4 Common Myths About Estimators (and the truth behind them)

Whether you’re a cost estimator in construction and engineering, or an estimator in another industry, you’ve probably heard all the stereotypes. There are a lot of preconceptions about what estimators do, what their tendencies are, and what they are capable of. But it’s time we busted those common myths about estimators once and for all! Here are some common generalisations and the truths behind them.

Estimators aren’t creative

When telling people that you’re an estimator, the first thing they’re likely to do is comment on how you must be ‘good with numbers’, ‘left-brained’ or ‘very logical’. But how many times have you told someone you’re an estimator to hear them comment on your abilities to think laterally, solve problems and come up with new ideas? Not many, we bet. The common myth is that being an estimator is not as creative as other professions, but on this point, we beg to differ.

They love math

While it’s true that estimators need to be good at math to perform their job properly, loving something and being good at it are two entirely different things. Nevertheless, this fairly benign myth does tend to typecast all estimators as a certain class of person, and it does little to reflect the true diversity within the group. As working estimators will know, maths can sometimes be a very small part of the job, while things like managing people, projects and finances play a huge role.

Women can’t be estimators

There’s no doubt that female estimators for engineering are working in a male-dominated field. Not only are there more male construction professionals than female ones, there is also still a huge gender pay gap in the industry. That said, a lot of work is being done in Australia and abroad to close this gap, attract more women into the industry, and educate upper management on how organisations can be open and hospitable to new female employees.

They’re anti-social

‘Geek’, ‘nerd,’ ‘introvert’—you’ve probably heard them all. But being an estimator doesn’t necessarily equate to lacking social skills. In fact, estimator roles involve more cooperation, teamwork and gut instinct than the average person would expect. Therefore, estimators tend to have excellent people skills, as well as strengths in verbal and written communication. And we personally know plenty of estimators who are anything but shy!

 

 

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Featured Project: Casey Hospital Expansion

The demand for healthcare in Melbourne’s south-east suburb has increased significantly since the Casey hospital opened in 2004. This expansion project will help relieve pressure and improve health services for the local communities.

The Project

This modest 12-year-old community hospital is set to undergo its biggest overhaul yet. The Casey Hospital expansion project is a $135 million construction operation that will provide the infrastructure needed for Casey Hospital’s soon-to-be-opened public healthcare facilities. The 13,000 square metre expansion will create 160 new beds, the hospital’s first intensive care unit, upgraded pharmacy and much much more. At completion, the enlarged Casey Hospital will make space for 300 new staff, and provide education and training spaces for students of Monash university. The expanded Casey Hospital will be equipped to treat an additional 25,000 people each year.

The Players

Behind the Casey Hospital expansion project is Plenary Group, comprising of Plenary Health, Brookfield GIS and Watpac Construction. Fully funded by the Victorian government, the Casey Hospital expansion has created over 90 new jobs during construction alone. Builders Watpac have been responsible for the finalisation of designs, while taking care of the end-to-end construction of the building.

In addition to the Casey Hospital project, Watpac have worked on various other world-class health and science infrastructure assignments across the country. In Victoria, their portfolio of successful projects includes the Frankston Private Hospital, Knox Private Hospital and the Baptcare Residential Aged Care Facility.  

Location

Casey Hospital is located in Berwick, in the outer southeast of Melbourne. With the existing 273-bed Casey Hospital no longer able to sustain the suburb’s rapid growth, the expanded healthcare facility will provide much needed additional healthcare facilities to the area.

The Timeline

Currently under construction, works on the Casey Hospital expansion project began in September 2017 and are due for completion August 2019. Staged handovers are set to take place in July 2018, March 2019, April 2019 and September 2019.

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6 Employee Retention Strategies That Work

employee retention strategies

Wouldn’t you love to hold onto those great workers for longer? These are the people who turn up on time every day and go above and beyond for their jobs. As employers and human resources well know, these sorts of people are not easily replaced. Luckily, good staff retention strategies can help you keep these quality employees, longer.

Career Developement

Great employees are good at what they do because they take their job seriously. They see a career in what they’re doing, and they want the challenges and rewards of pursuing that career. Pave a clear career path for your employees. Give them the space they need to grow while working for you.

Remuneration

Next to career growth and professional development, a salary is among the most important of your employees needs. A salary is not just what your employee needs to pay the bills, it’s a token of their achievements on the job. Remuneration should be competitive to reflect industry standards, and it should increase regularly to keep your employees engaged.

 

Benefits

If your staff were bragging about their job to their friends, what would they say? Does your company offer things like flexible hours, childcare and gym memberships? Try offering a benefits package that is truly beneficial, and if you’re unsure of what this would look like, it never hurts to ask.

Recognition

Recognition of good work starts with simple praise and a thank you, but at the end of the day, recognition should take more tangible forms to be truly felt. If your promotions involve grand-sounding titles with added responsibilities and no financial reward, then you may need to rethink your staff retention strategy. Recognition might take the form of gifts, bonuses and vouchers, or remuneration for courses and classes.

Expectations

Employees tend to disengage with their jobs and their employees when there is confusion as to what is expected of them and what their responsibilities involve. Make sure your staff have a clear understanding of their duties, as well as the performance metrics against which they’ll be evaluated. Do this and you can not only retain good staff, but turn a floundering and frustrated worker into a star employee.

Meaningful work

Today more than ever before, workers are pursuing meaningful work. Work is meaningful when it has a wider social value or in some way contributes to the community. You don’t have to be running a charity foundation to offer your employees meaningful work. Facilitate bonding among employees, get involved in social or philanthropic programs, and cultivate a shared company vision to give your employees meaningful work.

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Job Interview Tips For Construction & Engineering

interview tips for engineering construction jobs

So you’ve got an interview for your dream job. A little bit of nerves might be healthy but it’s time to put your fears aside. We’ve put together a list of our top interview tips, gleaned from years of interviewing and recruiting new staff. Find out what to do, what not to do, and how to walk out of your interview knowing you put your best foot forward. These tips won’t guarantee you’ll get the job, but they’ll give you the confidence to be the best you can be.

Come prepared

One of the biggest mistakes we see during interviews is when candidates have no idea about the role they’re going for or the company that’s hiring. Don’t rock up at your  interview without researching first. Doing so will help you anticipate the questions that will be asked and give you an idea of the company culture you’re potentially entering into. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to dress appropriately for your interview and turn up on time.

Additionally, we recommend brainstorming some questions you might be asked and rehearsing them before you arrive. Remember, the goal of the interview is to land a job that you want, so make sure you know exactly what you want and expect before heading in.

Be Yourself

Having interviewed hundreds of people in engineering and construction, one of our main pieces of advice would be to ‘be yourself’. By this we don’t mean using the sort of language you’d use with your mates at the pub on a Friday night, nor do we mean talking at length about your after hours hobbies. Being yourself at an interview means showing sincere enthusiasm for the role and being open and honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Not only can employers and recruiters smell insincerity and indifference a mile off, but you’d only be doing yourself a disservice by lying.

By being yourself, you’ll be visibly confident in what you’re communicating, and you’ll naturally ask relevant and inquisitive questions that reflect your enthusiasm and interest in the role.

Be flexible

In the good old days, before technology had its way with industries and roles, employers expected their new staff to have a set number of required skills. These days, employers are quickly learning that adaptability in a new employee is much more valuable than a set requirement of skills. With the way companies work these days, any given role will change and evolve year on year, so that the skills needed for the role are constantly in flux. Do not fear your gaps in knowledge and experience. Put forward your flexible and adaptable nature, your willingness to change, grow and learn, and you’ll surely impress at your upcoming interview.

 

Looking for work in construction and engineering? Let Quadrant Exec place you in your dream job – drop us an email today.