Behind the ad

Classic Formai, a specialist sub-contractor based in London, requires a site manager to be responsible for supervising stone and ceramic tiling projects up to a value of £400,000. The role involves site supervision, client liaison, keeping to financial and time schedules, problem solving and checking work is carried out to a high standard. Paying up to £30,000, benefits include a stakeholder pension, car allowance or van and healthcare package

Joyce Laughlin, HR Manager at Classic Formai, is exact when describing her ideal candidate. "We don't want someone who has only worked on large construction sites where quantity not quality has been the driving force behind their work," she says. Ideally, candidates will have a minimum five years managerial experience on small prestigious projects up to £750,000.

Claire Reed, consultant for this vacancy at Hays Montrose Maidstone, says she would prefer applicants who have experience working for specialist sub-contractors and if possible, with stone or ceramic tiling experience. "Someone who has only worked for major contractors would not be suitable for this role due to its specialist nature," she adds.

"The successful candidate will be responsible for keeping schedules and checking work, meaning we need someone who attends to detail and takes pride in their work. The position requires strong IT skills and as the role deals directly with clients we need someone with strong communication skills," Reed says.

Laughlin is clear that applicants do not need to be degree qualified. "People with practical experience are more important for us than someone with a strong technical background," she says. "Candidates with a trade background who have progressed to managerial level would be ideal because of their understanding of the whole process. Such candidates gain technical knowledge and management skills through experience."

Long-term learning
If you are a graduate and would like to work towards a role such as this, Laughlin recommends joining a specialist company. She notes people seem more interested in joining main contractors than getting into specialist areas, but warns the skills learnt on major projects provide a narrow band of experience on a smaller section of the project, rather than the broad-based experience of the whole process that working on smaller projects entails.

Laughlin is also concerned that candidates often move from company to company, which limits their experience in carrying jobs through from tender to final handover. She argues long-term experience not only demonstrates stability, but is also beneficial to a company.

Laughlin believes that in most cases a 30-year-old site manager cannot produce what a 30-year-old candidate could five years ago. "Managers used to come from trade backgrounds but now the number of degree-led applicants means they have less experience at 30," she says. Laughlin recommends the CITB site management course and CIOB membership as a way of balancing theory and practice.