From SBE to APC: Meet Pavan Kumar M S MRICS

What have you learnt during the APC process so far that you think will benefit you as your career evolves?

The best thing for me in the APC process is the wide exposure to the mandatory and technical competencies at different levels. These competencies helped me to touch upon some of the new subjects which I did not know in much depth before. The knowledge that I have gained in these competencies will help me for sure in my career.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of the APC process during your journey?

I would say that it was the decision to figure out the case study topic. There were many case studies that I could have chosen from my career and I had to evaluate the scope of each case study and the competencies in each case study that I will be exposed to. I selected the case study after careful scrutinisation on these parameters.

I would say that having a good counsellor support from the beginning of the APC journey is essential, I had a challenge in this regard. I had to change my counsellor as he constantly had a busy professional schedule and discussions/ review of my submissions were challenging.

Has the journey towards becoming a member helped you grow/develop in your current role?

The APC journey has exposed me to have expertise on different competencies in the project management vertical. It has evolved me to encounter few ethical challenges as well. Through the CPD’s, it has enabled me to enhance my subject matter knowledge.

It helped me to visualise the whole project life cycle encompassing all aspects of project management and gave me confidence in discussing any project management related topic with the client, internal and external project stakeholders.  

How do you think this status will help your career, your business, or the team that you lead?

I am currently working as a Senior Manager in the Project Management vertical at CBRE, Bangalore. It is still early days for me to practically share my benefits of being an MRICS, as it has just been two months that I achieved the membership.

In the long run, I am confident that this will be my USP in the market. Indian chartered members are very few in the market and I see that the memberships would drastically increase in the next decade or so. By then, companies would benchmark employees with chartered memberships as a pre-requisite for senior management roles. This is currently happening in the UAE market and this is my own experience while I was working in Dubai.

So, I would say that I am an early bird who has grabbed this opportunity and would be market ready for my corporate ladder growth. This should also help me gain substantial monetary benefits.

What advice would you give potential candidates who might be considering the journey towards membership at RICS?

First of all, I would suggest not to give up the journey if you have decided to pursue MRICS. It may take months or years, but keep the boat sailing. It is not a quick process and we should not give up on it easily. Time and again, think of the benefits that you will reap. Trust in yourself and keep the submissions true to yourself.

Have a strong case study and practice your case study presentation well. Know the ins and outs of your submission and ensure ethics is covered in your study umbrella. The interview is all about YOU, so know the best of yourself. There is no specific study material for the interview. In fact, your submission is your study material. Make sure you prepare notes and study for the questions that would arise from your submissions.

Be confident, be bold and be humble at the same time in the interview. All the very best. You are on the verge of achieving something incredible in your professional career.