Work experience in surveying - good for business?

What comes to mind when thinking of work experience? Lots of wasted time trying to tell a student how to do something... then thinking it would be quicker to do it yourself?

It doesn’t have to be like that, nor does it need to involve a sophisticated programme put together by an army of HR professionals.

Keep it simple

Simple job shadowing is invaluable to a student considering a career in surveying. If they accompany you to a meeting why not ask them to take the minutes? This provides you with an instant view on their basic skills, which are often overlooked and not tested out at interview. Employers tell us the lack of workplace skills is one of the biggest issues with graduate recruitment.

“When interviewing for new graduates the best ones can demonstrate their knowledge and the practical application of this from undertaking work experience.” Clare Johnson, Valuation Office Agency

Employer benefits

There are many benefits for employers but the ones which make a contribution to overall performance are those which influence decisions. These include:

• Where rotation around departments or functions takes place. These enable you to identify students with flair and enthusiasm for a particular discipline.

“On day one of work experience the majority of students want to work in investment. The reality is only 20% do so as they find another area they are passionate about.” Ema Saunders, Savills

• Reducing cost of recruitment

- King Sturge reports a 25% reduced HR function

- Savills recruit 50-60% of graduates through work experience

- GVA Grimley - the long-term plan is for all graduate recruitment to come through the work experience route

- Work experience student capabilities can be used as a benchmark if additional graduate recruitment is needed

"We shortlist graduates who have undertaken work experience to interview first, but don't offer work experience ourselves except in exceptional cases when the student is known to us." Anonymous (echoing the views of many property employers)

• Offering placements raises your company profile and image among students, making it easier to recruit graduates and to compete for the best students

• Work experience students are generally keen and enthusiastic and will undertake tasks which others don’t want to do, eg taking photos – this has a benefit of familiarising them with the ‘patch’, undertaking comparables etc.

"JPG Associates won a contract which involved surveying school buildings. There was a lot of measuring and collating details to be undertaken, and the work experience trainee spent most of the week on site assisting and verifying this work. Generally work experience is unpaid, but on this occasion the work undertaken was so valuable to the company we were able to pay." Jeremy Gainsford, JPG Associates

• Networking opportunities from day one, all firms who currently have work experience programmes feel this is a huge long-term benefit both to their company and the individual.

• Flexible approach to length of experience. One to eight weeks typically, but can be of any length of time to suit your company.

• Can be paid or unpaid.

• Can benefit existing employees giving staff a chance to develop supervisory skills and support roles.

Work experience schemes can help: 

- Recruit candidates who have the right values for your organisation

- Identify students who can perform in the workplace by having good team working and communication skills, both written and oral, and who fit into a professional team

- View as an extended interview

- Assess parts of the role which are of particular importance to your organisation, eg report writing skills can be put to the test

Longer term internships

Longer term internships can have very specific benefits in addition to those already listed. These include:

• Undertaking a specific task for a particular client – where you do not necessarily have the internal resource or want to take a professional member of staff away from their other duties

• Roll-on, roll-off approach minimises time spent from fee-earning professionals as the outgoing student trains the incoming one.

“We have a student programme with fixed assistant positions and workplaces which has developed over the years. We also try to have an overlap of students here at Ringleys so that the ‘masterpiece’ of every work placement will be the handover and takeover period.” Aron Dag Schermaul, Ringley

Get in touch

If you are an employer considering offering a work placement to a trainee surveyor, please contact Liz Black, Property Adviser at Asset Skills, on 07921 976 815 or email lblack@assetskills.org.