In this quick-fire episode, Paul advises why you should not accept a counter offer.

In this quick-fire episode, Paul advises on cost management salary levels in London.

In this quick-fire episode, Paul answers the commonly asked question 'Should I move jobs?'

In this episode I am joined by Richard Julian; who heads a small but rapidly growing consultancy; RJA Consultants, based in Leicester. In this episode;

How they have grown significantly in recent years.

The value of choosing recession proof sectors.

The need for businesses to invest in apprentices and the widening skills gap in the industry.

The pros and cons of targeting public sector work.

The reality of the slow take up on BIM by the industry.

The necessity and growth of the Clerk of Works role and how tech has improved the efficiency of the role.

The time benefits of modular build.

The value of the maxim of give a busy man a job

The value to your career of not chasing the money

Why you are never to old to change direction in your career or adapt in your career

A key piece of advice for business owners from Warren Buffett

In this episode, I speak with Will Savage; Partner at Project Focused Consulting LLP; a small QS and PM consultancy based in West Malling. In this episode;

How working on country estates gives a glimpse of what will come into the mainstream residential and commercial sectors in the future

Use of deeds of variation to help the client, consultants and contractors to get through these challenging times and live to all fight another day!

The power of good working relationships for the whole industry.

Why it’s the middle of the commercial office market that will be worst effected going forward

Will’s hopes of Brexit being a positive catalyst for the UK Construction market; both workforce and the supply chain.

We discuss the need to help junior talent in the industry; both for them and the industry as a whole

The need for the industry to embrace green technology

The need for both long term and short term career planning

Why books about human endeavor and endurance feats influences Will’s business mindset

In this episode, I am joined by John Brennan, Director of BTP Group, a 30 strong QS/PM/EA consultancy located in London. In this episode;

Why they only employ QSs even though they provide PM and EA services – as this gives more flexibility.

John’s thoughts on how BTP will work in the future.

John’s view of the natural regeneration of clients and the need to do a great job.

Why John feels the design process is failing.

John’s view on the future of quantity surveying.

Why contractors are not the enemy!

This is the next in my under 10 minutes advice episodes. Having had the benefit of speaking to thousands of professionals over the years and following the careers of many, I can safely say there is a framework most of the ones who have accelerated their career,  have followed. In this episode I detail 8 core principles, that if you follow, you will seriously increase the pace of your career development.

In the episode I am joined by Robert Dale, Senior Partner of Daniel Connal Partnership, a QS led multi-discipline consultancy that has been trading for 75 years and has three offices. In this episode; The value of giving back to the community Managing the dynamic of three different cost centres in a small business Roberts thoughts on AI Roberts view that specialising is bad for your career How a mad Dutch man is influencing everything in Robert's life currently!

This is first of a series I will run of career advice in under 10 minutes to counter some of our longer episodes. In this episode I give some key tips to people relocating from one part of the UK to another (though a lot of this could be applicable to moving internationally too.

In this episode, I am joined by Rennie Dalrymple of Concert; the new name of Bruce Shaw London. In this wide ranging chat, we discuss; Why the change of name and why Concert. How to best deal with the ongoing challenges of Covid. Rennie's thoughts on the future of the office. Why they are pursuing a sensible growth rate and their plans for expanding into Europe. Choosing projects carefully and the danger of taking on very long projects for a small consultancy. The danger of escalating salaries for the industry. Rennie's thoughts on the future of the industry, including MMC and why a focus on Whole Life Cycle costing is critical. Lastly why the industry is still not doing enough to sell itself to those at school and Higher Education age.

In this episode I talk with Parm Bhangal; the owner of three businesses; the primary one being Bhangals Construction Consultancies. In this episode, we discuss; How Parm has maintained a 25% annual growth rate of all of his businesses until 2020 Parm's thoughts on how quickly technology will change the industry and the reality that there is a wide spectrum within construction The inspiration Parm has taken from Tony Robbins

In this short episode, I list six top tips for starting your own business. I must have spoken to hundreds, maybe thousands of individuals who have set up their own business; some have gone on to grow big businesses, other have stayed as one person operations and have effectively become hired guns on a day rate; if you really want to build a grow a business, then take out 12 minutes and listen to my top tips.

In this episode I speak with Duncan Hughes-Phillips, CEO of Base Quantum; an 80 strong consultancy providing cost consultancy, commercial management and dispute resolution services to contractor and client organisations. In this episode;

• Why Base Quantum have continued to hire over the last six months and will continue to do so.
• Duncan's view on how technology will change the dispute market
• Why it is critical that we continue to invest in the young talent in the industry
• Two great responses about the best and worst career advice

More than anything, this episode is a real shot in the arm; Duncan has a great attitude and is incredibly confident about future work opportunities in the market. A must listen.

For full show notes;

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr/mtb/dhp

In this quick-fire episode, Paul answers the question 'Is there a right time to move jobs?'

In this episode, I speak with Alison Woodley, Senior Account Manager of Plowman Craven who have been instrumental in some of the largest London regeneration schemes such as at Kings Cross. In the is episode; We discuss future sectors that are likely to be busy Why there aren't more female leaders What the industry must do to improve diversity and inclusion.

For full details and show notes, visit;

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr/mtb/aw

In the this episode of Meet the Boss, I am joined by Ian Higgs; Managing Director of Buro Four. This was a very candid and honest interview.. In this episode;  

• Ian talks openly about the challenges the business has faced over the last few years, but also how they are now on a clear path moving forward. 
• Their strategy to tackle the next twelve months; principally about level of secured fees and not going after certain sectors and projects that are more likely to be underbid by competitors. 
• What will dictate when and if they open new offices. 
• Ian talks about how hiring in the future will change, certainly for Buro Four; with more of a focus on the right leadership skills which may see them recruiting outside of the traditional talent pool. 

By far my , longest chat yet, but with lots of fascinating points; definitely one not to miss listening to.

For full details of episode, go to;

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr/mtb/ih

In this episode, I chat with Steve Allcoat, five months into his journey as Managing Director of Callidus, a Leeds based multi-discipline consultancy; originally founded as a Health & Safety consultancy, but now much more diverse in it's offering. In this episode you will hear about; How Callidus have actually been operating with a remote team well before Covid and the benefits it has brought How and why Steve was given the MD role in his early 30s and importantly why his previous roles had made him ready to take it on Why Steve believes technology is going to change the industry for the better His career lessons and what he would advise others to do to advance their careers.

For full details, please visit the podcast main page;

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr/mtb/sa

This meet the boss episode is a special one for me; Simon Light was one of the first ten placements that I made when I started my career recruiting in the Construction Consultancy market, and he has arguably gone on to be one of my my most successful hires of all time in terms of his achievements! In this episode you will learn about how Simon's hunger for challenge and adventure so him move from Edinburgh to Leeds to Dubai in the space of 18 months. How he was part of the senior management team that grew EC Harris's Dubai operation from 10 to over 600 people in six years. His lessons of what makes a successful merger / acquisition within consultancy (he has truly been there and got the t-shirt!). His thoughts on the exponential change in technology that is going to effect the construction industry. Why after 18 years, mostly as a Partner, at EC Harris and then Arcadis, did he leave to join GHD. Lastly some of his core career lessons that people should embrace. This is a great episode packed full on insights; a must listen for young professionals to show you what is capable, but also for anyone in a business undergoing rapid growth and change.

In this episode, I speak with Chris Blackburn; MD of Blackburn & Co; a niche PM consultancy exclusively focused in the London Office market; both new build and fit out. The business has been going 11 years and has a current headcount of 20.

This is a great chat where amongst other things, we discuss why Chris feels this is the right size business, the need to look after people's mental health, the need for people to be in the office and the future of construction.

It is a great listen that you will hopefully get a lot from.

This is part 2 of a two part series on how to get the best from a recruiter. This is only a short one, but well worth you listening to if you are a business looking to engage a recruiter to help you grow your business.

In this episode I talk to Simon Marshall; founder and one of three owners of BIM UK Limited; a Leeds based Construction and Digital Consultancy. Things you will get from this episode: How BIM UK are a new age consultancy mixing construction consultancy with developing digital assets and software. How and why BIM UK broke into a market typically reserved for the bigger consultancies and acquired the Cost Assurance role for Yorkshire Water. Their adoption of the Agile methodology and how it helped them grow from 10 to 55 staff in two years. A must listen for those in small consultancies. 

For full show notes including link to Simon's book recommendation, please visit;

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr/mtb/sm

This will be the first of a two-part mini series; this one is dedicated to what actions candidates should take to get the best from a recruiter.

For all links mentioned in the episode, please go to;

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr74

In the latest Meet the Boss series, I speak with Mark Lacey, Equity and Founding Partner at Alinea Consulting.

Alinea are a London based pure Cost Consultancy with a headcount of around 100.

This is a wide ranging discussion, including why Mark and Alinea are so passionate about BIM and the wider impact of technology, why Alinea will be very measured about future growth and why the sustainability and carbon agenda are so important.

As a business, Alinea is synonymous with the London Office sector; currently acting as QS on most of the tall office towers currently under construction in London, so we of course delve into Mark's view of the office sector.

This is a great discussion that I am sure you will all find interesting.

For full show notes, including the link to Mark's book recommendation, go to;

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr/mtb/ml

Over my 20 odd years in recruitment, I have spoken to many individuals in long term seconded roles and the one bit of advice I always give is to be careful not to be Out of Sight out of Mind. I think in the current WFH situation most of us find ourselves in, there is a real danger of being out of sight, out of mind, so in this episode I share my advice I would have traditionally given to long term secondees. Full show notes; https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr73

In this episode, Paul talks about what is going on in the construction consultancy market at this current moment.

In the latest episode of the meet the boss series, I am joined by Yusoff Ghaznavi, the Managing Director of MAC Consulting. I have worked with MAC since their inception. Their business was set up in 2009; a brave time in the middle the Global Financial Crisis, but they have gone from strength to strength. Originally focused entirely in Retail, they have now diversified their business across multiple sectors; both public and private and now with 60 fee earners across UK 6 offices. Whenever I describe them to a candidate, I always describe them as an ambitious business that doesn't take itself too seriously - hopefully this comes across. In this episode Yusoff talks about how they diversified their sector and service offering; something many similar businesses with an similar original sector focus to MAC have failed to do. We also have a fairly detailed chat about how technology will change the industry, but also how we need to embrace this change including learning from the young talent entering the industry who are to an extent native users of such technology. This is a great chat that I hope you get a lot out of.

For full details, visit the episode page;

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr/mtb/yg

It has been a long six months for us all! I had started doing daily market updates on the podcast back in March, but thought there may be value in giving you an update on the market from a recruiter's perspective.

For the links referenced in the episode, please visit:

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr72

In the latest meet the boss series, I am joined by Beth Revell, co owner of the recently established (January 2020!) The Blue Iris Partnership. This is a great chat where amongst other things we discuss why there are a lack of female leaders in the industry, how collaborating with other small consultancies is enabling their business to work in the public sector, which is traditionally dominated by the larger consultancies. Lastly we discuss Beth's views on the future of the industry. I really enjoyed this chat; You can instantly feel Beth's passion to changing the industry for the better and I think this episode will serve as a real inspiration for any women in the industry keen to progress to management.

In this episode I am joined by Wayne Fletcher; the founder of a relatively new consultancy based out of Sheffield. This is a great episode for anyone thinking about setting up their own consultancy business; Wayne gives an honest take on the challenges of setting up a business including lessons learnt but also gives positive encouragement to those thinking of doing so

In this episode I ask you three key questions that should help you answer this question. This is a short episode, under 10 minutes but packs some powerful advice and is well worth your time

In the next episode of the meet the boss series, I am joined by Drew Vince of Pillar Consulting. Pillar are a project management and development management consultancy focused in the Hotel, Residential and Commercial sectors. Trading for just under two years, but really ramping up in the last 8 months when Drew and others joined the existing management team. This is an honest and frank discussion about how Drew sees their business having to navigate the future market and one I think you will get a lot from.

A regular post I am seeing repeated on Linkedin lately goes something like: "I've applied to 150 jobs and had no response"

In this short episode I talk through what I think you are doing wrong.

In this episode we discuss the dilemma many face about taking a step back to take a step forward. I talk through in depth why teh following may be good reasons for considering doing so: 

• You have the wrong badge relative to the market 
• You are underpaid for that level 
• You have hit a glass ceiling where you are 
• You are concerned about the viability of your current employer 
• You are fundamentally unhappy where you are  

For links to other episodes, please do go the episode page on our website:

https://www.pegasussearch.com/pr69

In this episode, I am joined by Jonathan Smith of Alinea Consulting. Jonathan has been a QS for over 40 years, and in our chat he talks about the early days as a QS, through to when he first used a computer, and the ongoing evolution of the quantity surveying discipline. We look to the future and discuss the challenges the discipline has to stay relevant and continue to develop in an ever changing technological landscape. This is a must listen for young QSs, but also for anyone interested in the development of the profession. Here is Jonathan's original post on Linkedin that prompted me to organise our chat; https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6679296191722725376/

In this episode I am joined by HR expert Suzie Bogle, of Breathing Space HR. Suzie has over twenty years of HR experience including working for major corporates. She now runs an outsourced HR consultancy and has clients from as small as 2 people right up to a business of over 400 people. She also works for many businesses in construction, so knows the sector well. This is a wide ranging discussion, however we cover three main points that I think you will all find useful; The Furlough / JRS and how it is changing and the impacts that has The redundancy process The gathering holiday liability and how to best handle it This episode is a must listen both for employers and employees; I am well versed in HR related issues given what I do for a living, but I certainly learnt a lot. Should you wish to engage with Suzie; here are her contact details; https://www.linkedin.com/in/suziebogle/ suzie.bogle@breathingspacehr.co.uk https://breathingspacehr.co.uk/  

In this quick-fire episode, Paul answers the question 'Can I move jobs and get promoted at the same time?' ...

In this episode I am joined by Niall Aitken of Exigere, a pure cost consultancy, just under 50 heads and London based.

80% of their work is in the office sector and Niall gives some unique insights into the sector, that I think you will find both interesting and encouraging.

We also talk about looking after staff and developing young talent.

Lastly we discuss how tech is changing the industry and the importance of embracing and sharing data.

This is a great chat that you will no doubt get a lot from

In this episode I am joined by Ian Brazier; founder and MD of Adeo. 

Adeo are a small but growing consultancy who primarily provide commercial management to tier 1, 2 and 3 contractors.

This is a great chat where, amongst other things,  we discuss the implications of the delayed but still coming changes to IR35 and how adaptation to the changes in technology will still be some way off to the contracting world.

Today I am joined by Matt Summerhill,Managing Partner of the Yorkshire and Humberside region of Rider Levett Bucknall.

Matt has been "Man and Boy" at RLB as they say including working under the late great David Bucknall.

This is a great discussion where Matt gives his views about work going forward and how hopefully we will see more investment in the North.

In the first of the meet the boss series, I chat with Andy Dedman; Partner at Robinson Low Francis. Andy started life as an MEP QS, rising through the ranks at Mott Green Wall; a niche M&E Cost Consultancy that was eventually acquired by Davis Langdon, where he rose to Partner, before they themselves were acquired by Aecom, where Andy remained at for several years before joining Robinson Low Francis. This is a great chat; Andy has a very pragmatic view of things and speaks a lot of sense; I am sure you will find this a great listen.

This is the first of Paul's (under) 3 minutes briefings! In it you will learn five key questions/points you need to ask/use when considering a new employer if you are pre-APC

In today's episode, I am joined by Matthew Easton, Matthew is a coach who helps high achieving construction professionals get what they want in their career and life. I first came by Matthew after putting out a bit of a rant / cry for help as the lockdown began in late March. I have found our coaching sessions invaluable in terms of giving me focus over both the short and long term and I do think Matthew could be of help to you! This episode dives into coaching as well as succession planning and leadership.

In this episode I discuss the importance of holding your standards when job seeking; what I mean by this is to be picky about which recruiters you engage with and which employers you consider joining. I go in to some depth as to why both of these are important.

In this episode I answer the questions I am getting asked most often currently;

• Should I worry if I am on furlough?
• When is the right time to move jobs?
• Should I try to move sector?
• What will flexible working look like going forward?
• Do I have to return to the office?
• What opportunities exist internationally?

Links to other episodes discussed:

How long should I stay in my current role? - https://bit.ly/2TRjBoL

Should you be a specialist or a generalist in terms of sector? - https://bit.ly/36GmPkh

My Linkedin post about days in office: https://bit.ly/2zKRroL

We find ourselves in challenging times at present and I am sure some of you are struggling with your career choices at present. In this episode I was keen to share 7 career principles that work in any market condition. I hope this allows you to make more informed choices about your career.

Today I am joined by Sharon Mault, who lives in France but works in Geneva so was able to give me a unique perspective on how differently France and Switzerland were responding to Covid-19. A fascinating chat.

In this episode, Paul shares his thoughts on what business leaders should be doing right now to ensure their business stays robust.

In this episode, I look at then main factors that may effect salaries both now and over the next 9 months and give my best guess as to how salaries will be effected, plus give you some practical advice on how to navigate the next 9 months.

In this Episode I am joined by Tom Donkin who is based in Los Angeles and is the Co-Owner of a small but growing PM and Cost Consultancy with offices in Los Angeles and New York. This is a great chat and interesting to hear the difference in how both of their offices are fairing currently due to the Coronavirus.

In this episode I am joined by Matthew Mackey. Matthew lives in Brisbane and heads the Cost Management team for Arcadis in Australia. In this episode we concentrate mainly on Brisbane and Queensland, but do touch on other states within Australia. We also talk at length about what Matthew sees the future looking like.