Business into Administration
Discussion
Evening all. The company I work for has this week submitted a Notice of Intention to appoint Administrators, and has immediately stopped all trading. Not the best situation to find oneself in, after being headhunted into said near-£1bn turnover business back in March of this year. I made the move following a couple of short (1 year) stints at smaller businesses, and was hoping for a long term stint. My CV now reads 3 positions at 3 companies over the past 2 years, which I know I shouldn't get hooked-up on, but equally I know how it can look on paper.
I'm 10 years' into my career - within the Construction Industry - and have worked my way up from apprentice to Design Manager, with a decent chunk of Project, Contract and Change Management along the way. I've seen first hand over the years how much of the Construction Industry just seems to do things the "wrong" way, a lot of reactiveness rather than having proper proactive strategies, and a seeming archaic/dinosaur approach with regards to embracing technology and digital processes.
So, I guess the reason for my post is to vent a little (PH always provides some good reading on various business/job threads), but also to see if there is any on PH who is also in the Construction Industry, but from a consultancy / business management / business strategy side of things, rather than being on-site delivery via contractors. I'm aware of the business consultancy / strategy side of things in the industry, and I feel that would be a great next step for me in my career - but there doesn't seem to be much information online / active job listings etc.
Is this a difficult area to jump across to from the contracting side of the fence? I believe I could bring "real world" experiences and viewpoints from the contracting side into the consulting side, but I guess a bit of a steer / some advice on how to go about this would be nice. Not sure if I'll get that on PH, but again I know how diverse the forum members are in a professional position.
Any other thoughts / good industries / career moves out there that I could potentially have transferrable skills and worth looking into?
I'm 10 years' into my career - within the Construction Industry - and have worked my way up from apprentice to Design Manager, with a decent chunk of Project, Contract and Change Management along the way. I've seen first hand over the years how much of the Construction Industry just seems to do things the "wrong" way, a lot of reactiveness rather than having proper proactive strategies, and a seeming archaic/dinosaur approach with regards to embracing technology and digital processes.
So, I guess the reason for my post is to vent a little (PH always provides some good reading on various business/job threads), but also to see if there is any on PH who is also in the Construction Industry, but from a consultancy / business management / business strategy side of things, rather than being on-site delivery via contractors. I'm aware of the business consultancy / strategy side of things in the industry, and I feel that would be a great next step for me in my career - but there doesn't seem to be much information online / active job listings etc.
Is this a difficult area to jump across to from the contracting side of the fence? I believe I could bring "real world" experiences and viewpoints from the contracting side into the consulting side, but I guess a bit of a steer / some advice on how to go about this would be nice. Not sure if I'll get that on PH, but again I know how diverse the forum members are in a professional position.
Any other thoughts / good industries / career moves out there that I could potentially have transferrable skills and worth looking into?
Professional Services? - thinking Aecom etc. who do a lot of design, build and construction globally for public and private sector?
Ive worked with them on some MOD / NHS / Health facilities in the UK and overseas and they seem very good.
(and sorry to hear about your situation thats rubbish and a massive downturn from a few months ago!)
Ive worked with them on some MOD / NHS / Health facilities in the UK and overseas and they seem very good.
(and sorry to hear about your situation thats rubbish and a massive downturn from a few months ago!)
I think it's absolutely possible to switch to consultancy or even client side, but don't expect to find a more forward-thinking approach!
I'd employ someone with 10 years' experience for a contractor without worry - you'll have been worked hard there and shown you can deal with pressure.
That's worth highlighting in any recruitment discussion with prospective employers.
Your main problem might be qualifications and salary. Consultancies place a high emphasis on academic/professional qualifications, as they are often required by clients employing the consultancies. Without these, you might find you start at a consultancy or client on a much lower salary than you're currently on.
What kind of sectors have you been working in?
I'd employ someone with 10 years' experience for a contractor without worry - you'll have been worked hard there and shown you can deal with pressure.
That's worth highlighting in any recruitment discussion with prospective employers.
Your main problem might be qualifications and salary. Consultancies place a high emphasis on academic/professional qualifications, as they are often required by clients employing the consultancies. Without these, you might find you start at a consultancy or client on a much lower salary than you're currently on.
What kind of sectors have you been working in?
Paul Lazzaro said:
I think it's absolutely possible to switch to consultancy or even client side, but don't expect to find a more forward-thinking approach!
I'd employ someone with 10 years' experience for a contractor without worry - you'll have been worked hard there and shown you can deal with pressure.
That's worth highlighting in any recruitment discussion with prospective employers.
Your main problem might be qualifications and salary. Consultancies place a high emphasis on academic/professional qualifications, as they are often required by clients employing the consultancies. Without these, you might find you start at a consultancy or client on a much lower salary than you're currently on.
What kind of sectors have you been working in?
Thanks Paul, that's some great information.I'd employ someone with 10 years' experience for a contractor without worry - you'll have been worked hard there and shown you can deal with pressure.
That's worth highlighting in any recruitment discussion with prospective employers.
Your main problem might be qualifications and salary. Consultancies place a high emphasis on academic/professional qualifications, as they are often required by clients employing the consultancies. Without these, you might find you start at a consultancy or client on a much lower salary than you're currently on.
What kind of sectors have you been working in?
I've seen a lot of the Consultant positions do stipulate degree qualifications as a minimum, some even asking for Masters. As you say, I'd think I'd end up having to take on an Assistant level role potentially, and after my many years in Contracting my current salary is at the higher end of what you'd expect for a Design/Project Manager position.
Sector wise; I did my apprenticeship in Rail (London Underground station upgrades, Blackfriars Bridge, Crossrail), I then moved into high-end Fit Out (residential and commercial) with a specialist subcontractor working on projects for the likes of Mace, Multiplex, Berkeley Homes, Qatari Diar, Sir Robert McAlpine etc. For the last 2-3 years, I've been in the Industrial sector within Main Contracting - initially on supermarkets, more recently on warehouse/distribution units for the likes of Amazon, Tesco, DHL etc.
General Price said:
Were you building the new stand at Anfield?
Not personally, but the company was, yes.You should certainly be able to transition across to consultancy. Do you want to do D&E/project & programme management or transition into sector focused strategic advisory services?
Your initial post suggests an interest in all three but, with 10 years experience, you'd probably help yourself by deciding where you want to slot into a new organisation.
The 'big seven' (Aecom, Arcadis, Arup, Atkins, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald and WSP) offer all of these to varying degrees and I would start your search with them.
Your initial post suggests an interest in all three but, with 10 years experience, you'd probably help yourself by deciding where you want to slot into a new organisation.
The 'big seven' (Aecom, Arcadis, Arup, Atkins, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald and WSP) offer all of these to varying degrees and I would start your search with them.
ClaphamGT3 said:
You should certainly be able to transition across to consultancy. Do you want to do D&E/project & programme management or transition into sector focused strategic advisory services?
Your initial post suggests an interest in all three but, with 10 years experience, you'd probably help yourself by deciding where you want to slot into a new organisation.
The 'big seven' (Aecom, Arcadis, Arup, Atkins, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald and WSP) offer all of these to varying degrees and I would start your search with them.
Thanks Clapham - I’d love to focus on some more specialised strategic stuff. I’ve been trying to get back in at Jacobs for a while (I did my apprenticeship with them), as my old line manager is now an Information Management Advisory Lead within their Strategic Consulting division and he’s been giving me some advice - but without a degree / “proper” consultancy experience, he’s having a hard time getting me approved via the hiring team to even get an interview!Your initial post suggests an interest in all three but, with 10 years experience, you'd probably help yourself by deciding where you want to slot into a new organisation.
The 'big seven' (Aecom, Arcadis, Arup, Atkins, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald and WSP) offer all of these to varying degrees and I would start your search with them.
I’ve been trying this weekend to update my CV and make it more aligned with client facing / business strategy applications, but I just seem to end up with a load of old waffle and I’m unsure if I’m making my CV better or worse!
Jacobs is splitting into two companies in 2024.
Also their "get CV past AI HR" is a nightmare. (I'm trying to get a job I've told is mine in one of their divisions). I've heard people that worked there physically gave e/paper CVs to hiring managers but the applicant still had to use the E-Portal and if they didn't pass that gate no interview was given - even with a "recommend your mate for a grand" hiring scheme!
I've been told the way around this at the mo is to stalk the company recruiter Linked In feeds and DM via Linked In (not agents pretending to be obo the company).
Also their "get CV past AI HR" is a nightmare. (I'm trying to get a job I've told is mine in one of their divisions). I've heard people that worked there physically gave e/paper CVs to hiring managers but the applicant still had to use the E-Portal and if they didn't pass that gate no interview was given - even with a "recommend your mate for a grand" hiring scheme!
I've been told the way around this at the mo is to stalk the company recruiter Linked In feeds and DM via Linked In (not agents pretending to be obo the company).
christhreadgill said:
Thanks Clapham - I’d love to focus on some more specialised strategic stuff. I’ve been trying to get back in at Jacobs for a while (I did my apprenticeship with them), as my old line manager is now an Information Management Advisory Lead within their Strategic Consulting division and he’s been giving me some advice - but without a degree / “proper” consultancy experience, he’s having a hard time getting me approved via the hiring team to even get an interview!
I’ve been trying this weekend to update my CV and make it more aligned with client facing / business strategy applications, but I just seem to end up with a load of old waffle and I’m unsure if I’m making my CV better or worse!
HiI’ve been trying this weekend to update my CV and make it more aligned with client facing / business strategy applications, but I just seem to end up with a load of old waffle and I’m unsure if I’m making my CV better or worse!
Your profile doesn't permit emails but, if you drop me a mail I'd be happy to chat off line. I'm a member of the global SLG for one of those businesses and, a number of years ago, set up their Business Transformation and Advisory group.
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