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Considering becoming a Senior Acquisition/Development Surveyor? How to acquire your dream job

Written by: Judith Portman
Published on: 8 Dec 2015
Category:

    Hub - Downing Surveyor

    There will be a time in your working life when you have achieved as much as you can in your current position and you want to progress further, but there are no suitable positions in your firm. So you begin looking around for a new challenge which will better suit your aspirations and allow you to bring something to the table.

    You want to create a ‘win-win’ situation, correct? One where you will acquire the level of achievement you have long strived for, but also one where you can give great value to your new employer, which will leave them in no doubt as to the reasons why they hired you.

    So how do you begin to find a position which will bring all these things together?

    Development Director Paul Houghton of Downing Property Services has a huge amount of experience in looking for the ideal candidate. Downing offers real scope for career development for a dedicated, professional and enthusiastic individual with a strong work ethic who wants to join one of the market leaders. They are currently investing £750 million across the UK in a large expansion period and offer exciting opportunities for growth and development within a multi-disciplinary company with excellent benefits and long-term career prospects.

    Downing is based in the NW of England but has now gone nationwide with recent developments being placed in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Exeter, Coventry and London. They are now looking to invest in the South and South East, so are seeking a senior person to join the already established team.

    Paul told me, “We are looking for someone to establish a brand new South East office and I want them to be in from the start. We own sites in and around London with £500 million of development value and are now looking to significantly expand. The kind of person I am searching for needs to be self-motivated and can demonstrate a track record of establishing new business streams. Full office support will be there nationally but they will be setting up a new local office and it’s therefore essential for them to have great communication abilities as we will be asking them to establish new local contacts and to develop new business streams for the medium-long term.

    I want someone who wants to stay and grow with the business and who is not just after a ‘quick fix.’ We are a family-run, entrepreneurial business with strong family values but we have equity to spend quickly so we need someone with the ability to make fast decisions.

    My ‘must-haves’ would definitely be someone who is always seeking new opportunities and has the ability to push forward and see the business through from beginning to end, so self-motivation is absolutely essential, as is a good, solid professional background in acquisitions and development.

    I am also looking for someone who has a 5-10 year plan for their own growth as well as a passion for helping to grow our company.”

    He goes on to state that “these points are crucial when I need to make a decision regarding a prospective employee.”

    And so if you are currently searching for a role which provides scope for individual creativity and business development alongside the potential for real and marked career progression within a dynamic and fast-moving company you need to ask yourself do you possess the following qualities?

    • Property Related Degree and RICS qualified, or suitable experience
    • Relevant and appropriate level of development / acquisition experience
    • Are you an enthusiastic self-starter and an experienced team player who is driven and confident, with excellent self-management skills?
    • Do you possess strong presentation, negotiation and communication skills?
    • Do you have knowledge and understanding of the planning process?
    • Do you have the ability to deal with consultants and good knowledge of the retail market?
    • Have a strong sense of client service with great attention to detail?
    • Are you a dynamic individual looking for your next challenge within a successful and ambitious company?
    • Do you have a full UK Driving Licence?

    If you can fulfil those criteria then you deserve a chance to have a position within a company which can provide you with the tools to make a success of your career, as well as bringing great value to their table.

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