Does anyone here work in Estimating?
Discussion
I've got a job interview coming up for a trainee estimator position and looking for some interview advice.
It's a bit different to what i'm currently doing and was wondering if anybody could point me towards some resources/literature to strengthen the basic knowledge I have from University of this kind of job.
My mind always goes blank in interviews so I want to prepare answers properly and try to memorise them as I could bet any money the first question will be "So what do you know about estimating in the construction industry?" etc etc.
Any advice or tips would be very much appreciated thanks.
It's a bit different to what i'm currently doing and was wondering if anybody could point me towards some resources/literature to strengthen the basic knowledge I have from University of this kind of job.
My mind always goes blank in interviews so I want to prepare answers properly and try to memorise them as I could bet any money the first question will be "So what do you know about estimating in the construction industry?" etc etc.
Any advice or tips would be very much appreciated thanks.
what do you do currently? and what did you study at university?
I have a degree in quantity surveying and have done a spot of estimating in my time. would I do it full time- no. its like all the boring bits of being a QS, without ever getting out on-site, negotiations or ever seeing/being involved in the finished product.
but anyway what sort of information are you looking for? have you gone on to the RICS website and looked at what they suggest an estimator does? have you looked at various job descriptions etc... do you have any experience of construction projects and peoples roles within the project lifecycle?
I have a degree in quantity surveying and have done a spot of estimating in my time. would I do it full time- no. its like all the boring bits of being a QS, without ever getting out on-site, negotiations or ever seeing/being involved in the finished product.
but anyway what sort of information are you looking for? have you gone on to the RICS website and looked at what they suggest an estimator does? have you looked at various job descriptions etc... do you have any experience of construction projects and peoples roles within the project lifecycle?
malks222 said:
what do you do currently? and what did you study at university?
I have a degree in quantity surveying and have done a spot of estimating in my time. would I do it full time- no. its like all the boring bits of being a QS, without ever getting out on-site, negotiations or ever seeing/being involved in the finished product.
but anyway what sort of information are you looking for? have you gone on to the RICS website and looked at what they suggest an estimator does? have you looked at various job descriptions etc... do you have any experience of construction projects and peoples roles within the project lifecycle?
Have sent you a message I have a degree in quantity surveying and have done a spot of estimating in my time. would I do it full time- no. its like all the boring bits of being a QS, without ever getting out on-site, negotiations or ever seeing/being involved in the finished product.
but anyway what sort of information are you looking for? have you gone on to the RICS website and looked at what they suggest an estimator does? have you looked at various job descriptions etc... do you have any experience of construction projects and peoples roles within the project lifecycle?
.Quite happy to provide some advice, answer questions or give some tips.
I'm an Estimating Manager for a multinational construction company, although I work in the M&E division. I've been in Estimating for about 10 years, originally coming from a CAD background.
Completely agree with the above; estimating can be quite a thankless and boring role to be honest. 99% of the time it is office based, you will quote hundreds of projects that come to nothing, you spend all day staring at drawings or specifications and when you do win a project, you'll be bricking your pants that you've dropped a b
k somewhere.
There is a saying in construction; if you've won a project, then you need to find the mistake.
Bid/Work Winning/Sales guys will take the glory when you win an order and the Project team will fling all the st your way when things go wrong with the cost. It is a bit of a lose-lose role....
That said, I enjoy it and there are plenty of other people that do too.
Taking off drawings or pulling through specs can be very boring, but when you can exercise your brain looking for cost engineering solutions or value engineering, it can prove interesting and rewarding. Most of the information supplied at tender is basic, so you need to develop a solid grasp of 'real world' engineering (knowing what is realistic compared to consultant bks that doesn't work).
A keen eye for detail is absolutely essential; you need to be able to see things that others would miss. Most info is incomplete or limited, so you need to be able to build it up in your mind and accurately guess what will actually be required.
A trainee role will see you doing the crap stuff first; take offs, pulling specs, chasing queries etc. All the stuff Estimators hate doing.
You'll process onto producing technical queries, value engineering solutions, scopes and assisting the Bid team. As you get proficient, you'll be able to slip into similar roles. That could be the Bid team (compiling estimator info, dealing with the client), Quantity Surveyor (similar to an Estimator, but working with real/historic information), Engineering (doing the actual dirty work) and so on.
As a person, you really need the ability to learn fast (there is a lot to learn in construction), motivate yourself (some stuff is really boring and takes ages), develop a process that allows you to double check stuff and ensure you haven't missed anything, stay up to date with construction methods/materials/systems, understand how to build up cost plans, decent engineering knowledge and very strong record keeping.
That's my info dump anyway, but feel free to ask anything specific.
I'm an Estimating Manager for a multinational construction company, although I work in the M&E division. I've been in Estimating for about 10 years, originally coming from a CAD background.
Completely agree with the above; estimating can be quite a thankless and boring role to be honest. 99% of the time it is office based, you will quote hundreds of projects that come to nothing, you spend all day staring at drawings or specifications and when you do win a project, you'll be bricking your pants that you've dropped a b
k somewhere.There is a saying in construction; if you've won a project, then you need to find the mistake.
Bid/Work Winning/Sales guys will take the glory when you win an order and the Project team will fling all the s
t your way when things go wrong with the cost. It is a bit of a lose-lose role....That said, I enjoy it and there are plenty of other people that do too.
Taking off drawings or pulling through specs can be very boring, but when you can exercise your brain looking for cost engineering solutions or value engineering, it can prove interesting and rewarding. Most of the information supplied at tender is basic, so you need to develop a solid grasp of 'real world' engineering (knowing what is realistic compared to consultant b
ks that doesn't work).A keen eye for detail is absolutely essential; you need to be able to see things that others would miss. Most info is incomplete or limited, so you need to be able to build it up in your mind and accurately guess what will actually be required.
A trainee role will see you doing the crap stuff first; take offs, pulling specs, chasing queries etc. All the stuff Estimators hate doing.
You'll process onto producing technical queries, value engineering solutions, scopes and assisting the Bid team. As you get proficient, you'll be able to slip into similar roles. That could be the Bid team (compiling estimator info, dealing with the client), Quantity Surveyor (similar to an Estimator, but working with real/historic information), Engineering (doing the actual dirty work) and so on.
As a person, you really need the ability to learn fast (there is a lot to learn in construction), motivate yourself (some stuff is really boring and takes ages), develop a process that allows you to double check stuff and ensure you haven't missed anything, stay up to date with construction methods/materials/systems, understand how to build up cost plans, decent engineering knowledge and very strong record keeping.
That's my info dump anyway, but feel free to ask anything specific.
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