National Careers Week: How Pick Everard support early careers

At Pick Everard we are exceptionally passionate about early careers. We are looking to nurture and support the next generation of talent. We recognise early career hires to be an integral part of our talent pipeline, as they provide us with a golden opportunity to inject new ideas and energy into our practice.

We look to provide aspiring engineers, architects, building surveyors, quantity surveyors and project managers, real life experience of working within the property and construction consultancy industry, allowing them to gain invaluable work experience and exposure. There are several ways we do this:

• Paid and unpaid work experience
• Apprenticeship programmes
• Summer placement opportunities for undergraduates
• Industry placements for undergraduates
• Sponsorship opportunities
• Graduate opportunities

A large focus for the practice is to ensure we are partnering with and supporting, schools, colleges, and universities across the nation, attending careers events, workshops and fairs and providing day to day insight of life at Pick Everard.

With over 15 years’ experience within Apprenticeships programmes, National Careers week and apprenticeships in general are of particular interest to me. Apprenticeships offer a range of rewards and learning ‘on the job’ provides on-going support from an employer, peer to peer support, social and financial benefits such as discounts and paid annual leave. Whilst gaining practical work experience that will build on an individuals academic training, apprentices will also gain an industry recognised qualification.

Advice I would provide to any student attending a careers fair is:

• Find out what companies are attending and who are relevant for you and your particular career interest
• Research those companies – look at their website, careers page and social media feeds. This provides valuable insight and ensures you are prepared with relevant talking points and questions – remembering that they also need to impress you and make you want to work with/for them
• Establish if there are any talks or presentations being hosted and make sure you arrive on time – this shows the recruiter and employee that you are dependable and respectful of their time
• Dress to impress – even if the event is virtual, presenting yourself well will boost your confidence
• Update your CV so when you can engage with the relevant employers or apply for vacancies, you are able to action this promptly
• Understand how companies promote their opportunities and what is the standard application process
• Create a LinkedIn account and ensure your profile sets you apart - this professional networking platform allows you to connect with employers of interest

At Pick Everard we offer a wide a range of training opportunities, working across a multitude of sectors, and enjoy a culture which is centred around our people. We are constantly evolving, looking to make a positive impact on society and the environment. To learn more about life at Pick Everard and what our people have to say check out our insights Insights - Pick Everard.

For further information on current opportunities visit Careers - Pick Everard on our website!