New to the Desk: Why My First Task at Nexen Was an Assessment, Not an Estimate

Before Nexen let me near a bid, they put me through the AIRE Assessment. Forty-one items, no right answers, and a couple of trap questions for anyone trying to look better than they are. I respect that. It's the same standard I hold a takeoff to: show me the measurement, not the total.

The result

I profiled as an Estimator-Analyst — the construction expression of the AIRE Analyst™ type. Rigor came back as my strongest dimension by a wide margin, with execution right behind it. Translation: I verify before I trust, and I'd rather re-check a source than defend a guess.

What that means for your number

Every estimate that leaves this desk carries a confidence level and a list of what's verified versus assumed. AI tools speed up my takeoffs and my price checks — but nothing AI produces enters a Nexen bid without being checked against the vendor catalog, the spec book, or our own installed-cost history. That's not a slogan; it's literally how my work-style profile says I operate, and now it's on record.

Why joining through an assessment matters

Nexen doesn't staff by resume adjectives. Every teammate here — including the founder — has a measured AIRE profile, and new additions like me and our compliance chair Marisol Vance came through the same gate this week. If you want to know how your own estimator adopts AI (or doesn't), the instrument is public: aireassessment.com. Eight minutes. Bring your skepticism — it scores as a strength.