graduate recruitment 2013 application pack committed to graduates

Transcription

1 graduate recruitment 2013 application pack committed to graduates

2 contents introduction our firm our clients our people our community our promise final word

3 one partner s journey I m enjoying a fantastic career and couldn t recommend it more highly. Clare Phillipson from work experience to department head Work experience in the summer of 1984 with Andrew Jackson was the catalyst for my decision to become a chartered surveyor. I really enjoyed working with Andrew, so after the prerequisite 12 months work experience within the rural sector, I studied to become a chartered surveyor. I joined Fisher German in 1988 and was very lucky to train for my professional exams under Andrew in As a chartered surveyor, I continued to work with Andrew as my mentor and focused initially on estate management. However, pipeline management started to expand at the firm and I began to undertake more liaison work. I began working on my first repairs project in This area of management started to expand as our knowledge grew it was a very exciting time. We won a bid in 1994 to work on the Government Pipelines and Storage System Southern Network and in 1995 were successful in winning the Northern Network. I have worked on some cutting edge projects including new oil pipelines for Esso and TOTAL, major projects for the National Grid and leading innovator Linesearch.org. I thoroughly enjoy working in this sector. It s an exhilarating and dynamic area and I m involved in so many different projects. It s a constant learning curve whilst bringing new solutions to the firm. I became the first female partner at Fisher German in 1998 and was appointed department head in I m enjoying a fantastic career and couldn t recommend it more highly. I particularly enjoy my role and responsibilities as the Graduate Partner, seeing our graduates join us on day one and watching their careers progress. As a firm, we want to recruit for the long term and aim to develop our future partners and leaders of the business from amongst our own. My career has been a testament to this. Fisher German is a great place to be and an exciting and challenging place to work. If you are ambitious and motivated, I hope you will apply to join us and become part of our future success.

4 no ordinary firm no ordinary firm of chartered surveyors In 2000, Fisher German had three offices In 2006, Fisher German had approximately 125 employees today we have 300+ staff & partners 15 UK offices

5 our firm Fisher German is an independent professional practice of chartered surveyors offering services across six sectors: anaerobic digestion biomass eco friendly buildings hydro solar PV wind energy Mark Newton renewable energy application & appeals architectural design building surveying development & promotion environmental management project management Richard Benson planning & construction electricity fibre optics gas Linesearch.org oil & chemicals water Andrew Bridge utilities & infrastructure landlord & tenant property management sales & lettings telecommunications Kevin Benson commercial auctions development equestrian estates farms & land residential Stuart Flint property agency compulsory purchase estates expert witness farms rural valuations David Merton rural consultancy

6 would it surprise you to know FG has been managing and selling estates, farms and property for over 180 years. We manage and consult on over 270 estates

7 our clients 98% of clients would use us again When you are thinking about the sort of firm you want to join, one of the things you ll look at is the sort of company they keep. Who are their clients and are those clients likely to have interesting and challenging work that will help you develop your professional skills? At Fisher German we can offer the opportunity to work with some impressive household names. During your training, you can expect to work with a wide range of clients; your role just like the rest of the team will be to ensure that we deliver the best quality service, on time and on budget. but what do our clients think of us? 93% said our service was good/excellent 94% said they would refer us 93% said our fees were competitive/value for money

8 our people The team I work with are great and there is a relaxed environment in the open plan office. Sam Jones-Davies Graduate Surveyor at Ashby joined in September 2012 What university did you attend? Harper Adams University to study the Postgraduate Diploma in REALM. Why did you apply to Fisher German? I was becoming more aware of Fisher German within the industry. I attended the recruitment fair at Harper and I listened to the firm s presentation of what would be offered as part the graduate package, which included a strong commitment to the APC training period. How did you find the recruitment process? In the interview they were interested in me as a person, my interests and ambitions. The dreaded technical questions weren t included, which definitely put me at ease. What kind of work have you done since joining? I work within the Utilities and Infrastructure department, where I assist with a range of National Grid Electricity and Gas projects across the country. I enjoy working on refurbishment projects, as this allows you to build a rapport with both clients and grantors. I have also had the opportunity to cover work within the rural sector, including valuations, landlord and tenant matters and planning work. What do you like most about working here? The team I work with are great and there is a relaxed environment in the open plan office. If I have a query relating to the work I am undertaking, everyone is willing to offer advice or talk the matter through, this can easily lead to a team discussion, allowing everyone to ask questions! This is the same across the wider firm, everyone is more than happy to help you, as many have been in your position only a few years previously. What support have you received to achieve your APC? There is a strong support network within the company, offering advice to all graduates and placement students. The self-help group is run by the firm s graduates to ensure that all essential revision topics are covered through tutorials. I have found this to be a helpful aid to my revision and understanding. You also receive support from your Supervisor, Counsellor and your assigned APC Doctor, through regular meetings to check your progress. What s the social life side? The team I work in are all of a similar age and we often arrange team evenings out. Within the office there is a wider group called Action Ashby, which organise fundraisers and office nights out. Moving to a new office and area of the country, this has definitely helped me to settle in.

9 a day in the life of.. Since qualifying I have been encouraged to take on a greater degree of responsibility within the office. Robert Browne Surveyor at Newark joined in August 2011 qualified April 2013 Robert joined Fisher German in 2011 having completed a degree in land management at Harper Adams University College. Since joining the Newark office in August 2011 Robert has qualified as a Member of the RICS, passing the APC in April He has gained experience in a wide range of general practice matters and is mainly involved in the sale and letting of rural property, planning, compulsory purchase in relation to road schemes and pipeline management for the water industry. Fisher German has provided excellent support for my APC training since I started work in Newark. My Supervisor and Counsellor dedicated many hours of their time to provide support throughout my training period, holding regular meetings with me to check on my progress and to make sure that I was gaining enough practical experience in my chosen competencies. In addition to my Supervisor and Counsellor, I received regular visits from a Fisher German APC Doctor who checked that I was happy with the level of support that I was receiving and provided support in the lead up to my mock and actual APC assessment. Fisher German also has an in-house APC Self Help Group which is run by Graduates. The group organises quarterly meetings at various office locations, where qualified surveyors and other experienced members of the firm give talks covering a range of topics. In the past these events have covered: the APC interview process; valuation of land, machinery and livestock; planning; and agricultural matters to name a few. Prior to sitting the APC all Fisher German Graduates sit a mock assessment which is about as close as you can get to being in the real thing! This was an extremely useful exercise and it allowed others within the firm to provide feedback on all aspects of the submission documents and interview performance. On reflection, having now qualified, I can really appreciate the benefit of this mock exercise as it prepared me well for the interview process - the relief of successfully getting through is incredible! Since qualifying I have been encouraged to take on a greater degree of responsibility within the office and to develop my experience and knowledge gained in the build-up to sitting the APC.

10 our community you know what they say about all work and no play it s not all work You know what they say about all work and no play. We expect you to work hard and - let s be honest - now and then there are periods of intense effort; that s the nature of the job. The positive side is that Fisher German has no face-time culture. If you ve no work to do at the end of the day, you go home. Our offices do regular charity appeal challenges like the Four Peaks/Welsh 3000s for the sporting amongst you and we are involved in local office cricket tournaments. Some members of our team get involved in the local community with projects such as Right to Read and business mentoring for young people in The Prince s Trust.

11 our promise put simply, it is our aim to offer great training and support to achieve your APC so how do we deliver our promise to you? You will have a dedicated APC supervisor and counsellor. Their aim is to support you in achieving your APC accreditation. They receive full training in their responsibilities to you. We have an APC self-help group. The purpose of this group is to assist APC candidates to develop their organisational skills and assist them with networking and CPD. We have APC doctors who meet with graduates every six months. They provide an independent assessment of your development and progress to date. We are able to offer all of our graduates a mock interview with one or more RICS examiners to assist candidates to have a better understanding of the interview process. Graduates will not be put forward until confident they will pass. We are committed to Continued Professional Development and organise 3 or 4 in-house training days per year where relevant and topical subjects are covered. All members of our professional staff are expected to attend and contribute. We provide 5 days revision leading up the APC interview, including any training days taken in the final year. by putting this support in place we have a pass rate of 96% career long learning Learning does not end when you qualify. There will be plenty of opportunity to broaden your experience and skills through your day to day work and more formally we offer the following: CPD days providing an opportunity to network with your peers and get to grips with hot topics of the moment a thought leadership programme for 27 partners over 9 months a Management Development Programme for existing and newly promoted partners a Business Development Programme for our fee earning people

12 earn while you learn salaries & benefits salary and benefits package which is reviewed annually salary The salary guide is 22,000 per annum. professional We pay all subscriptions, joining, membership, APC and CAAV fees. holiday We provide 23 days holiday per annum, increasing over time. blackberry We provide a Blackberry for making and receiving company related calls and s. your contract A full contract will be offered to graduates, subject to a three month probationary period, and successfully achieving Membership of RICS through passing APC/ATC within a given timescale. interested? then this is what you need to do next: Complete the attached application and Equal Opportunities forms found at the end of this pack and return these together with a handwritten covering letter and cv to Clare Phillipson by no later than 5pm on 27 November If we want to progress your application then we will invite you to attend an interview. Our interviews are a dialogue between you and us, not a oneway grilling. These will take approximately an hour during early January A current graduate will be on hand afterwards to answer any questions. If you are successful, you will be invited to return for a second interview at the office where you could be employed in (early January 2014). We don t conduct psychometric tests or hold assessment days. We believe that the qualities we are looking for in our graduates, such as common sense, a sharp intellect, independent thought, commercial awareness and a good sense of humour, are best assessed at interview. Our approach reflects the kind of firm we are and the value we place on personal judgment and interpersonal skills. For successful candidates, training begins mostly in September 2014, although in some instances graduates join us slightly before this.

13 final word from our Managing Partner when I look at how Fisher German has progressed; its substantial growth even during an economic downturn, I am extremely proud. I started as a Qualified Surveyor and it has taken me to the role of Managing Partner. When I look at how Fisher German has progressed - its substantial growth even during an economic downturn - I am extremely proud. That growth doesn t happen by accident. It happens by providing the right strategic direction, excellent financial management and, above all, by having the best people across the whole organisation. For us it is about finding people who have a passion for their chosen careers and who will be inspired by the same things. Don t for a minute think that we are looking to recruit clones or robots - we would not be the entrepreneurial firm we are today, if we did. At Fisher German we have personality; we re not a faceless organisation. We are a great firm with a long history. We are proud of that and work hard to do it justice. We aim to be trusted business advisers as well as surveyors and help our clients achieve what they want. We do recognise that you have a choice and I would strongly recommend you do as much research as possible to find the right organisation for you. All chartered surveyor firms are not the same; it is important to find somewhere you really want to work and we want graduates who really want to work with us.

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15 graduate application form 2013 Full name College address Home address Contact tel numbers home college mobile Contact address College/university Course attending Previous degree/qualification if post graduate Contact address preference over Christmas vacation Preferred geographical location Relevant experience details (if any) Please complete the graduate application and equal opportunities forms and return these together with a handwritten covering letter and up-to-date cv to Clare Phillipson. All applications should be received by 5pm on Wednesday 27 November 2013.

16 questions Please complete each of the following questions in no more than 300 words What qualities do you think are important to be a successful surveyor? Describe a situation where you have demonstrated leadership.

17 equal opportunities and general information Do you have a health problem or a disability, which is relevant to your job application? If yes please describe the health problem or disability? Do you need any special facilities to help you attend an interview or perform the job? Yes/No If yes, please provide information below of how we can assist you. criminal convictions Have you ever been convicted or found guilty of an offence by any court in the UK or abroad. This includes motoring but not parking offences. Yes/No If yes please specify You need to give details of any conviction which is spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act Should you have doubts as to whether a conviction is spent, you should seek advice from an appropriate person eg a solicitor, Clerk to the Court where you were convicted or a Citizens Advice Bureau. Have you been arrested or charged with any offence that has not yet come to court in the UK or abroad? Yes/No If yes please specify?

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19 equal opportunities monitoring Fisher German is committed to ensuring that applicants are treated equally whatever their race, colour, ethnical origins, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion or marital status. To do this we need to know background information of people who apply to us and would be grateful if you could complete the following questionnaire. Your answers will be treated confidentially and will only be used to help us monitor the operation of the Equal Opportunities Policy. Copies of this section will be detached and will NOT be made available to members of the Selection Panel. post applied for: nationality ethnic background British or mixed British Asian English Bangladeshi Irish Indian Scottish Pakistani Welsh Other Other Black gender - are you Male Female Prefer not to say age African Caribbean Other Chinese Any Chinese background Mixed ethnic background Asian and white Black African and white Black Caribbean and white Other White Any white background Prefer not to say Any other ethnic background marital status Single Married Divorced Widowed Prefer not to say Other sexual orientation Heterosexual Gay man Gay woman/lesbian Bisexual Prefer not to say Other religion Atheist Buddhist Christian Catholic Hindu Jewish Muslim Sikh Spiritualist No religion Other