Hello friends on the internet!
It has been a while, but we have some good news – I got a new job!
My new role is with another consultancy in London. I think what drew me in was the potential for more responsibility and the greater opportunity for advancement. I’m still planning on sitting my APC, but I will probably delay it till the back end of 2022 so I can settle into the new organisation and do some good work for the client.
Here are some key things I’ve realised over the last year since I’ve started looking elsewhere:
If you feel like you are doing the same sort of work day in, day out, and you aren’t getting the experience you need (especially if you are trying to get chartered), it’s time to move.
Be very clear about what you want, and why you are moving.
Moving for money isn’t a bad thing, especially if you know are being underpaid for your role – but know that money isn’t everything when moving companies. The overall package is what counts!
Business is business – remember the senior team are there to make profit for the business, therefore you have to try and not take it personally when you find out they could have promoted you or paid you more. This world is all about relationships, and your boss may have done other things for you which you don’t know about. Without getting to personal, there was a time I needed to be away from work for family reasons, my senior team gave me time off (paid) so I could take care of my family. Things like that should not be forgotten.
In a similar vein, don’t burn your bridges – the QS market (particularly in London) is a small world. You may end up working with (or for) the same people in the future.
Use websites like Glassdoor to understand what you are worth. It helps even more if you have friends/colleagues in other firms who have the same level of experience as you. This doesn’t mean necessarily you will earn the same as them – but it should give you a ballpark indication of a salary range.
If you get a counteroffer, just politely reject it. Trust me, I’ve been there and done it. The truth is if you were already peeking over the fence, then you don’t really want to be there anyway. I do think that it is a shame though, that organisations will try to push through pay-rises/promotions only after notice has been handed in.
In terms of resources to use when looking for a new job, I used the following:
Glassdoor – I use this to have a look at pay scales and company reviews. Always take reviews with a pinch of salt as there might be disgruntled employees just taking outrage on their employer. Also bear in mind that people are more likely to leave negative feedback than positive, so try to get more than one source of information for your prospective employer. Be aware though, if you find a lot of reviews that mention the same sort of issues, there usually isn’t smoke without some sort of fire.
Pegasus Radio Podcast – This resource is mainly for those in the construction field. Pegasus Radio is a podcast run by a well-known recruiter within the construction field. Although I wasn’t hired through this recruiter, his podcast is really informative and has a number of short episodes which were really useful to a first-time mover like me:
Here are some good ones to start with:
That’s it for now folks. If you have any queries on the above please let me know!
The next post will be on Procurement and Tendering.
Cheers 👍