We know that new talent entering the sector will want to get chartered as soon as possible and we take our responsibility to give this training and experience very seriously. The training our graduates receive means that most are ready to go for the APC in around 2-3 years – although we won’t put anyone forward who we don’t think is ready. And with fourteen APC assessors in-house we have a good fe
el for that. The fact that our APC pass rate is so good, 100% first time pass for the last 7 years, is a testament to the range and, importantly, the depth of experience every graduate gets with us. This is largely down to how Malcolm Hollis is structured. Whilst each graduate surveyor has one overall manager to oversee them, on a day-to-day level graduates work simultaneously on a number of instructions under different managers, all specialists in their own particular areas. So, in any one day, graduates might be out on a building survey, costing up a dilapidations schedule, drawing up a measured survey and advising on a party wall matter. This not only gives variety, but also gives the best possible training along the way. Progress and spread of work will be overseen by an allotted APC Supervisor and where a need is identified for more work in a particular area they will ensure that this is addressed and everything’s kept on track. We see giving graduates increasing responsibility and autonomy as developmentally very important. When and how fast is largely driven by the individual graduate and we’re always very careful to monitor how jobs and people are progressing. We have an extensive client list across a range of business sectors including SEGRO, Columbia Threadneedle, Carillion, McDonalds, Land Securities, Telereal Trillium, Next and The Portman Estate. We are commercial building surveying specialists with no agency department so there’s no ‘middle man’ and clients come direct to us. Consequently, maintaining and developing client relationships is central to the way that we do business, especially as a very substantial part of our work is repeat business. Once graduates have found their feet with us, they may well become a client’s principal contact quite quickly. More conventionally we also run weekly internal seminars and graduates also have access to the many external events on offer, such as those held by the CPD foundation. Of course, we can say all we like, but what really matters is our APC pass rate, which is well above the national average. We are a business who work hard but also like to have some fun too. We have an active social club across our office network and a range of activities are arranged throughout the year including trips to comedy clubs, sporting events as well as charity events etc. There are also other ad hoc activities taking place including dodgeball, 5 a side football, climbing, softball and of course a few beers in the pub after work. We offer excellent prospects for promotion. There are numerous surveyors who joined Malcolm Hollis as graduates who are now in senior positions within the firm. There are no fixed time limits for reaching associate or partner level, we promote on ability rather than age.
