Charles Bradley

JOB TITLE Building surveyor
EMPLOYER Jones Lang LaSalle
DEGREE BSc building surveying, Sheffield Hallam University

I joined my company’s graduate training programme four years ago and worked closely with a number of senior surveyors from all disciplines within building surveying, which helped me appreciate all the service lines my employer provided and understand the different directions in which my career could go.

My role

I qualified as a chartered building surveyor last year. In building surveying there is a number of disciplines I could choose to focus on. Currently, I have been concentrating on dilapidations, which involve negotiating on behalf of landlords or tenants to achieve an agreed exit strategy from a property. This could involve a financial settlement or initiating a programme of work. A good knowledge of the law combined with strong negotiation skills is essential in dilapidations work as you need to achieve the best deal for your client.

Career progression is quite structured; my next step would be to become a senior surveyor.

Progressing in my career

I enjoy the intellectual challenge of developing an appropriate strategy and successfully putting it to use. I like being part of a global company and working for national and international clients. Career progression in my company is quite structured: my next step, in time, would be to become a senior surveyor, progressing to associate then national director in the future.