, firm-specific information from the people who know them best is invaluable. We believe that providing interns and architects at all levels with information about a firm's work and its culture will serve to improve the efficiency of the market for architectural talent, matching employers with better employees, and interns and architects with better opportunities.

The primary goal of InsideArch is to gather quantitative and qualitative information about the work, culture, and employee experience at architecture firms, to synthesize and present that information in a meaningful, valuable format so as to empower interns and architects to make career decisions more beneficial to themselves and the profession as a whole.

Specific areas of inquiry include: Lifestyle/work-life balance, work atmosphere, access to top management, the flow of information and work at the firm, the decision-making processes at the firm, design input, perceived value of position, level of responsibility, how interesting/substantial is/was the employees role, criteria for promotions and advancements, corporate culture, education and skill level of architectural staff and management.

Site visitors who are former or current employees of a firm score the firm according to these criteria, with the scores tallied and used to compute an overall rating for the firm. Written comments about the firm are edited, in conjunction with the firm's ratings, to create an overall summary highlighting the particular strengths and weaknesses of the firm.

Firm ratings can be used by interns and architects to target firms for possible employment, and can be listed on interns and architects resumes to demonstrate to potential employers the quality of their previous experience. Firms themselves could use a high rating to attract the best candidates-once again improving the way interns and architects market themselves to potential employers and the way firms market themselves to potential employees.

As InsideArch develops, we look forward to hearing from you, our colleagues, with comments and criticism. Visit the site and let us know what you think. And, of course, tell us about your job.