From Candidate to Client: A Decade in Edinburgh Property Management
Fresh out of completing a Masters in Real Estate Management and Development at university, I suddenly realised that job hunting is hard.
Starting the search on my own I quickly found I had more questions than answers and really didn’t know where to look. From which companies are well regarded in Edinburgh to what ones would be a good fit for me? Are all jobs posted on company websites or am I best to look at generic job portals as the best route for getting in front of employers? What salary and benefits packages are ‘normal’ and what should I reasonably expect given my experience (or lack of!) at this stage in my career?
I tried to utilise each route for finding a job as best I could but ultimately I didn’t know if I was even seeing all the jobs available or if I was even getting my CV in front of the right people.
At this stage and by chance I came across the Jobs in Letting website and got in touch with Michelle. After a face-to-face meeting she had a good understanding of what kind of company I was looking to join and where I’d be a good fit. Within a few weeks I had an interview with a fantastic small company in Edinburgh and I started shortly thereafter. The company I joined didn’t advertise jobs on their website or job portals so I really would not have found this opportunity myself and it would have completely changed the trajectory of my career.
Since those early days, Michelle placed me at Northwood Edinburgh as their Business Development Manager when I returned from working in the real estate market in Dubai for four years. Again, this opportunity was not advertised anywhere online and it was the ideal job for me coming back to Edinburgh.
Lewis Mallen
Two years ago I bought over Northwood Edinburgh and I have now used Michelle several times to help build our ever-growing team here in my new role as Director. She has helped find our Sales Manager, two Property Managers and our Business Development Manager; a wide range of job roles all requiring people with different skill sets and experience. Knowing personally how Michelle operates with candidates, plus the fact she understands and really cares how we are set up as a company, lets us be sure that she is truly matching people for the right kind of opportunity.
Having sat at both sides of the desk in interviews, I’d encourage any candidates to really question the interviewer on the following themes/ points and always remember – an interview is a two-way street and it’s as much a test to see if the company is right for you, as you are right for the company!
- Check what your day-to-day would actually look like in terms of schedule, tasks and appointments
- Ask what boundaries are in place around working hours and any anticipated out of hours work
- Run through the company’s organisation structure – who would be your direct line manager, what support staff are in place, who is responsible for things like finance, new business and escalated issues (does any of this fall into your remit?)
- Will you have autonomy in the role to run your own diary/ work load or will this be prescribed by a manager/ team leader?
- Try to get a feel for the experience that the rest of the team have, as this could have a significant impact on your own workload and what you’ll have landing on your desk, for better or worse
- Culturally what is the office like – is it a collaborative team approach or more individuals looking after their own work load? Are people split between different locations or on different working from home patterns?
- What does the company do in terms of work socials and what is staff turnover like (are you replacing someone who is leaving or is this a new role due to expansion?)
All of these will help you build a picture of the type of organisation you’re interviewing with and give you some insight into whether or not it’s the right fit for you, the correct place for you to development professionally and take the next step in your career.
Finally, recruiters can often adopt a scattergun approach when putting candidates forward for roles but this certainly isn’t the case with Jobs in Letting. On a personal level, I really owe Michelle a lot as my career could so easily have been very different if I’d been left to my own devices on the two job hunts I’ve gone through; I’d recommend that anyone serious about their property career in Edinburgh, has a chat with Michelle.
