We took some time to chat with Finleigh, one of our recent successful APC candidates, to celebrate and to reflect on her journey to becoming a RICS Chartered Quantity Surveyor. Here’s what she had to say…
I completed my BSc. QS and BSc. (Hons) Degree in South Africa and subsequently worked there for 2.5 years before moving to London. Having spent an additional 2.5 years in London, I gained vast experience and knowledge enabling me to be well prepared for my APC.
What was the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge I faced was trying to replace South African construction terminology and their way of doing things in the industry. I identified my weakest competencies and asked my line manager to quiz me weekly on these. These competencies eventually became my strongest.
What support did you receive during the preparation of your APC?
I received an incredible amount of support from my colleagues, from reviewing my document, Q&As and even offering to pick up some of my workload to give me more time to study.
I am very lucky to have had so many people offering their time and help!
What advice would you give to others starting out or in the process of undertaking their APC?
Q&A, Q&A, Q&A!
Make sure you do internal and external Q&A’s – people from your company might ask similar questions, giving you a false sense of security.
Make sure you can confidently talk about your experience in your document. Conviction is key. To quote a wise colleague, “if you don’t fully believe what you are saying, then why would the assessors or future Clients believe you?”
What did you do to celebrate?
Still to come! A lot of golf and hockey planned as it was too time consuming to play leading up to my APC.
