RECRUITMENT
more confidential way to scout the market, both for agencies looking to recruit and for candidates. “A lot of candidates won’t go to the market but they do register with us,” he says. “They can be very specific about what they do and don’t want. They won’t send out CVs directly as they don’t know who will get to see it.” (Maybe their current boss!) Estate agents sometimes use recruiters
tactically, for a single hard-to-fill post. But according to Anthony Hesse, clients who spend time building a relationship with an agency, ensuring that the recruiter understands the firm’s culture and what it is looking for, will get better results. “The clients that don’t get the best value out of recruitment agencies are those who see us as a last port of call after they’ve already been looking for two months,” he warns. And the candidate can get a better deal too, although Portia Oliver says this doesn’t always come down to salary. “We meet the candidate to gain a full understanding of what they want from their next move and to place them in a company where they will thrive. There is no point making short term placements. In general we find people
Candidates don’t send CVs directly as they don’t know
who’ll see it.” ANTHONY HESSE prOpErTY pErSONNEl
per cent is not uncommon. Andrew Deverell Smith says that some companies are running at well over 120 per cent. That’s a challenge recruiters can help
estate agents meet. DSR generates a survey of salary levels across the sector which can help agents assess what they might need to pay to attract top quality staff. “We crunch a load of numbers,” Andrew Deverell Smith says; “it’s not stick-a-finger-in-the-air stuff.” Good recruitment agents may
recommend their clients change their pay structure or performance management programmes. It’s not much use using an executive search firm to hire the right people if they leave after a couple of years – and that’s often due to the fact that the firm doesn’t offer the right career progression or pay.
a number of degree courses that offer property related qualifications, bringing graduates into the industry. Anthony Hesse says more and more
clients prefer graduates. Even for graduates, though, he says it’s tough getting into the top firms. He believes good candidates can benefit from working with the right recruitment agency, citing a young woman who got four offers from top firms within a week. “She was the right person, with the right energy, and the right attitude, but even so, she would have found it a lot more difficult without us.” Non-graduate trainees are still in
demand, but it’s no longer 18 year old school leavers who are the focus. Anthony Hesse says that while one in three of the people he’s placing have no experience in estate agency, “they’re a bit more mature, perhaps with experience in another customer facing environment.” And well over half of them are graduates. However, initial salary levels are low.
Martin Wood says basic salaries now are back to the levels they were in the early 1990s. “Just £12-13,000 basic; these people are going to want to see quick career progression or they’ll leave the industry,” he says. That suggests staff retention, rather than recruitment, could become the major issue for some firms. Despite the troubles of the housing
A very pleasant working environment and a firm that cares, that’s how to retain staff!
leave their current role for a host of different reasons, not always financial”. One of the major reasons for the use of
recruiters is the fact that most agents, other than the larger firms, don’t have much or indeed any human resources expertise. A survey carried out by Dove & Hawk shows that 50 per cent of the agents they asked spend nothing at all on advice or support for the HR function, while most of the rest use an unqualified administrator to handle their HR needs. The result is poor recruitment and high levels of staff turnover. The level of attrition varies, but it is fairly high across the industry; 30 or 40
24 OCTOBER 2011 PROPERTYdrum
A SOugHT AfTEr cArEEr For a jobseeker, estate agency is an increasingly sought after career, particularly for graduates. Martin Wood says, “It’s a great industry for a graduate to come into, because the earnings potential is there if you put the work in.” It compares well with management trainee schemes in larger corporations, which can’t offer the same earnings potential – and no longer offer a job for life. Graduates are certainly flocking to firms
like Douglas & Gordon. Gilly Westwell says “I think the perception of estate agency as a career has changed.” Besides, there are now
market, recruiters are feeling fairly optimistic. Even though firms are getting used to operating with smaller teams, reflecting lower volumes of business, there’s still a good deal of business. Portia says that decent employers recognise the importance of recruiting top quality individuals, “Some are offering fantastic packages with great long term propositions, many with directorship potential.” And people are looking; a DSR survey
showed 75 per cent of London agency staff were indifferent or dissatisfied with their jobs. If that translates into willingness to move, agents who don’t take active steps to retain their staff might have a big problem.
Add your own opinions online at:
www.propertydrum.com/articles/recruitoct
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