Career Development in Commercial Real Estate
Presented by
Gavin Ryan I Managing Partner
Taylor Ryan
Andrea VandenEnden I Senior Manager
KPMG
Guest Speaker
Lorne Burns I Partner
KPMG
Executive Search and Human Resources
Consulting
Presenters
Gavin Ryan I Partner
Gavin is a Founding Partner with Taylor Ryan Executive Search Partners. Taylor Ryan is a platinum
sponsor of NAIOP and ULI in BC and operates across Canada from the head office in Vancouver,
BC. Taylor Ryan specializes in recruitment and HR management services for companies within the
real estate industry. Typical areas of recruitment include asset management, property and leasing,
construction and development, finance and accounting, sales and marketing.
Andrea VandenEnden I Senior Manager
Andrea is Senior Manager of Sales Enablement with KPMG. Andrea has an extensive background in
human resources, recruiting, and leadership and development at KPMG.
As a Canadian Chartered Accountant, Andrea has been able to leverage her working knowledge of the
accounting industry and firm dynamics to establish a career in HR Project Management at KPMG. She
looks forward to continuing her career with an increasing focus on recruitment, and retention of top
talent.
Lorne Burns I Partner – Leader of KPMG’s National Real Estate Practice
Lorne is an Audit Partner with 30 years of experience with KPMG. He was appointed National Industry
Leader, Real Estate in March 2011. For 11 years he was the Partner-in-Charge of KPMG’s Greater
Toronto Area Audit practice before returning to Vancouver as audit partner for the Greater Vancouver
Area’s Real Estate Practice. Lorne has decades of experience auditing real estate clients across
Canada; resulting in extensive knowledge of national and local real estate trends across Canada.
Introduction
• Career Management Experiences from
Lorne Burns
• Career Planning
• Managing Networks and Relationships
• The Employers Perspective
• Timing
• Interviewing
• Continued Professional Development
Discussion With Lorne Burns
•
Tell us about your career and background perhaps illustrating the number of people that have
worked for you and gone onto to roles with other companies in the real estate industry)
•
What lessons did you learn as you progressed through your own career and what mistakes did
you learn from (or have you commonly seen made by others)
•
When you’re hiring people; or promoting people – what do you look for in people
•
What advice would you offer young professionals in managing the relationship with their current
employer ad also in how best to advance their career?
Career Planning
• Personal plans vary greatly
• Goals vary with time
• 5 years
• 2 years
• 1 year
• What skills can you capitalize
on?
• What do you need to develop –
be honest!
• What are you going to do
about it?
• Seek advice and consider it
Networking
• Vancouver is small
• Be proactive in building your
network
• Volunteer at events
• Be active in your
community
• Don’t talk to people you
know!
• Respect people’s time
• Don’t overlook how it builds
naturally – and don’t rush it
• Leverage your network – when
you need it – and be grateful
Employers Perspective
•
Negatives:
•
Often finding employees to be impatient and too eager to jump roles
•
Thinking too much about themselves, and not enough about their contribution to the
team or business
•
•
Entitlement is the biggest complaint
•
Find employees jump from job to job without consolidating their knowledge
Looking for:
•
Comittment, loyalty and hard work; prove yourself and be a team player
•
Be patient – communicate with your manager, volunteer for extra responsibility vs
just asking for a promotion
Timing
•
When to stay, for how long and when to leave?
•
Important not too be too impatient
•
Consolidate your knowledge in a role to create a strong foundation
•
Have a development plan to ensure you continue to learn
•
Some of the most sucessful senior executives have better tenure in their roles,
resulting in a stronger capability
•
2-4 years is a typical time frame to spend in a role
•
Greater than 5 years in the same role may be detrimental
•
Greater than 10 years in the same company – could be time to see a new
business culture
Interviews
Candidates:
•
Familiarise yourself with the company and interviewers background – history, news,
projects. Illustrate the research youve done during the interview
•
Be fluent in describing your own experience – including key achivements with examples
•
Know the role requirement before the interview so that you can tailor your discussion to
highlight the right strengths
•
The interviewer is looking for a combination of experince and ‘fit’. How you communicate
is as important as the content.
•
Allow your personality to come across and find a connection
•
Dont make assumptions about the interviers prior knowedge of your role – explain your
expreince thoroughly
•
Be honest – if the fit isnt right, you’ll be looking for a new job pretty quickly
Interviews – Do’s and Don’ts
• Do arrive 5-10 minutes early
• Dress up – clean shaven, clean
shoes, suit, ironed shirt
• Do have a firm hand shake;
good eye contact; energetic
posture and smile!
• Do have a sense of humour
and be engaging
• Do get a glass of water – you’ll
be talking a lot
• Enjoy the meeting
• Do write a brief thank you
email and do call your
recruitment consultant if
relevant
• Don’t arrive 20 min early or be
late!
• Don’t wear perfume; too much
make up; too much jewelry or
wear in appropriate attire
• Don’t fidget; be distracted or,
slouch
• Don’t leave your phone on
• Don’t be overly familiar
• Don’t accept coffee or tea –
spilling it is disastrous
• Don’t send long winded email’s
to the interviewer
Professional & Personal Development
• Join/Volunteer with relevant
organizations
• NAIOP
• UDI
• ULI
• BOMA
• Attend events
• Become active on Community
Boards
• Set goals – and activities to get
there
• Evaluate where you – and
where you are need to be
• Find a mentor – and leverage
them respectfully
Summary and Conclusions
•
•
•
•
Know the value of relationships
Take a long term approach to your career
Be proactive
Be patient
Questions?