Ettan Korpal - Young Ambassador

Etten is 23 years old and works as a Commercial Assessor at Callan Connect, a Civil and Fibre Engineering company based in Aston, Birmingham specialising in the telecommunications industry. Since its inception in 2006, Callan Connect Ltd has grown from a team of 8 to well over 100 and been awarded contracts with blue chip clients such as BT Openreach and Virgin Media.

Here he shares the story of his career so far, in his own words.

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What does your job involve?

What does your job involve?

My job as a Commercial Assessor involves dealing with all applications for the different cities we build telecoms in. This includes reconciling costs against sub-contractor applications and commercial measures of our completed works to assess the amount due on applications and certifying this in a timely manner. Additionally, I ensure sub-contractor payment applications are accurate, auditing when required, assist with procurement and validate variation orders, dealing with any queries that the client may have. For this to run smoothly, strong rapport has been built with the client and suppliers as well as the stakeholders within the business.
What do you enjoy most about your role?

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Collaborating and building rapport with clients and sub-contractors as well as fellow colleagues.
The company culture and office environment are friendly, everyone within the business has a good relationship and this helps with the job as it easy to gain support and trust off fellow co- workers.
I enjoy the challenging nature of the job and the responsibility I have within the business and the pressure to perform and work to deadlines.
How did you hear about the role?

How did you hear about the role?

I was contacted by a recruiter after applying for the job through a job site and was called in for an interview within days of applying.
What qualifications do you need?

What qualifications do you need?

I have a degree in Construction Management, though I didn’t think this impacted the decision made during the hiring process as software specific competence was more desirable, for instance – Microsoft expertise, Cemar experience and knowledge of dealing with payment applications.
What training has your company provided?

What training has your company provided?

We are working towards gaining qualifications such as PRINCE2 and RICS to support my career path.
Internal on the job training is provided to make sure you are competent in responsibilities within the business.
What would you say to anyone considering the sector?

What would you say to anyone considering the sector?

It’s a very niche industry, with abundances of variations and responsibility so if you want a challenge and be able to do non-monotonous tasks, it’s the perfect industry to explore.

What does your job involve?

What does your job involve?

My job as a Commercial Assessor involves dealing with all applications for the different cities we build telecoms in. This includes reconciling costs against sub-contractor applications and commercial measures of our completed works to assess the amount due on applications and certifying this in a timely manner. Additionally, I ensure sub-contractor payment applications are accurate, auditing when required, assist with procurement and validate variation orders, dealing with any queries that the client may have. For this to run smoothly, strong rapport has been built with the client and suppliers as well as the stakeholders within the business.
What do you enjoy most about your role?

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Collaborating and building rapport with clients and sub-contractors as well as fellow colleagues.
The company culture and office environment are friendly, everyone within the business has a good relationship and this helps with the job as it easy to gain support and trust off fellow co- workers.
I enjoy the challenging nature of the job and the responsibility I have within the business and the pressure to perform and work to deadlines.
How did you hear about the role?

How did you hear about the role?

I was contacted by a recruiter after applying for the job through a job site and was called in for an interview within days of applying.
What qualifications do you need?

What qualifications do you need?

I have a degree in Construction Management, though I didn’t think this impacted the decision made during the hiring process as software specific competence was more desirable, for instance – Microsoft expertise, Cemar experience and knowledge of dealing with payment applications.
What training has your company provided?

What training has your company provided?

We are working towards gaining qualifications such as PRINCE2 and RICS to support my career path.
Internal on the job training is provided to make sure you are competent in responsibilities within the business.
What would you say to anyone considering the sector?

What would you say to anyone considering the sector?

It’s a very niche industry, with abundances of variations and responsibility so if you want a challenge and be able to do non-monotonous tasks, it’s the perfect industry to explore.