Hot advice in cold weather at the 2014 Student Career Event

A motivated group of students braved the heavy snowfall to gather at the Ivey School of Business ING Direct Leadership Centre in downtown Toronto, and were rewarded with a panel of professionals eager to share their experiences and best practices for the road to success in the real estate industry. A broad cross-section of industry vets was represented, giving students a sense of the diverse career paths available. The panel shared insightful hints throughout the evening.  Among them, key points included:

• Have a career plan, but keep your eyes open; sometimes a setback is an opportunity in disguise;
• Be well read; know what is going on in the world and be able to speak about it;
• Don’t specialize too soon; as you grow and gain experience, your passion will emerge and drive you to where you need to go;
• Your first role may not be glamorous, but getting a foot in the door at the right firm is of utmost importance;
• 90% of jobs are unadvertised:  it is all about your network and the skill set you can offer.

While all five panelists offered a unique perspective, they all agreed on the importance of gaining applied job experience prior to pursuing further education.  Chandran Fernando, President of Matrix Search Group, emphasized that “the market is saturated with master’s degrees. Get some work experience first.” Derek Goring, VP of Land Development at Infrastructure Ontario, agreed that education should be purposeful, noting that “the CFA, for example, is an incredibly challenging and time-consuming accreditation; the number of people that have it is staggering.  If you are going to pursue it, make sure it is absolutely necessary for your job.” Geoff Matthews, VP of Development at Great Gulf, spoke from his own experience. He pursued his MBA only after gaining three years of work experience, which, in his estimation, “opened up a lot of doors for [him] professionally.”

Another common theme addressed by the panel was the importance of seeking out new challenges. “Put your hand up for everything. You will impress your employer and you will quickly gain exposure to diverse aspects of the job,” advised Kristy Shortall, Senior Planner at MMM Group. Lauren Doughty, Sales Associate at CBRE, shared the sentiment: “Find opportunities to learn something new every day. It will challenge you to always do better.”

The panel concluded with each panelist sharing, in a word or two, the most important attribute a job candidate could possess:  entrepreneurial spirit, good communicator, resourceful, innovator and a contributor.

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