Overview
Quantity surveying is one of those professions where placement experience can make or break your graduate application. Firms want to know you have seen a live construction project, handled real numbers, and understand the rhythm of site progress meetings and monthly valuations. A degree alone is not enough.
Jake Norris is completing a Quantity Surveying degree at UWE Bristol with a 12-month placement at Beard Construction. During that year, he prepared valuations on a £4.5 million housing scheme, measured over 120 subcontractor items, and attended site meetings. He also has a summer of labouring under his belt, which gives him a practical understanding of what happens on the ground.
What Makes This Resume Work
The placement describes commercial work, not admin. Jake does not say he "assisted the QS team." He explains that he prepared monthly valuations on a £4.5 million scheme, measured and priced subcontractor work using NRM2, and compared costs across 8 packages. These are the core tasks of a quantity surveyor, and describing them with project values and item counts shows he was genuinely involved.
The labouring job adds credibility. Spending a summer on construction sites doing physical work gives Jake a practical perspective that many QS graduates lack. When he sits in a site meeting discussing groundworks or formwork, he knows what those activities look like. This is the kind of detail that resonates with senior QSs who came up the same way.
RICS accreditation and membership are highlighted. Listing his RICS student membership and noting the programme is APC-accredited tells employers he is already on the path to chartership. For construction firms investing in a graduate, knowing they can put you through the APC process matters.
Key Takeaways
If you have a placement year, describe the projects by value and scope. Mention the contract forms you worked with, the measurement rules you applied, and the types of packages you compared. If you have any site experience, even labouring, include it. RICS student membership costs very little and shows intent. Construction firms hiring graduate QSs want someone who can write a valuation, read a drawing, and sit in a meeting without getting lost. Your resume needs to prove you can do all three.
