How do I get a graduate job in construction and building services?
Construction and building services is all about creating, restoring and sustaining the built environment. From homes and offices to town centres and roads, the industry affects the way people live now and in the future. Whether you want to get involved with the design of a project, oversee its actual construction or ensure its efficient functioning once completed, there is a graduate job for you.
How can I get a job in construction and building services?
Graduates are in high demand with construction employers. Most employers have a formal, structured application process for graduates and the easiest way to get your construction job is to apply in this way. Many employers accept applications from graduates all year round but some do operate annual recruitment with fixed deadlines. You can check individual recruiters' deadlines by searching the construction employer profiles on targetjobs.co.uk.
The number of graduate vacancies is often determined by the number and size of the projects the employer has taken on – only the largest players tend to recruit a standard number each year.
How will construction work experience help my graduate job chances?
Whichever construction discipline you want to start your graduate career in, relevant work experience will give you an advantage. Many graduates find their jobs through doing an industrial placement or similar work experience with a construction employer.
If your degree does not offer a sandwich year with a construction company, you should take the initiative to apply for work experience opportunities yourself. Your careers service will be able to help with this.
Can I get a graduate job in construction or building services engineering without a construction-related degree?
The precise entry requirements of each construction employer will vary in terms of degree classifications and degree disciplines.
Getting a job in construction management generally requires a construction-related undergraduate degree or postgraduate construction conversion course. Some employers accept applicants without a construction-related degree and will sponsor them through the appropriate conversion course.
Graduates with a building services engineering, mechanical engineering or electrical engineering degree are eligible to start a career in building services engineering. There are postgraduate conversion courses available, although these tend to require an undergraduate degree in a technical discipline, such as engineering, science or maths.
Construction recruiters also look beyond your qualification to whether you have the personality and core skills of graduate construction employee. The main competences they require include:
- Communication and teamworking skills
- Analytical and problem-solving skills
- Organisation and time management
- Commercial awareness.
Can I get a graduate job in construction or building services engineering without a construction-related degree?
Contrary to popular belief, there are many opportunities for a successful career in construction and building services with a degree in any discipline.
Graduates from any discipline can generally apply for vacancies in facilities management, project management roles and jobs in project planning, although a built environment or technical degree (including civil engineering) is often advantageous.
What does the application process involve for graduate schemes in construction and building services?
Some construction employers will ask you to submit an online application form; others prefer you to send a CV and covering letter, either via e-mail or attached to a basic form on their website.
Once you’ve submitted the initial application, each employer will customise their own selection procedures: you may be asked to at least one interview and/or an assessment centre.
- Application and interview advice for graduate jobs in construction and building services engineering
What different areas of work are there in construction and building services?
There a huge range of roles available in construction. The main graduate jobs can be found in:
- Architecture
- Building services engineering
- Construction management
- Facilities management
- Project management
- Project planning
Within these areas there are lots of opportunities to specialise as you become more experienced. This could be in a particular type of structure (such as residential, transport, commercial and sports and leisure) as well as in a particular aspect of the work. For example, building services engineers could become an expert in sustainability, IT or acoustics.
Where could I work?
Completing a construction project is a collaborative process, involving the work of many different organisations.
Graduates tend to work for two main types of construction company that have traditionally carried out different roles:
- A consultant: usually hired by clients quite early on in the project to advise on design and cost matters
- A contractor: completes the actual construction of the project, usually employing subcontractors to carry out work requiring specialist or technical expertise.
However, the divide between these two types of company has become less rigid in recent times: it is now increasingly common for large construction organisations to offer an all-in-one design and build service to clients. Similarly, large organisations such as large supermarket chains or property developers, can have in-house design and property departments. Facilities managers can be employed by specialist facilities management companies or by individual companies to manage their own buildings.
Whichever type of organisation you work for, one of the ways to almost guarantee job satisfaction is to choose the right construction employer for you: an organisation in which you feel comfortable and your professional development is encouraged.
What are the opportunities for career progression in construction and building services?
One of the most obvious ways to develop your career is to become professionally qualified through a relevant professional institution, such as the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) or Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineering (CIBSE).
In some construction specialisms, your employer will expect you to become qualified; in others, it is strongly encouraged. Either way, your employer should pick up the fees and support you all the way.
When you join your construction company you will be given a manager to assess your progress and help you make the most of opportunities.You will also be given all the training you need, which can include training on ‘soft skills’, such as good communication, as well as technical matters. Some construction employers will provide you with mentors and buddies to ease you into working life.
Career progression in construction can be swift once you’ve built up some experience, especially in specialisms where there are skills shortages such as building services engineering.
What is working life like for construction graduates?
Construction is project based and essentially an exercise in teamwork and organisation. Even as an inexperienced graduate, you will work closely with many different specialists at all levels of seniority, both within and outside your own organisation. It is likely that you will also have contact with the client and the public.
Your working environment will depend to a certain extent on whether you work for a contractor or consultant. Contractors spend the majority of their time out on site or in on-site make-shift offices, while consultants will spend their time at head offices and commute to the construction site when necessary.
Contractors’ hours tend to be longer than consultants’ hours, although both contractors and consultants may find themselves working longer near a deadline. While contractors tend to work on one project at a time, consultants are likely to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
Where possible, good employers will allocate you to a range of different projects to help you gain a rounded understanding of the construction industry. Some recruiters operate rotational graduate schemes, where you’ll be rotated around a number of projects in your first year.
- Get the graduate view of working life in construction and building services engineering
- Find out about construction executives’ most memorable projects
What will my graduate salary be like and will I get to travel?
The graduate starting salaries offered by construction employers on targetjobs.co.uk tend to be between £21,000 and £27,000.
The construction industry is global and construction professionals' skills are in demand all over the world. Whether you would like to travel is one factor when choosing the construction companies to apply to. Many international employers will give you placements abroad and will be able to help with practical issues such as setting up bank accounts.
What are the highs and lows for graduates working in construction?
Most people working in construction and building services find loads of reasons to love their jobs. They tend to enjoy getting out and about on site, as well as the variety of the work. Being able to literally see the results of their work is another plus. And these reasons don’t even take into account the good salary and travelling opportunities!
There are flip sides to this, though: if you’re out on site, hours can be more than the standard nine to five. Similarly, although most construction professionals jump at the chance to be on site, it does mean that you have to contend with all weathers.
What current trends in the construction industry should I know about?
Construction is so central to the way we live – not to mention the UK’s economy – that the industry has to constantly respond to the needs of people, institutions and governments. A high priority concern for construction at the moment is sustainability: the need to make sure that developments are environmentally friendly and meet the needs of users now and in the future.
Other key trends are the use of new technology to help plan and build projects, and the construction and restoration of homes to meet the needs of first-time buyers. An awareness of such issues impresses recruiters so keep up to date through joining professional institutions (even as a student) and keeping an eye on the trade press such as Building magazine and Green Building.
Finding graduate jobs in construction and building services engineering
