Quantity Surveying CAREER INSIGHT
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
Contents Page
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Introduction
Pages 1 - 4
Quantity Surveying Career options
Pages 4 - 6
Work Experience and Recruitment
Pages 5 - 6
Key events and Networking
Pages 6 - 9
Case Studies of previous Quantity Surveying students
Page
Careers support at LJMU
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Introduction There has been a high demand for Quantity Surveying students during the past few years both in terms of placement opportunities and graduate roles. Planning for your career and gaining work experience throughout your course will benefit you when you graduate. Take advantage of work experience opportunities and networking events to develop your skills and build contacts in the field. You could make a start by attending any relevant events through student membership with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). You should consider joining the LJMU Civil and Construction Society (more information on www.facebook.com/LJMU.CCS) and keep your eye out for opportunities like the Open Doors Weekend (http://opendoors.construction/), which allows you to visit local construction projects and learn more about the wealth of career opportunities within the construction and property sector.
Career options: The vast majority of QS graduates entering employment do so as a Trainee, Graduate or Assistant Quantity Surveyor within the construction and property sectors. Employers of recent LJMU graduates have included Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Davis Langdon, Arcadis, LendLease, Gardner and Theobald, Kier Construction, Lovell, Mace, Persimmon Homes, Keepmoat, Scottish Power, AECOM, BAM Construction, Rider Levitt Bucknall, Transport for London, Bentley Motors, ISG, Mott Macdonald, Turner & Townsend and Wates. Graduate have also secured QS positions with smaller building, refurbishment and civil engineering organisations.
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
After completing your degree the next step is to undertake further training to gain Chartership. This is achieved by completing the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) which usually takes approximately 2 years. Quantity Surveyor A quantity surveyor manages all costs relating to building and civil engineering projects, from the initial calculations to the final figures. Surveyors seek to minimise the costs of a project and enhance value for money, while still achieving the required standards and quality. A quantity surveyor may work for either the client or the contractor, working in an office or on-site. They are involved in a project from the start, preparing estimates and costs of the work. When the project is in progress, quantity surveyors keep track of any variations to the contract that may affect costs and create reports to show profitability. The title of the job may also be referred to as a cost consultant/manager or commercial manager. The major employers of quantity surveyors are:
the offices of private practice quantity surveyors (PQS); the surveying sections of building and civil engineering contractors; Local authorities and government agencies.
Project Manager Project managers oversee projects, ensuring they are delivered on time and on budget, and take responsibility for overseeing everyone’s roles. They can work across a number of different sectors, including construction and engineering and work throughout the different stages from initial design to completion and handover. Facilities Manager Facilities management involves the co-ordination of both technical and general services to ensure that a building runs smoothly. There has been an increasing demand for specialist facilities services which has resulted in opportunities for facilities managers. In this diverse role, facilities managers make sure that an organisation has the most suitable working environment for its employees and their activities. Facilities managers are involved in both strategic planning and day-to-day operations in areas such as: building and grounds maintenance; health and safety; procurement and contract management; security; and, utilities and communications infrastructure. Opportunities exist in all sectors and industries which can result in a diverse range of job titles – operations, estates, technical services, asset or property manager. Example employers could be in either the public, private or nonprofit sectors such as hospitals, schools and colleges, local councils, shops and business parks, stadiums or specialist facilities management providers and consultancies.
Possible employers You will find roles with private practice quantity surveyors (PQS); housing associations; commercial organisations; construction companies; civil and structural engineering contractors; architects; local and central government; and utilities companies. Examples include:
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
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AMEC : www.amec.com/careers AMEY : www.amey.co.uk Arcadis : www.arcadis.com ARUP : www.arup.com/Careers.aspx ATKINS: www.atkinsglobal.com/graduates Balfour Beatty: www.balfourbeattycsuk.com/careers BAM: www.bam.co.uk/Default/Careers/Careers-Overview.aspx BAM Nuttall: http://www.bamnuttall.co.uk/careers.html Bechtel: http://www.bechtel.com/careers.html Berkeley: www.berkeleygroup.co.uk Bibby Offshore: http://bibbyoffshore.com Bouygues: www.boygues-uk.com Capita Symonds : www.capitasymonds.co.uk/careers Carillion : www.carillionplc.com/careers Cluttons: www.cluttons.com/ Co-Operative : www.careers.co-operative.jobs Costain: www.constain.com Davis Langdon: www.davislangdon.com Faithful & Gould (Atkins Group): www.fgould.com/uk/careers/graduates Forcia: www.forcia.co.uk Galliford Try: www.gallifordtry.co.uk Gardner & Theobald: www.careers.gardiner.com Grosvenor: www.grosvenor.com ISG (Construction Services): www.isgplc.com/careers/graduates Jones Lang Lasalle: www.joneslanglasalle.co.uk Kier : www.kier.co.uk Land and Marine: www.landandmarine.com LendLease: www.lendlease.com Mace: www.macegroup.com Morgan Sindall: http://construction.morgansindall.com Morrison Utility Services: www.morrisonus.co.uk Mott MacDonald: www.mottmac.com Mouchel: www.mouchel.com/academy National Grid: www.nationalgridcareers.com Patton (Retail construction) : www.patton.co.uk RLB (Rider Levett Bucknall): www.rlb.com Savills: http://graduate.savills.co.uk/ Scottish Power: http://scottishpower.gobesoftware.co.uk/ Sir Robert McAlpine: www.sir-robert-mcalpine.com/careers Skanska : www.skanska.co.uk/Careers Styles & Wood: www.stylesandwood.co.uk Sweett: www.sweettgroup.com/home Transport for London: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/careers/ VINCI Construction UK: www.vinciconstruction.co.uk WATES: www.wates.co.uk/careers Workman : www.workman.co.uk
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
WYG Group: www.wyg.com
Ensure you check entry requirements for each area, e.g. Is a 2:1 degree classification essential? Is any specific work experience required?
Useful links/websites
School of the Built Environment job website - https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/blt/ LJMU My Jobs & Placements - http://ljmu.prospects.ac.uk/ RICS – www.rics.org Gradcracker – Engineering and Construction – www.gradcracker.com Bromak (Construction Recruitment Agency) - www.bromak.com Careers in Construction – Jobs and careers information www.careersinconstruction.com/ Construction Industry Training Board: www.citb.co.uk/careers-in-construction/ RICS Recruit: www.ricsrecruit.com/ Building 4 Jobs: www.building4jobs.com/ Construction News – keep up-to-date with sector news - www.cnplus.co.uk Construction Enquirer - www.constructionenquirer.com Building – www.building.co.uk Prospects – Careers information and graduate jobs – www.prospects.ac.uk TargetJobs - Careers information and graduate jobs – www.targetjobs.co.uk
Follow relevant companies/websites through Twitter:
@LJMUCareers @gradcracker @RICSrecruit @AByrneLJMU
Sources of work experience As part of the QS degree you will have the opportunity to complete a work placement. Gaining work experience in the construction sector is really important for your future career so you should definitely consider this option. Many of the large recruiters have summer and year-long placement opportunities available to those on degree programmes, which are usually advertised through websites such as Prospects, Targetjobs, Milkround and Gradcracker. The websites listed previously should be your first port of call when researching possible placement opportunities and your Careers Adviser, Andy Byrne, may have additional examples of possible employers who offer these opportunities. Some large employers will offer summer or sandwich placements year after year but you can also secure work experience through a more creative approach. Contacting companies directly through networking events, via email or through
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
LinkedIn may lead to work experience. The School of the Built Environment has a specific member of staff (Angela Clarke) to support students in securing a year-out placement and jobs are placed on the first website listed on the previous page and emailed to students. It is important that you demonstrate that you are interested in the company and have spent some time researching what they do. Even when applying to secure work experience for the first time in this industry, show the employer what you have to offer. Briefly outline the relevancy of your course. Look at the skills outlined above and try to discuss these in your CV, drawing on examples from your course and other work experience or extra-curricular activities to demonstrate these skills. LJMU has also been facilitating a summer internship programme for Level 5 students in recent years, so keep an eye on your LJMU inbox for details of any opportunities.
Recruitment schedules Due to the nature of the construction sector many graduate roles may become available throughout the year as companies start work on projects so keep looking for opportunities. In addition, there are lots of graduate training schemes with large companies. If you are interested in these roles you will need to be aware of the graduate recruitment cycle. Many recruiters begin the graduate recruitment process during the autumn term for final year students. Some placements are advertised then as well. Closing dates can be as early as October or November in some areas so it is important to start researching companies that you want to apply to early on. The application process for graduate training schemes usually involves completing an online application form, which may require you to answer ‘competency based questions’. This may be followed by psychometric tests, a telephone/video interview and an assessment centre. You may also find work in a small private practice office who may use their own application form but most applications will be by CV and covering letter. These positions will be advertised on company websites, relevant recruitment websites and national and local newspapers. The ‘creative’ approach to job hunting, outlined above, is also important when looking for graduate roles. Making contacts and approaching organisations speculatively to look for work is a common route into employment. The RICS website includes a “Find a Surveyor” section which can be used to research potential organisations who may offer placement and graduate roles. You can get advice about the recruitment process by booking a one-to-one appointment with a Careers or Employability Adviser in the Byrom Street Careers Zone
Key events and networking
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Faculty of Engineering & Technology Careers Fair : Takes place annually in October
Liverpool Careers Fair: usually held in the autumn and spring of each year, see fairs website www.liverpoolfairs.org.uk/ for additional events
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
Careers and Employability events at LJMU: Keep an eye on our events pages at https://worldofwork.ljmu.ac.uk/events for details of upcoming employability workshops, networking sessions and employer talks.
Manchester Careers Fairs: open to students and graduates from any university; check www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/events/ for details
LiverpoolSU Clubs and Societies: http://ljmu.unioncloud.org/groups#club-society
LinkedIn: You could also consider setting up a LinkedIn account (www.linkedin.com) to network online with professionals and organisations in your chosen industry
Other information LJMU Centre for Entrepreneurship – Support for LJMU students and graduates interested in starting up their own business. Further details can be found here: https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/startup including funding available, eligibility, timescales and training dates.
Case Studies Kathryn Leith graduated from the Quantity Surveying course in 2015 and completed a placement in Phoenix, USA
What role did you secure and what did the application / selection process involve? During second year, I managed to secure a student cost manager placement position with Faithful + Gould based in Phoenix, USA. The application process consisted of sending across a CV and filling out a short application form. The next stage was a Skype interview which lasted for 30mins, and then the final six were selected to travel down to London for another interview in the F+G Office. In my final year I also applied for graduate jobs and most of them also had psychometric tests as part of the application process. The assessment centres were all different depending on the company but usually they have between 3-8 candidates in each session. Some require a presentation to be prepared prior to attending and you will obviously have to indicate why you want to become a QS. The majority also have a team activity on the day consisting of either a debate/discussion, a presentation about a scenario or making something as a team for example. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Try and get some work experience down on your CV as soon as possible. It is beneficial for first year students to complete a summer placement, not only for their CV but this could also be beneficial to your academic studies. I would recommend attending the Employer Day that LJMU holds each October. Not only are you able to speak to the companies that you could apply to but
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
also network with professionals. I was offered a graduate interview straight away just from attending this event and then was offered a job prior to all the other companies starting their application process. What help and support did you access from the Careers Team and how was this useful? I would recommend students get their CVs looked at prior to sending it to employers by the Careers Team and also attend an assessment centre preparation course they arrange. Even if it is not required for the job/placement that you are applying for, it is more than likely that you would be required to attend one later on when applying for a placement or graduate job. What aspects of your degree were useful in the selection process to help you to secure this position? Within the selection process I used the group project work we did throughout the degree to provide examples to the questions during the interview. For example, this could be when thinking of examples of when I have worked well within a team or how I have responded to a challenging team member. What did you gain from undertaking a placement year? Having the year in industry on my CV helped a lot. I also had my previous summer industry placement with a smaller firm called Watts and experience working at Co-operative Estates the year before. The best thing about the placement with F+G was the increased responsibility given to me during the placement and the trust the company placed in me with such a huge client of theirs. I was given responsibility for managing the process of three major contracting firms onsite, which I never expected I would have been given. I learnt a lot, not only about the QS role but also additional skills such as running weekly meetings with the contractors and also running meetings with the client.
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Niall Scullion graduated in 2015 from the QS course and completed a placement year at Heron Brothers in Northern Ireland
What placement role did you secure and what did it involve? During my second year I decided to start applying for a year out placement which was an optional part of the QS course. I attended a few interviews and decided to take up a junior Quantity Surveying role with a contracting company in Northern Ireland called Heron Brothers. The placement role involved assessing the labour, plant and material requirements on site by liaising with the site management team and undertaking site visits. I was heavily involved in the cost analysis of procurement, appointing subcontractors and planning and organising work on site. Once a subcontractor commenced on site it was my responsibility to monitor their progress ensuring they were meeting deadlines. It was also my responsibility to value the subcontractors work and issue payments which may involve additional works i.e. variations. The role also involved obtaining and improving my communication skills, both verbal and written,
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
negotiation skills, IT competence, financial skills and procurement skills of integrated management systems. What did the application/selection process involve? How did you prepare for each stage? The initial stage involved completing an application form on the company’s website. This was followed by a telephone interview and, when successful, I attended a face-to-face interview involving team building exercises in which it was crucial to interact with fellow interviewees and work together. I prepared for the telephone interview and the face to face interview by looking at the company’s website and researching online what projects the company was recently involved in and generally predicting questions that would come up and practicing mock answers. Why did you want to undertake a placement and how do you feel it has benefitted you? I felt that by undertaking a placement year it would be good preparation for my final year of university, whilst also making me more employable as a graduate. My placement year was beneficial and what I learnt and undertook on a daily basis helped me relate and interact more freely with my lecturers. Undertaking a placement year furthered my understanding of the expectations of a Quantity Surveyor. I recognise that it’s a results driven, self-motivated and resourceful business. It is important to work as part of a team effectively, managing all the costs relating to building and civil engineering projects. I appreciate the importance of minimizing the costs of a project while enhancing value for money, still achieving the required standards and quality. It has improved my grade average vastly and has given me a competitive advantage when applying for jobs. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Throughout my 4 years at LJMU I feel I have interacted with the university and got involved with activities. The placement year, which I really enjoyed, was really beneficial and provided a great insight into the role of a Chartered Quantity Surveyor. Constructionarium was a great opportunity offered by the university and helped me get a sense of the construction industry and the different roles of each profession. It was also a good opportunity to meet students from different courses and build friendships which was helpful for the final year project which takes place over two weeks. What help/support did you access from the Careers Team and how was this useful? The Careers Team are really helpful, and when applying for placement opportunities they provided guidance on how to improve my CV and what to expect at the interview. Therefore I would recommend all students seek advice from the Careers Team before applying for jobs and attending job interviews. What graduate role did you secure? I have secured a graduate job with Kier Building based in Liverpool with the opportunity to travel. What aspects of your degree were useful in helping you to secure this position and be successful in the role?
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
The site visits and guest lecturers really complimented the course’s learning material and the option of undertaking a placement year has helped me successfully obtain a graduate job.
Joseph Graham graduated in 2016 and completed a placement year at Gardner & Theobald
Describe your placement role? My placement role was as an assistant surveyor (cost manager). Day to day included a lot of pre contract work, developing cost plans for large schemes as a part of a closely working team. The biggest scheme I worked on was worth approximately £400m. This meant a lot of measuring within CAD, producing work in Excel, carrying out market testing for costs, attending design team meetings, liaising with other members of the project team (architects, structural engineers, interior designers, client team etc). Post contract work included pricing variations, shadowing on monthly site valuations, preparing contract documents and attending meetings. I was also enrolled on the company’s graduate development scheme which involved going to work an hour early on set days to have tutorial sessions with the more experienced staff members to prepare for my APC. These were really useful and provided a lot of help and support for a range of QS aspects. What did the application/selection process involve? Initially there was an online application process and I had already completed a few of these already. This was followed by an assessment day in London which involved a measurement exercise and a lot of group work to prepare a presentation and answer questions from G&T assessors with regards to a project scenario. We had to advise on construction procurement and other issues. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? I would definitely recommend doing your homework on the company and understand their values, the sectors they work in, and for extra points on the day it helps if you can actually name some of their current projects to show you’re keen. If I was a first year again I would make more use of being able to go and speak to tutors to use their knowledge. Undertaking a mock interview would also be beneficial. What help/support did you access from the Careers Team? I went to see my Careers Adviser, Andy Byrne, before I had the interview with Mace for guidance on competency based interviews and general pointers on what I could do to best prepare myself. This was really valuable to me and I ended up with getting two job offers, so thanks for that! What graduate role did you secure? I was offered a graduate position at G&T and was also provided with sponsorship during the final year. The company also gave me the chance to keep earning during the final year through working in Manchester and so they have really done a lot for me.
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
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Career Insight: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
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