September is traditionally the month in which the majority of graduates take up full-time employment – often for the first time. And this week we welcomed the majority of our 2015 intake.
These young people, fresh from study, work experience and travel are, I hope, full of energy and ideas. This is very important because these new faces will help to determine how the property industry shapes itself in the coming years and decades.
As I try to remind everybody in my corporate communications, a business such as Knight Frank has two principal and very valuable assets. The brand and all it stands for, which will outlive us all, and the people who work with us at any one time. It is this combination of brand and people, and the engagement they have with our clients and markets, that makes the business function. When engagement is done brilliantly, as is obviously our intention, then we outperform.
It is this outperformance that we must aspire to, and to achieve this it is absolutely crucial that we focus on and engage with the new entrants and graduates in our business.
For these young people, to thrive in our industry is always a two-way process. We have to support, inform, stimulate debate, guide and then, crucially, listen and learn so that we can develop an individual career path that will benefit all involved – the graduate, the firm and, of course, our clients.
The best bit of advice that I can offer, and the biggest dilemma each graduate will have, is not to rush. Each year I notice an increasing urgency in individuals’ desire to make progress and specialise – or do I mean simply earn more money? Of course I understand this ambition, but I am incredibly keen to encourage each person to look around them, to take stock of the organisation they are joining, to review thoroughly the industry they have become part of and to learn where their skills might be initially focused, and over time to be better placed to make a more valuable contribution and to be rewarded accordingly.
The breadth of opportunity in the property industry has never been greater. The wide variety of organisations that require real estate skills, the increasing breadth of the sector, which is no longer just about retail, offices and sheds, and the myriad geographical opportunities all lead me to encourage further reflection at the early stages of one’s career.
It is an opportunity to test one’s skills, push the boundaries, learn, take stock and then decide what might be the best next step.
So, don’t just go straight for the pound notes – go for the experience.
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Alistair Elliott is senior partner, Knight Frank
