BLOGS

Let’s face it, writing your CV isn’t the most enthralling use of time, however, the temptation to use AI can reduce your success rate.

I recently interviewed a Project Director. After 7 months of searching, countless interview and CV submissions, she finally found the role she’d been working towards.

As we look ahead to 2026, the UK built environment presents a familiar but evolving picture: opportunity remains strong in key sectors, but success will increasingly favour those organisations that are strategic, people-focused, and resilient. The theme I keep coming back to in conversations with clients and candidates alike is cautious optimism. Growth is there — but it is not evenly distributed, and it is not guaranteed.

December is always a good time to reflect, and one thing that’s come up again and again this year is job titles. They sound simple enough, but from an HR and recruitment perspective, they’re surprisingly powerful – and occasionally problematic. From an HR standpoint, job titles serve several purposes. They help define seniority, accountability, pay benchmarking, and progression. They also play a huge role in how people perceive themselves – and how they’re perceived by the market. Studies consistently show that job titles influence everything from candidate attraction to employee motivation, even when the role itself hasn’t changed.

December has a funny way of making people pause. The pace slows (slightly), inboxes quieten, and suddenly there’s a bit of headspace to reflect. And one question I hear a lot at this time of year is: “Have I stayed too long?”

Despite working in a sector that is screaming out for experienced professionals, ageism is still surprisingly rife. Skills shortages continue to dominate construction, property, project management, and consultancy — yet many seasoned experts find themselves facing subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, barriers when applying for new roles.