Longevity appears to have become an attribute which can sometimes fly under the radar. As an industry we have become obsessed with innovation, evolution and technology.
Matthew Cumber is managing director of Countrywide Surveying Services
Longevity appears to have become an attribute which can sometimes fly under the radar. As an industry we have become obsessed with innovation, evolution and technology.
This is certainly no bad thing as the successful integration of these traits provide sustained momentum and a pathway to growth for any healthy, functioning business or sector.
However, equally important characteristics are experience, knowledge and expertise.
The sweet spot for any service provider is having the best of both worlds i.e. being a progressive business, which embraces all that is good about tech while also being blessed with vast amounts of experience which maintains a willingness to accept change.
Although it’s also important to remember that experience needs time to bed in and the next generation must be carefully nurtured so they can both benefit from, and build on, this vital knowledge bank.
It’s never easy for the younger generations to know exactly which career path to take. This can often take many twists and turns; it can simply come down to luck and being in the right place at the right time or there are some professions where longevity is more evident than others.
I’m focusing on this topic as it is National Careers Week. As a company, we take great pride in the quality of our recruitment process, our leadership development programme and how much we invest in building teams which perform strongly and deliver great service.
Many of our people have progressed up through the ranks and a good number of our surveyors have passed their long-service anniversaries over the lockdown period.
We currently have around 25 people who have been working with Countrywide Surveying Services for over 20 years – with this rising to between 35 and 40 years in a few cases – with many more having 15 plus years under their belts.
To have so much experience in one place makes me immensely proud. It demonstrates that we, as a business, are doing something right and how rewarding a career in surveying can be.
We live in a world which is moving faster than ever and we have become obsessed with change and the ‘next big thing’.
Of course we all have to adapt and that doesn’t get any easier with age but in certain sectors there is no substitute for experience.
Surveying is one of these sectors, but as important it is to attract the next wave of surveyors, it is also right to highlight that long-service is certainly not a thing of the past and should give potential new recruits confidence in the business and career path they are choosing.
Like mortgage advisers, surveyors age like fine wine and their understanding of all property types, scenarios and service values grows with time.
And maintaining this conveyor belt of experience and quality of personnel will remain a key factor in the success of any surveying and valuations business.
