Cobalt news

Building Surveying

01/06/2007

In the current market, Building Surveyors are in desperately short supply. Professional organisations are actively seeking chartered Building Surveyors, but sourcing them and securing their services is proving to be difficult.

The majority of multi-disciplinary private practices nationwide are looking for Chartered Building Surveyors and are at a loss as why there is such a notable lack of them at all levels. It seems that candidates who have been given the option over which property related degree to take, inevitably took the General Practice option as salaries were deemed to be higher, and work in greater abundance. However, two years later, the market has been left with a void of Building Surveyors primarily relating to those who have 1-3 years' PQE. This situation has had a significant impact on salaries with many young Building Surveyors in fact now earning more than their General Practice peers.

Companies, and in particular Private Practices, are therefore struggling to offer sufficiently strong salaries now that the general levels begin to reach the dizzy heights associated with a severe lack of supply. Interviews are becoming more of a two-way conversation, as Private Practices have to sell their services and their 'sexy' clients to candidates to entice potential employees to join them rather than their competitors.

Building Surveying is increasingly being seen as a 'professional' profession and it is those candidates with, not only the necessary technical competence but also strong commercial awareness and business development skills that can command the highest salaries. On the flip side, those who moved into the profession in the 90s and took the route which gave them CIOB status are now being forced to re-train and take their APC as their opportunities within this mere demanding professional environment are becoming increasingly limited, which is certainly not the case today.

Ten years ago experience 'on the job' was seen to be just as important as letters after your name. This in turn has lead to another tranche of surveyors who are 'newly qualified' but commanding salaries in excess of the general rate for this level as they have 7-10 years' experience in the field - leading to another issue within structured organizations, as salaries are continually being re-weighted.

How long can this trend continue? Companies are trying to grow their Building Consultancy departments but are being hindered due to the lack of skilled, commercially focused individuals to enable this expansion. Building Surveyors are no longer seen to be the 'boots' but are rapidly transforming into the 'suits' end of the business. There therefore needs to be a push on school leavers to enter the Building Surveying market as it is rapidly becoming a more attractive route to take in the property field due to an increase in salaries and almost guaranteed job security.

At Cobalt, we have a dedicated Building Consultancy division specialising in the recruitment of Building Surveyors and Project Managers into opportunities within both consultancy and principal organisations. In the last 2 years, we have been very successful in securing candidates roles with Property Developers and various Private Practices across the country at all levels, up to and including main Board. So, it's more than likely that we can find a role for you if you have a strong commercial background with good client-facing skills. Whether you are part-way through your APC and looking to move to complete your qualifications, or whether you are looking for a new challenge and are already considerably progressed with your career, we can use our expertise, along with our excellent client relationships, to find a role most suited to your current aspirations. Alternatively, if you are looking for salary advice or general market information we would be happy to provide you with guidance in these areas.

Please contact the Technical Team for a preliminary discussion or email your CV to info@cobaltrecruitment.com