Madame Figaro
A different type of recruitment
According to Dominique Noël, a specialist in recruiting architects, although few female architects build their own private practice (83% in France are men), when faced with the lack of job opportunities they stick to their profession, pursing other paths. Every year, the ratio between men and women who graduate from architectural programmes is one to one. Helping 11,000 architects find employment, ArchiBat is the number one agency of the industry in France. Mother of four children, she looks to the future with enthusiasm. “The term architect is a title not a qualification. An architect could become a development manager, or a property or real estate developer—the possibilities are astounding. I generally recruit architects for architectural firms, but I also recruit on a smaller scale for other companies, including television stations, laboratories and car companies. Jobs that were originally done by engineers 10 years ago are more and more often carried out by architects. Everyone—men and women—should take advantage of the opportunities!”
Dominique NOËLARCHITECTE IN HUMAN RESSOURCESFrench, 44 years old, 4 children Current position: Founder and president of ArchiBat, a professional recruiting agency. |
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A woman working in a male-dominated industry: “The advantage? Supporting others, and linking human resources with architecture—giving the feminine touch to the industry. For highly technical positions, we have to be better than perfect. The women that I place in high-responsibility positions must be faultless.”
Her vision for tomorrow
“Career paths for architects are becoming international. In France, many companies are seeking foreigner architects and abroad, French architects are in demand. This month, ArchiBat is opening an office in Shanghai and my plan is to expand within Asia and the United States. I want to recruit internationally.”
By Marie-Christine Delacroix -Madame Figaro, March 31, 2007