Introducing CFA Match Intelligence: The Work Behind the Résumé

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AI can help organize a search. It takes architectural judgment to recognize a match.

Someone can put “Revit” on a résumé fifteen times without telling you what they have actually produced. Someone else can mention it once, then describe responsibility for a complex construction-document set. For a firm that needs that work done, the second story is usually the one worth hearing.

Since 1984, CFA’s matchmakers have looked past keywords to the work itself. That habit is now at the heart of CFA Match Intelligence, our AI-assisted approach to architecture and design talent matching, guided by the judgment of our matchmakers. It is designed to bring project experience, responsibilities and unanswered questions into clearer focus, rather than treat a collection of keywords as a complete picture of a person.

Our goal is straightforward: help firms understand why someone may fit the work, and help candidates explain the experience that makes them relevant. More information is useful only if it leads to a better conversation.

Start with the work, not just the title

“Project architect” is a starting point, not a complete brief. Consider a hypothetical firm looking for someone for modern single-family homes, with responsibility through design development and construction documents.

Residential experience matters, but so do the kind of residential work, the design language, the phases completed and the person’s contribution. A portfolio of beautiful residential concepts answers a different question from a record of producing coordinated working drawings for built homes.

The same distinction applies to workplace interiors, cultural projects and institutional buildings. We want the search to ask not only, “Have you worked in this sector?” but also, “What did you do, and how does that experience relate to what this client needs next?”

For clients, that means a more useful brief. Tell us what the person must be able to take responsibility for, which skills are essential on day one, and where you have room to develop someone.

Software knowledge needs context

A software name is not a measure of proficiency. School projects, formal training and professional office production are different kinds of experience, and the distinction should stay visible.

For example, “used Revit in a university studio” and “used Revit to develop documentation and coordinate a project in an architectural office” both tell us something valuable. They do not tell us the same thing.

If you describe yourself as a beginner, intermediate or advanced user, that statement stays labeled as your own self-assessment, not presented as an independently verified result. A client can also ask for a client-driven assessment, much as they might ask our matchmakers to review a résumé and portfolio or check references. It is never mandatory. When one is requested, the result adds context to a discussion of professional work; it does not replace that discussion.

A missing secondary tool should also lead to a sensible question, not an automatic rejection. If Adobe proficiency is useful but learnable for the role, a strong architectural candidate should not disappear because that word is absent from the résumé. If a tool is genuinely essential, we need to establish the relevant experience.

A portfolio should explain more than appearance

Work samples are most useful when they connect an image or drawing to a project, a phase and a clearly stated responsibility. “I developed these details and incorporated consultant coordination” tells a different story from “I worked on this project.”

For candidates, the practical advice is simple: identify what you did, separate school work from professional work, and explain which tools you used for which tasks. CFA’s portfolio guide offers more guidance on making that contribution clear.

Not everyone can share a public portfolio. Confidential work, team ownership and the nature of a role can limit what is available, so a missing portfolio should never become a penalty. Résumés, project descriptions and conversations with your matchmaker can still explain relevant experience.

When work samples are available, we use them as supporting evidence, not to reward presentation alone. We want to understand the work behind the images.

What this means for clients and candidates

For clients, the goal is a recommendation you can discuss, not an unexplained score. A useful shortlist should make three things easier to see:

• Relevant experience: The project types, phases, responsibilities and technical work that support the potential match.
• Practical fit: Location and on-site expectations, level of responsibility, and the availability and interest that still need confirmation.
• Open questions: Missing information, transferable experience and skills that may need further discussion or development.

For candidates, the goal is to make your actual experience easier to recognize. You should not have to repeat the same software name throughout your résumé to make your work understandable.

Different titles and wording can describe similar responsibilities. Give us concrete examples, explain your contribution, and tell us what you want to do next. If you have spent years on stair details and want to take on more of the project, say so. If your experience is stronger than an old résumé suggests, let your matchmaker know.

Technology assists. People decide.

We use CFA Match Intelligence on every opening. The order matters, though. Our matchmakers come first. They bring years of experience reading both talent and firms, and in my 40+ years in this business, they are the best in the profession. CFA Match Intelligence then makes its recommendations, and our matchmakers review every one. We never rely on AI alone.

A potential match is the beginning of a conversation, not a hiring decision. We still discuss the work with the client, speak with the candidate, resolve open questions and confirm mutual interest. The client makes the hiring decision. Feedback matters: knowing why a recommendation does or does not fit is more useful than a simple yes or no.

For a firm, a useful response might be, “The residential background is relevant, but we need someone who has taken ownership of the construction documents.” For a candidate, it might be, “My recent role involved more technical coordination than my title suggests.” Those details help us ask a better next question.

Let’s talk about the work

If you are hiring, tell CFA about the project and the experience you need. If you are considering your next opportunity, share your background and any work samples you can, including the responsibilities and project types you would like to pursue.

The point is not a more impressive algorithm. It is a more informed introduction between people who may do good work together. See how CFA Match Intelligence works.