Graduate Commercial Surveyor Review

My experience so far (1 year in) has been very positive. The Next Generation team, who are responsible for the graduates and apprentices, were very welcoming and accommodating to my needs. The working environment in the office is very sociable and supportive, providing room for personal development, both socially and professionally. The structure of the UK business allows for a lot of collaboration and knowledge sharing across several generations of employees, with graduates and senior level employees, even those in C-suite roles being accessible to each other.

In my first rotation my main responsibilities have been putting together lists of potential properties for clients, data management, Microsoft Office suite, day-to-day communications with clients on the progress of property searches and/or lease negotiations, accompanying clients on site visits, supporting more senior colleagues on projects, helping run and participating in team meetings (weekly updates or business development).

Most of the time I am given the opportunity to contribute to meaningful work and am given credit/praise for my contributions. There are some periods where myself and many other graduates do work that is less rewarding but this is generally excepted as part of the job at such an early stage in my career. It is only difficult when there are slightly prolonged period of not having much work, however often this can just be a reflection of the Real Estate market and its activity.

My compensation package feels fair and reflective of my knowledge and ability to contribute to more important work at this stage, which is fairly limited but of course increasing quickly. Healthcare benefits and holiday provision are generous additions. A season ticket loan for trains is also offered, which is applicable for me as I do not live in London. I do feel that considering the price of train fares, some financial support should be provided for graduates and apprentices who pay over a certain amount per day for travel to and from the office, especially as many are expected to be in the office 5 days a week.

The role is helping increase my knowledge of my field very quickly and is exposing me to some of the best and most knowledgeable people in the industry. It has helped me significantly in developing my social skills and has made me more confident. Initiatives such as reverse mentoring, allowing younger employees to provide mentoring for those in senior roles is a great example of this. Engagement activities such as careers fairs, university talks, which are mandatory for graduates and apprentices, help develop skills which are very important in more senior roles and encourage employees to promote their company.

HR are very willing to help with most things. The buddy system in the first year which pairs us with a 2nd year graduate is very helpful for initial integration and understanding of the business. Line managers have been very good and made sure to accommodate for my needs and make effort to give me meaningful work where possible.

My work life balance is very good. The working hours are reasonable and allow for a reasonable amount of time outside of the workplace. The holiday provision also helps.

Discussed in previous section

In house communities called Networks make a huge difference in promoting DE&I and have had a positive impact on my experience. As someone with the disability, being part of the Ability Network is very important and it definitely makes me feel confident in my companies ability to support those with mobility issues and hidden disabilities. As someone from a minority background CBRE's REACH network is great and celebrates Black culture, as well as Asian culture and many others, which is great to be a part of. With property historically lacking diversity, the importance of changing this through DE&I at the most junior levels and therefore during recruitment is definitely recognised at CBRE. Participating in events such as our Social Mobility Network's Business Insights event, which welcome 100 A-Level students from minority backgrounds to learn about CBRE and their job opportunities is extremely rewarding and reflects their efforts in this space.

Yes

For the reasons already provided

Very well