Case study – The surveyor starting out 

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Sarah Ticehurst - Valuation Advisory Services at Property Advisers Cushman & Wakefield

I joined Cushman & Wakefield on a graduate recruitment scheme in 2004. This prepares you to take the Assessment of Professional Competence to become a qualified Chartered Surveyor. I spent time on a graduate rotation scheme working in different departments to gain experience in order to take the Assessment.

The first department I worked in was called Client Solutions. This involved managing corporate property portfolios across Europe. I worked closely with a number of large clients to ensure that efficient and strategic property decisions were made.

I then moved in to the Valuations department which taught me the fundamentals of Chartered Surveying which has been a great learning experience.

A typical day

In my first department much of my day was spent talking – mainly to clients in Europe. In addition to account management, we frequently made pitches to companies to manage their European portfolios. This involved researching the company we were pitching to in order to create a presentation that would win the business, and seeing where we could align our business strategy to theirs to create common factors.

In the second department, Valuation, I spend a lot of time out of the office on inspections. It is vital that we see the property before we value it so that we can understand where it stands in the market, measure it and identify factors that affect the valuation.

The rest of the time is spent collecting information for valuation reports. This involves collecting comparable property information to ascertain the rental and yield level for the property and location information. As I use cashflow analysis for the majority of my valuations I spend a lot of time on the computer spreadsheet Excel.

Background

After doing well in my GCSEs and A-levels, I studied a degree in Land Economy at Cambridge University. I hadn't heard of this until my head of sixth form told me about it, but its multi-disciplinary nature struck my interest.

After my degree, I applied to various Chartered Surveying firms and was impressed by Cushman & Wakefield's approach. They have a great culture and the 'work hard play hard' attitude fitted my personality.

Most important skills for the job

Teamwork is essential. When there's a deadline everyone works together to meet the goal, not just internally but also our clients. We look at problems together.

Communication skills are also very important. We have to communicate with our clients on a daily basis to keep them informed of what is going on. People skills are fundamental - this could make the difference between winning a client and losing one.

In-house training

I've received regular training covering a broad spectrum of content. All professional areas are covered in the lead up to the Assessment of Professional Competence with intense study sessions. I have also been trained on the information technology packages which are used within my profession. Cushman & Wakefield have introduced an e-learning portal where courses can be booked on-line and where essential skills can be learnt.

The future

The high level of responsibility I've been given has stretched my skills and fuelled my interest in this industry. I am determined to make the most out of my career and Cushman & Wakefield's culture, backed up with excellent training, is allowing me to achieve this.

There are no hierarchies - it is a true meritocracy and an environment in which I enjoy working. Anything is possible with hard work – it is up to me to decide where I want to take my career, be that running a key business unit or the firm itself in my lifetime!