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This week we have spoken to our team of Quantity Surveyor recruitment specialists to pick their brains to provide you with the best interview tips for your next interview.
Associate Director - Civil Engineering, Building, and Housing Contractors
0113 234 6047
mark.brennan@calibresearch.co.uk
Impress with Your Network
You know the importance and benefit of a strong network in this industry so don’t forget about it in the interview! When talking about your projects and experience mention the contractors you have worked with and the positive relationships you have built in previous roles. You will be able to impress the interviewer with your vast network and bring additional benefits to the company.
Know Your Day to Day Activities and Extended Responsibilities
In a lot of the feedback, we receive from clients they say many candidates are unable to accurately outline their day to day responsibilities in their current role. It might seem simple, but it is easy to forget the smaller tasks you are responsible for which makes a big difference to the success of a project. Before the interview, note down a typical day in your current position, from start to finish, meaning it will stay fresh in your mind and will also allow you to point out any responsibilities you have that are beyond the typical scope of a quantity surveyor. Interviewers love candidates who take on additional responsibilities.
Flip the Interview
Another comment used to describe a typical quantity surveyor interview is ‘Binary’. Interviewers will tend to follow a similar line of questioning: What Projects have you worked on? What were your responsibilities? Try to stand out by flipping the conversation to being company entred. Talk about the project you would be working on in the new business then point to the skills, responsibilities, and experience you have that would benefit that project. You will show you have done your research and are company focused.
Be Prepared For a New Style of Industry
The industry has changed a lot in recent years. Companies are less likely to offer large bonus schemes or company cars now and put a bigger focus on company values and visions., this can come as a surprise to experienced surveyors so try to prepare as best you can. Know the values of your previous employer and have examples of how you portrayed those values in your day to day work. Sometimes bonus schemes or company visions, goals and values are not very clear when researching a company and can be very important when choosing which companies to apply for; Using a good recruiter can help filter through companies to find the best one to fit your goals and expectations. On top of that, they can further your knowledge of the business that will make you extra prepared if offered an interview.
Talk About Progression
An interest in progression is a good sign in any interview but particularly for a quantity surveyor. Your professionalism and expertise will be used to win over projects and pitch to potential clients so if you are keen to develop in the industry make sure you talk about it. If you are studying or hoping to study in the future make sure you know the details that will interest the interviewer. What it will cost them; When you expect to complete it or how long it will take; and what benefits that will give to the company. If you have career goals, ask the right questions to show your intent, ask about career progression, routes to particular roles and the future projects of the company. Once again, showing your interest and commitment to the company.
Follow Up Email
It is simple, but many people forget to do it. Sending a follow-up email thanking them for their time and consideration shows your professionalism and communication skills. Giving an insight into how you operate as a surveyor.
Have a Well Organised Portfolio
A portfolio is not essential for an interview for a Quantity Surveyor, but it is a great tool: Firstly, having physical examples of the projects you have worked on will provide clarity and context for the interviewer; Secondly, it helps to create a more conversational structure within the interview; and finally it is a great aid to remind you of details and statistics from previous projects.
Speak to one of our Quantity Surveyor recruitment specialists to find out how they can help you find the right job for your career progression by looking at our quantity surveyor jobs here, dropping us an email or give us a call on 0333 323 0733.
Meet Our Team
Associate Director - Civil Engineering, Building, and Housing Contractors
0113 234 6047
mark.brennan@calibresearch.co.uk
Recruitment Consultant - Surveying/Project Management
0161 660 2360
James Mitchell, Associate Director for Calibre Search, specialises in recruiting Java Developers within the IT market and we enlisted him to put some tips together to help people like you with your CV. Read on to find out how to create a CV that will help you stand out from the crowd and really impress employers.
James Mitchell 0113 234 6047 - Associate Director at Calibre Search IT
1. Match yourself to the job specification
Your personal profile is a chance to show how your previous experience makes you the right person for the job (if you’re not sure on this have a look at the ‘Job Description’ – our developer job adverts can be found here) by matching yourself to the job specification. It's worth investing time on this summary, because it could be your only chance to grab the employer's attention. If your specific objective is relocation, for example, but you don't mention this explicitly in your CV, you could be dismissed when they see your address is out of commuting range.
2. Give context
When writing your CV, give the skills some context – a list of Frameworks/Application Servers will lead to recruiters calling you, but the interview requests come from your skills being given some perspective. On a similar note, do the same thing with your projects – give them some background: your role, tech stack used and the outcome. It should read as what you have personally achieved while at that company.
3. Get the structure sorted
Keep your CV succinct and relevant – the work you did 35 years ago has little bearing on what you are doing today. Three to four pages will suffice, and always mention your responsibilities; ‘I’, not ‘we’. Your education history should always be at the bottom of your CV, unless you have recently graduated or have some qualifications that are particularly relevant to the role you are applying to. Oh, and never write in third person unless you want to be universally judged.
4. Your skills can pay the bills
Remember to mention soft skills. If your role requires a level of stakeholder management or bringing teams together then be sure to mention it, it could be important in your next role. Your hobbies and interests can be significant too – we all have friends (well, most of us) and telling the reader you enjoy socialising with them isn’t really considered a hobby. Take this opportunity to genuinely say what your interests are outside of work.
5. Clean it up
It sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how often we see it – your National Insurance number should remain private, you should not have this on your CV. Also, references are only needed at offer stage – if you’re approached by a recruiter who needs them as ‘part of their process’ you should be aware that it isn’t necessary to provide them at this stage.
Still stuck?
Don't worry, the art of CV writing is a tricky one. Our specialist IT consultants are experts when it comes to writing a great CV, and we're just on the other end of the phone – you can phone us on 01132346047 – alternatively my email address is james.mitchell@calibresearch.co.uk and our developer jobs page can be found here.
We're in the Press!
Our Manchester team moving office is obviously big news for us and we're delighted that the local press think so too. The article was the lead story in the Manchester Evening News business section and also featured in Bdaily and The Business Desk.
Recruitment firm Calibre Search targets £3m turnover from new Northern Quarter base
The Manchester office of Calibre Search is on target to reach £3m turnover and double headcount after moving into a new office in the Northern Quarter.
The firm, which specialises in built environment (consultancy and construction), HVAC, IT and marketing across the north west, Birmingham, Cumbria and North Wales, has moved to The Landmark building, a former textiles warehouse, joining other creative, media, property and design companies.
The space at the new office will allow Calibre Search to expand from eight to 18 staff, while also reaching revenues of £3m next year.
Director Pete Gillick, 37, said: “It’s a fantastic time to be part of Calibre Search. Group wide turnover for the Manchester and Leeds offices is expected to hit £6.5m next year.
“After outgrowing Piccadilly House, we have now moved to The Landmark, which is a historic and significant building in a brilliant area.
“I started the Manchester office up four years ago in a room with no windows in it. So, to be moving into a big modern and freshly refurbished space with a great balcony and a ping pong table is a huge step forward and the kind of quirky, relaxed but focused environment we want to create for our staff and the customers that visit.”
Pete, a graphic design graduate with a passion for photography, boasts more than a decade’s experience at firms including Randstad and Eden Brown.
Calibre Search is currently recruiting for staff at all levels with plans to increase headcount by a further 50 per cent next year.
Pete added: “Manchester is very much the second city and continues to develop rapidly.
“Despite Brexit, the city is only going in one direction and we are perfectly placed to be a part of the growth.
“Calibre’s Manchester office is ready to reach the next level as we are trusted by our clients. In all the markets we cover, we have experienced heads who have been servicing their industries for many years.
“Primarily, you have to do a great job, but also be genuine. If the best solution isn’t there at that particular time, we’d rather be honest, lose out in the short term but sustain that long-term relationship.
“It also really helps to be local. We know the regions we work in, what is developing and focus on establishing and looking after long-standing relationships.”
0113 234 6047
john.cassidy@calibresearch.co.uk
The art of CV writing is a tricky one, and many online CV guides are not relevant to industries like the HVAC & refrigeration industry. So our industry experts put their heads together to create an insider tips for you CV to make the best first impression
Tailor your CV to suit the job description
A lot of us are guilty of having a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to our CVs. While following these CV tips can give you a great head start when applying to refrigeration jobs, remember you do need to slightly alter your CV according to the job description. For example, if the job description says they want someone with a driving licence, or someone with ‘extensive experience maintaining a range of commercial refrigerators,’ then add these details to your CV if they are relevant to you. If the job description says that for the refrigeration technician they want, an engineering degree is desirable but not essential, and you went straight to the refrigeration industry without higher education, you could perhaps talk about the benefits of this. Think of the experience that you have, that a graduate might not. Have a look at our refrigeration job listings for some inspiration. These tips are the ultimate basis for creating a great CV – but try to remember to give your CV a little update for each and every job description. Employers want to know that you want to work for them. If they sense that you have tailored your CV to their job description, it will make you stand out as the ideal engineer they are looking for.
Be descriptive
Try and be as descriptive and technical as you can when writing about your duties at previous companies. Employers like to see that you are qualified for the job. Remember – your CV is your first and possibly only chance to make a good impression. You could be the best engineer in your world but how will anybody be able to tell if the only detail you give about your experience is ‘servicing splits and VRVs.’ Some good details to include on your CV are:
- Basic duties such as: fault finding and repairs; replacing compressors; changing PCB inverters; recharging systems with refrigerant; changing fan motors; replacing evaporators; changing pressure sensors and so on.
- The equipment you worked on - was it pack systems, cold rooms, ice machines, bottle coolers, display chillers, integrals etc?
- The sites you have worked in.
- The type of work: servicing, maintenance, installation, fault-finding, or commissioning.
- Any refrigeration engineer training or refrigeration engineer course you undertook:Any experience with different refrigerants like C02 or ammonia. Have you worked with refrigerants such as R410A, R407C, R407A, R404 or R134A?
Focus on what matters
While having a fancy CV with lots colourful borders and impressive fonts might look pretty, (and might give some of us a good excuse for procrastinating) it will distract employers from what makes you a good refrigeration technician. The most important thing you want your CV to say about you is how well you can fix an AC or refrigeration unit, or how much industry experience you have – not your Microsoft Office skills.
Leave out irrelevant information
While the employer is interested in finding out a little bit about your interests, quirks and hobbies – their main goal is to find out if you have the relevant skills you need for the job. Remember this when you write your CV. Justifiably, you might be really proud of your City & Guilds qualification in food hygiene but ultimately, it won’t help the employer do their job. The same goes for work experience. Leave out anything that is totally irrelevant to the refrigeration industry and focus instead on qualifications such as FGas.
Be careful not to oversimplify
Bearing the last point in mind, it’s still important to go into lots of detail about the relevant information on your profile. Make sure to list all relevant employment history. The amount of times we have seen engineers with twenty or more years experience only list their last five years is overwhelming. They say ‘I didn’t think it would be worth writing it all down,’ or ‘there is too much to list.’ This is one of the biggest CV mistakes you can make in the HVAC and refrigeration industry. By deciding not to list all your relevant industry experience, you will seem far less experienced than you are and directly decrease your chance of receiving an interview offer.
Don't be afraid to ask for CV help
Writing a CV can be daunting. Quite a lot of engineers we speak to haven’t updated their CV in years. A lot of jobs in the HVAC and refrigeration industry are acquired from knowing the right people – not submitting a CV to someone you’ve never met. We understand that writing a list of your skills and attributes for a stranger to assess you without ever meeting you is a terrifying concept. You want to make the best possible impression. Fear not! We are experts when it comes to how to write a good CV. Our recruitment consultants check every CV before sending it to employers and give you free and personal advice on how to improve it. Even if you just want to drop us a quick email we are happy to answer any questions.
Last but not least, remember the basics
Remember to include your name, contact details, experience and qualifications. It might seem obvious but we have even seen some engineers’ CVs without contact details.
If you follow all of these tips and don’t get the results you wanted, don’t be disheartened. You might not have received an offer for an interview, but the time you spent creating a great CV will pay off in the future. Why not check out our list of refrigeration jobs and vacancies and upload your new and improved CV. Good luck!
If you’d like any help with your job search or want to speak to our consultants here at Calibre Search, please don’t hesitate to call us on 0113 234 6047.
Interview coming up for an SEO job? Here are 7 things the interviewer will be looking for.
Interview coming up for an SEO job? Here are 7 things the interviewer will be looking for.
I’ve deliberately left out technically-focussed questions and concentrated on softer attributes but feel free to drop me a line with any you think I’ve missed and I’ll include them in a future blog.
1. Adaptability. The world of SEO is forever changing; even in the last few years the industry has changed remarkably, so prove that you are able to adjust to whatever challenges are thrown your way.
2. A desire to improve. You will never reach a point where you know everything about SEO so why stop learning? What SEO blogs are you reading to improve your skillset? If you’re not improving you are falling behind.
3. People skills. There’s a good chance that you will be speaking to clients, but even if that’s not the case you will need to work well with colleagues. If you’re not a natural people person that doesn’t mean you can’t improve. Work on cultivating your rapport and developing relationships.
4. Evidence. You will be asked for examples of your work so make sure you can detail website names, keywords, starting ranks, issues, software used, closing ranks etc and be able to explain your thinking.
5. Detail. Detail. Detail. This is an obvious one but it’s important to show that you don’t make mistakes easily and that’s all the way through the process from writing your CV, emails to the client, and turning up for interview at the right time.
6. Willing to get your hands dirty. SEO isn’t always glamorous. Even if you are more senior you will need to get stuck in so prove this to the client.
7. Commercially focussed. This is more relevant the more senior you are but having an understanding of companies’ commercial needs is important whichever side of the agency/clientside fence you are on.
As I say there are other points to add but hey, 7 is my favourite number.
If you would like to discuss any of these points further or would like to see what positions we are looking to fill please call Matthew Finlay on 0113 234 6047, email matthew.finlay@calibresearch.co.uk or visit our jobs page at http://www.calibresearch.co.uk/job-search/browse/marketing/jobs
If you want to have a look at the questions I’m advising my clients to ask at interview why don’t you have a look at my previous blog here.
