Behind the ad

"It's the team that wins the job," says John Hogg, team leader at Rok Group. "We don't work in a traditional construction environment. There's no 'them' and 'us' here. Nobody says 'it wasn't my fault - it was the estimator's job'."

Candidates need to be team players. The Rok Group works in open plan offices to encourage understanding and communication and promote a team environment. "We don't want someone who thinks this is a nine-to-five job; we're not looking for a plodder. We need someone with a bit of flair and that 'wow' factor!" says Hogg.

Broad is better
Diverse experience is essential. "We operate in a market where we aren't focused on one particular form of construction," he adds. "We need a candidate with experience in various forms of construction and in the many procurement routes available." Ideally, because this is a senior position, the candidate will have had seven years' experience on projects including commercial, industrial, school and hospital sites and in partnering contracts.

Hogg emphasises formal qualifications are not as important as experience: "There are some companies with very good training structures that produce well-rounded people. For example, our management trainees get rotated to give them a view of the whole project process. This stands them in good stead and my ideal candidate will have done this too."

A people person
The successful candidate will also need softer skills that would not have been required five years ago. "Candidates need to get closer to clients and listen to what the client is telling us. They require an element of creativity – there may be other ways of doing things more effectively. The trick is to add value, thinking what other things can be added to mark us out from the pack. We don't want to be seen as just another contractor."

Estimating candidates also need to be able to deal with stress, and additional pressure has come from the diminishing of the traditional quantity surveyor role. "People don't want to pay to have bills and quantities produced and this has put a lot more demand on estimators to get the quantities right and work up the proper estimate. Yet the deadlines haven't increased to meet this rise in pressure."

If you are a graduate who would like to work towards a role such as this, Hogg suggests you find the right employer. "It sounds obvious, but you need to work for a contractor who is committed to, and prepared to give you, training and experience in different departments, so you do become well-rounded."