If you want to avoid getting stuck working a dead-end job and have a rewarding and successful career instead in quantity surveying, then check out the top ten tips below.
1. Know Yourself
There are some individuals who are well-suited to be professionals while some people are not. It also takes time; there is no such thing as short-cuts.
The important qualities that you need for this route include specific resources, attitudes, and skills. Be completely honest with yourself.
Do you actually like an urban environment and numbers since that is what quantity surveying involves?
2. Plan But Still Be Flexible
This is something that you need to consider long before you take the traditional route of getting your degree.
Your best plan is to look ahead ten years and think about your dislikes and likes, with the resources that you have available and what is actually realistic.
Don’t panic if you don’t end up going to university since you can pick up education along the way through the Internet and part-time study and most likely a phone app within a couple of years.
You need to think broadly and start early.
There are a number of practical skills that you need to have in order to become a successful Quality Surveyor.
Working at a local shop in the summer learning how to develop your people skills and sell is an experience that is never wasted.
Taking a year to travel around the world might be equivalent to the summer job that demonstrates your experiences.
It is a fine line which is most desirable between the two.
3. Be Hard Core
The only thing that customers are doing is purchasing services from professionals.
What are you going to be selling to clients as you are working as a quantity surveyor?
You need to identify skills that are wanted by the market and you need to make sure that you possess those skills.
That Is part of the previous planning process and know what your capabilities are.
Usually, those skills are universal technical disciplines like economics, estimating, law, quantification, and finance.
To develop those skills, it takes many years of repetition.
It can be very dangerous to focus on soft glamorous subjects (such as sustainability) or specialize too early.
In order to be a successful professional, you need to have analytical, technical, and hard skills.
Another thing to add is don’t take an expat job before you have those skills since expat jobs are infamous for distracting you from reality and the lack of offering core skill training.
4. Soft Skills Are Crucial
Despite this being a time where we depend heavily on machines, you need to also be able to manage and deal with people.
Your people skills need to be developed since this an essential quality that you will need to have as a Quality Surveyer.
You also need to have the ability to connect with individuals from every walk of life and be able to get them to do what you want. It isn’t easy to pull off.
5. Network
Building a network is essential.
That involves a collection of organizations and people that can offer you mentoring, advice, and support, especially when things go wrong.
Being an island is something you cannot afford to do – there are no professional quantity surveyors that are.
In order to develop your career, you need to create your professional network. Say hello to everybody and be nice.
6. Show Spark and Be Proactive
Thousands of individuals will be applying along with you for your dream job.
Within the professional market, the competition is getting harder and is very intense.
Think about why an employer who has been bombarded with CVs is going to choose yours.
One of the best things that you can do is to take some initiative and take action to show that you are you passionate and are prepared to take initiative so that you stand out from the crowd.
One example is years ago I interviewed a young woman. She said that after watching “The Life of David Gale” film, she started an advocacy group of her own against capital punishment.
Those types of things stick in the memory of a prospective employer and makes the job candidate stand out from the crowd.
7. Your Presentation is Key
This is still true. Everything that you do, tattoo, wear, and speak says important things about you.
It is critical to learn how to manage it now since social media and the Internet mean that there is information about you that is available to employers as well.
You need to start acting like a professional now if you would like to be one.
8. Work Hard
It might sound really obvious, however, if you would like to become successful then you must work hard to achieve it. This can’t be avoided.
You definitely will need to work very hard at things that you don’t enjoy or like.
This is something you must be aware of and motivate yourself since you will need to be able to get through the spreadsheets and paperwork since that is the life of quantity surveyors.
9. See The Bigger Pictures But Focus
Your analytical skills need to be focused like a laser in order to offer key insights. However, you also need to be able to present to your clients the big picture is a necessary and great skill for a QS.
I recommend that you read widely, develop practical skills like DIY, have lots of variety in your life and time to reflect as well.
Those are helpful ways of training and developing yourself and be able to see both the small and big.
10. Don’t Be Afraid
A true professional is very disciplined and isn’t afraid to show their mastery.
That is often easier said than done at times when you have bad news to give or when there are other professionals are all around you, but that is what you are paid for.
You have to get outside of your comfort zone.
If you’re looking for a career you could do worse than try to get one with Travis Perkins.