LREF 2017: Property companies should act more like management consultancy firms by pushing young staff members to move jobs regularly, delegates at a NextGen roundtable heard.
Speaking at EG’s LREF fringe event for under 35s in the property sector, Wiredscore’s Tom Redmayne said that gaining a wealth of experience and an understanding of different facets of the sector was crucial for young people starting out in the industry.
He added that this sort of holistic approach to training up new staff could prove key as the sector is looking to attract the best fresh talent.
Savannah De Savary, founder and chief executive of start-up Built-ID, agreed that “experience, not money” was a major driver for many young people looking to work in the property sector.
She said: “I am finding a lot of young people actually just want to cover their costs.
“What’s really important to them is being able to enjoy what they do, especially with work becoming 24/7, and being able to socialise in their workplace.”
Picture credit: ©Christina Solomons
On the subject of being heard within your company or the wider sector, the group was split on the best course of action.
Olga Turner, associate director at CBRE, said that taking good ideas to line mangers and more senior members of staff within the firm was the best way to be heard.
She added that putting those ideas to more than one person to get a wider spectrum of input and support gave young people the best chance of being recognised.
De Savary argued that taking an idea externally might be a better course of action.
She said: “I would rather take it to an accelerator like Pi Labs than talk about it too much within a company where there will always be someone in a better position than you to execute a good idea.”
The roundtable discussion covered subjects including the relevance of the RICS, tackling diversity issues within the property sector and the value of a university education for anyone looking to work in real estate.
