Aaron Higgins
Aaron is a Boden Group Director and heads up Boden Property. Our property team are specialist recruiters for a range of property development and construction roles including project management, site management, land management, surveying and more.
The property recruitment market is flying at the moment, with most development and construction companies in full on growth mode in order to meet the current demand.
But growth means new people, and new people are harder to come by at the moment.
Activity is at a particular high, and there are some clear trends emerging, both around areas of importance for clients, and candidate behaviours. Here are some of the common property recruitment trends our team are noticing, and some of our predictions for the month ahead.
Property delivery experience
Over the past two to three years, projects have been slower to move forward, or put on hold due to Brexit concerns, lockdowns and supply chain issues. Now that the way is clear again, many developers are wanting to crack on and get projects completed. That means there’s a huge call for candidates with a good amount of experience in delivering projects and turning them around quickly. Those who have got 5 years or more delivery experience within property and construction are in the highest demand, and we’re seeing salaries climb.
The impact of e-commerce
The pandemic has accelerated the shift to e-commerce for many organisations in the retail space. This has resulted in an explosion in the need for warehouse and industrial space. As retailers have taken their offering online, many have discovered they can bypass costly rents on high street stores, or increase their capacity and revenue by using warehouse space instead or alongside.
Warehouse and data centre construction is growing at a rapid rate. While it’s not the most glamourous of projects, there’s a large amount of money to be made working in this area.
Personality and culture
Every conversation we have with both clients and candidates now features culture and personality. For clients, winning repeat business is a key part of growth plans. That means charismatic, likeable people are the ones clients want to see in front of them.
For candidates, working in a team of people they get on with and want to be around is crucial. When salaries are rising at the rate we’re seeing, culture fit can often be the clincher.
Headhunting
The property recruitment game has changed. There aren’t active candidates on the market, which means the majority of movement right now is coming from headhunting. Recruitment specialists are having to pull on their sales skills, and powers of persuasion, but they also require more from their clients. Candidates don’t just expect a salary bump to move.
We’re seeing a preference for SMEs, where candidates will have face time with the MD and can see clear lines for progression and promotion. Conversations about benefits are happening much earlier in the process – holiday allowance, maternity and paternity leave, bonus structures and even signing bonuses are at the front of candidates’ minds.
Employee Value Proposition
If you don’t have your EVP sorted yet, it’s something you need to look at asap if you want to compete for talent in the current market. Selling the company is no longer just the job of the talent team. Everyone from the director down needs to be selling everything that’s great about the organisation. Showcase examples of success stories and case studies of employees who have risen through the ranks. Now that people are being asked to return to the office to keep projects running smoothly, the perceived benefits of the role need to be clear and obvious.
Advice for property recruitment in 2022
We’re not expecting to see the market slow down. Tenders are high, and the need for quality and experienced candidates isn’t going away. This means that companies need to hire smarter, and using a specialist recruiter to help set a compelling EVP, headhunt talent and keep growth high on the agenda is one way of keeping ahead of the curve.
The key piece of advice from our property recruitment team is to talk. Be clear about what you need, both from your recruiter and your candidates. Be quick with feedback – candidates are being snapped up in a matter of days. Ask all the awkward questions early in the process – ask them if they’re expecting a counter and what their employer could do to keep them. Ask them about the flexibility they need or expect. Don’t let anything take you by surprise at the end of the process – it’ll help things move much more smoothly.