With ongoing economic challenges, any additional construction project delays or material price hikes make staying profitable more challenging.
Costing, contracts and supply chain management require careful oversight to ensure projects progress on scheduled timelines.
Quantity surveyors play a pivotal role in achieving this as they interface with various stakeholders.
Senior quantity surveyors may have a degree and more than 5 years working experience, but that doesn’t necessarily make them a top quantity surveyor. This requires expertise that goes beyond technical knowledge and an affinity for working with numbers.
While top quantity surveyors have expertise that exceed good numeracy and the ability to work with spreadsheets, it is still a given. Good management skills cannot make up for poor technical knowledge. In construction there is simply too much at stake.
Quantity surveyors interact with a broad cross section of industry role players and need to be able to communicate effectively on all levels. It’s equally important to garner respect from site workers or suppliers as it is with executive board members or clients.
Roles may be muti-faceted and have differing levels of responsibility. The ability to oversee projects, tasks and manage teams effectively is essential. This requires engaged leadership and the ability to remain cognisant of complexities that can arise in projects.
Co-ordinating between various stakeholders requires the ability to build and maintain strong business relationships. Quantity surveyors with the skills to engage effectively can have a big impact on how projects progress.
At a senior level, reporting may be a key element of a role. This requires the ability to summarize key elements of a project and present them to relevant stakeholders in a way that helps them understand the status of a project, as well as challenges being experienced.
Projects seldom proceed on schedule or as planned and when costs are impacted, it’s often quantity surveyors that are key role players in finding solutions - specifically when primary considerations are project margins.
Solving challenges requires engaging with stakeholders and working to re-negotiate terms. This is a skill that should not be underestimated and makes a big impact to the value that a top quantity surveyor delivers.
Timelines are tight when presentations need to be made and the ability to make accurate calculations quickly and report easily on project progress is a valuable skill. A key part of this is being able to leverage technology and being proficient with software that supports the role.
In this eBook we share insights gained from recruiting top quantity surveyors for top companies.
You will learn:
There are strong career prospects for quantity surveyors, but it still takes diligence and effort to become a leader in the industry. Here are 5 ways to progress in your career:
Fine tune technical knowledge and expertise. Become exceptionally proficient at working with figures, contracts and the different software programs involved with projects. Technical proficiency forms the foundation for good career progression. It cannot be replaced with even the best management or people skills.
Be diligent about staying up to date with industry developments and influencing factors. Tap into the expertise of colleagues and understand best practices and how other companies approach certain challenges.
Online communities provide platforms in which to share and gain professional knowledge. Actively participating in discussions can raise your profile in the industry and provide an opportunity to expand your expertise.
Being easy to work with facilitates career progression. This is achieved through openness, a willingness to listen and showing respect for those you engage with on a daily basis.
Having a mentor or being a mentor offers a huge advantage for career progression. It’s a way to learn one-on-one, share ideas and have a sounding board for challenging decisions.
Ellis Fox has a top opportunities with companies looking to hire the best quantity surveyors.
With quantity surveyors in high demand its not uncommon for individuals to move up quickly in the ranks. In fact, moving on a yearly basis will almost guarantee a senior quantity surveyor job title and a healthy benefits package to match. As good as it […]
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