Henry Henson: Young Property Professional Blog: What I wasn't told at university16th May 2012

Let me give you an insight into who I am – I’ll keep it short and sweet, so we don’t get distracted. I graduated with BSc Honours in Property Investment and Finance from Nottingham Trent in July 2011. Since then I have become the new graduate at NG Chartered Surveyors, in the Agency department.

I’m going to talk about what university didn’t prepare me for in this month’s blog and what work life is really like, starting your career in a recession.

I hope it gives current undergraduates and surveying students a true insight into the transition from student to the real world.

It goes without saying the main talking point in the property world has to be the recession, whether it’s the likes of David Cameron ranting on about it in the press or one of the many writers in the property issues. It is big news and its here to stay for at least another two years.

The state of the economy is making it more difficult for graduates to secure a position in a reputable surveying firm. The reality is that many firms are cost conscious because property prices are at rock bottom and the whole market is at its lowest point for many years, leaving little scope for firms to employ the large annual number of University graduates.

Competition for graduate places is tough – I’ve been there, got the t-shirt (and thankfully the job too). But that first graduate interview can make or break your future career in the industry. Therefore you have to pull out all the stops during the interview and show off your strengths and what an asset you really could be to the team.

Then it’s important once you’ve secured a position to not let the level of expectations drop, you need to make sure both your employer and your client’s are satisfied with the work you’re providing them or just helping to increase your company’s profile, it’s all necessary and can carry you a long way in the working world.

Even in preparation for my interview with NG back in December, my tutors could not have prepared me in the slightest for the competitiveness I had to face. It was only on the day itself I realised I was walking into a group interview. Next we were asked to write a hard-hitting marketing report on a property, and the day was rounded off by a further grilling from the rest of the Agency team. The following week I was called back for a more formal interview to speak to the partners of the firm. Daunting or what?

Now I am experiencing it first hand, the commercial property industry is great to work in if you can. With regular daily challenges, it is worth getting up for in the morning (so long as its not the day after an RICS Matrics event, three years of university still could not prepare me for the mother of all hangovers on a Wednesday morning. Note to self don’t drink on a school night again!)

On a serious note nothing beats clinching deals while working as an Agency surveyor. The people and connections you make on a day to day basis is a rewarding experience, after all surveying is a people profession.

If I could give all undergraduates just one point to take away from this blog it is that University can only teach you so much, acquiring work experience and putting it into practice will give you a true indication of what lies ahead.

As the older heads have told me, what you learn in a recession stays with you for your entire career.

Lastly I would just like to say that if being a young surveyor in this current economic climate is this exciting already, then I cannot wait for the market to truly pick up again!