Property and construction

Careers in property and construction cover a wide range of specialist occupations, including property development, surveying, town planning, architecture, and engineering.

Typical graduate-level jobs in this sector include:

  • architect
  • building services engineer
  • facilities manager
  • historic buildings inspector or conservation officer
  • surveyor
  • town planner.

Key skills required will vary according to the role, but can include:

  • commercial awareness
  • IT and numeracy skills
  • negotiation skills
  • problem-solving skills
  • excellent time management
  • ability to work well in a team.

For job profiles and detailed information on pursuing a career in property and construction, see the Prospects websites: 

Property and construction profile

Contents

How to get a job

To prepare for a graduate-level career in property and construction, you should research the sector carefully. You should also talk with people who are in the sector already.

Work experience is also essential for gaining employment in this sector. You can get this through insight days, internships and speculative applications.

Make a connection

To connect with people already working in the sector, consider joining Saint Connect, the University of St Andrews’ exclusive, global, online community for networking and career mentoring.

See more ideas for making a connection.

Work experience, insight days, and internships 

Many large graduate employers offer structured internships and work experience in this sector. Examples include (but are not limited to):

You could consider becoming a member of a professional body, such as the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or the Royal Town Planning Unit (RTPI). Advantages include access to relevant events and resources. It will also show future employers your commitment to a career in the sector.

Other work experience options include:

Try to arrange work experience by adopting a speculative approach - see networking and speculative applications for more advice. Use the following resources to help you find employers:

Find internships (Careers Centre)

Attend events

The Careers Centre often puts on events where you can talk to employers visiting St Andrews. Visit the events page for more information.

Further study  

Many roles in property and construction are open to graduates of any degree discipline. However, some require a relevant or ‘accredited’ degree (for example, surveying). You can gain this by studying an RICS-accredited postgraduate conversion course which will provide the skills and knowledge required for further professional qualifications.

For details of the qualifications you may require, you should carefully research the roles you are interested in:

Finding a job

Check out our job listings for vacancies or see the resources below for jobs in the property and construction sector.

Find jobs (Careers Centre)

Jobs in the UK

Specialist recruitment agencies:

Graduate training schemes

A graduate training scheme is a paid, entry-level job that also acts as a training programme. Graduate training schemes in this sector are offered by a variety of large graduate employers, usually those that offer work experience and internships.  

RWinvest offers a graduate scheme.

To find out more about property and construction graduate training schemes, visit:

Jobs outside the UK

Applying for a job

The recruitment process for property and construction graduate training schemes and jobs may vary from company to company, but is likely to consist of one or more of the following:

Check employer websites as many provide details on their own individual recruitment and selection processes. Smaller organisations may be happy to accept a CV and covering letter and will have a less formal approach to the selection process.

If you would like personalised help on any aspect of applying for a job, you can book an appointment with a careers adviser.  

Applying for a job

Additional resources