Thousands of you have been there, you have studied Quantity Surveying for the best part of 2, 3 or maybe 4 years, and reached that moment where you get that all important diploma… Congratulations!
The moment you never thought would come is finally here, you have achieved a Batchelors Degree or perhaps even a Masters and you feel on top of the world. The world is quite literallyyour oyster. But suddenly, it hits you – “How do I take that first step into the next stage of my life?” “What do I include in my CV?” “How to I prepare for an interview?”. All of these burning questions and apprehension’s.
This short blog, along with our “Top tips for graduate Quantity Surveyors” video (available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XOP3CljbdE) seeks to help with this daunting prospect and tackling the big scary world of work! – We are joking of course; it is honestly not that scary 😉
We will run through tips and advice on what characteristics and traits employers of graduate QS’s look out for, how to make your CV stand out and what interview questions you are likely to be asked. Giving you extra tools to prepare for and face your future employers confidently.
As with any profession, the day to day dealings of a QS are very rarely black and white and operating in the commercial world means you are very often working in ‘grey’ areas.
· Contractual disputes
· Estimating and quoting
· Building and assessing compensation events or major changes
· Agreeing Final Accounts
To list just a handful, are day to day tasks that quantity surveyors deal with that lend themselves to certain characteristics and attributes which employers will look for. These include, but are not limited to:
· Confidence and self-assurance
· Astute attention to detail
· Organisation and meeting deadlines
· Good use of self-initiative and intuition
· Commercial and business acumen
· Ability to build relationships
As we are sure you are aware, the job market can be very competitive so next we want to cover some tips on how to get your CV noticed. When building your CV, we recommend writing it in a way that promotes any scenarios where you have demonstrated evidence of thecharacteristics outlined, in your personal, educational, or work experience – however limited. If you are stuck on how to get started with your CV and the layout, we have a CV template that is available as a free download from this website!
As simple as this next tip may seem, we truly cannot underestimate the importance of doing company research about the organisation you are applying to:
· Their history
· Current performance
· Their core values
· And as obvious as it may seem – what they actually do!
Once your research is complete, take the time to write a cover letter to accompany your CV and relate it to the specific company and job role offered – this is extremely important! When employers are sifting through hundreds of CV’s, a cover letter which contains a brief overviewof why you are applying for the role and why you want to work for their company will help to put you at the top of the pile. It will give your application a much more personal feel and convince your potential employer that you truly want to work for them and haven’t blindly sentout CV’s to every graduate QS role you can find without any thought. Another great way to get your CV noticed is to also relate your Profile / Personal Statement, to the company and jobrole you are applying too.
Next, we would like to run you through some interview tips and likely questions, because if you take on board some of the advice for getting your CV noticed, we are sure you will be approached for an interview in no time! When interviewing for a Graduate QS role, probable questions asked are likely to include:
· Questions surrounding your technical knowledge – Brush up on fundamental QS techniques and knowledge such as Standard forms of Construction Contracts, Bills of Quantities, Earned Value Management & increasingly, Business Information Modelling or BIM.
· Questions specific to the job role and company. Such as: “Why have you applied to our advertised position?”, “Why do you want to work for this company?” and, “What are your career aspirations within this organisation?” Again, make use of that all-important company research that you have done.
· And they will almost definitely ask you for examples of where you can demonstrate some of the characteristics and attributes that make a good Quantity Surveyor.
Please remember that the interviewer is aware that you are applying for a graduate QS position and that you may not necessarily have much real world Quantity Surveying experience, so run with it and prepare examples from all areas of your life. This could include examples from your University career, challenges in your personal or home life and of course other work experience not necessarily linked to QSing.
Finally, try to remember that this is also your opportunity to gauge if it seems like a place you would like to work and whether you think you’re likely to get on with the employer as it is the other way around.
Go into the interview prepared, confident and remember to be yourself. You have studied hard to get to this point and deserve to start your long and successful career in quantity surveying, Good luck!
