As a growing percentage of the Danish workforce retires by 2030, it becomes increasingly important to attract skilled employees to the real estate industry.
Danish Property Federation has launched a major recruitment campaign to highlight the educational and career opportunities offered by the industry. As part of the campaign, they have set up an ambassador’s corps with young employees in the real estate industry who take turns talking about their work lives and how they entered the industry on social medias. One of them is Oliver Bo Andersen, property manager trainee at CEJ.
Oliver hopes that more people will make career in real estate, as this is where he got his own career kick-started with a high level of learning and responsibility in a short time. Oliver explains how it all started and about some of the benefits of being property manager.
When did you know that you wanted to be a property manager?
I found out during my gap year, when I was in doubt about what I was going to do after high school. I happened to be talking to a man who was chairman of a private association that had a good working relationship with their property management company. He recommended that if I wanted something in the real estate industry, where I could combine my interests in economics and law, then that would be an obvious way to go. From there, I researched what the job involved and what educational path I should go to become property manager. Both the tasks and the short education as a financial economist in only two years fell into my taste, and this resulted in me choosing to become a property manager.
Your internship as a business broker, how can you use it as a property manager?
It was a bit of a coincidence that I ended up at La Cour & Lykke. Originally, I was supposed to be doing an internship at LEA Ejendomspartner, but when they moved their department from Herlev to Næstved half a month before the internship was due to start, I had to find an alternative internship. It turned out that the ”alternative” path as a business broker made me hooked on the commercial part of the industry and that is the primary reason I ended up as property manager trainee of commercial properties. I got a lot from being an intern in La Cour & Lykke. I gained a lot of knowledge from their brokers and found out what brokers are really doing. As a result, when I manage properties involving a broker, I already have a view of what their work process is like and what approach they have to their rentals.
What is the coolest part of being property manager?
I think the coolest thing about being property manager is that you get the feeling that you are making a difference daily. I can feel that the owners of the properties I manage value my work and it gives me a good feeling when I get recognition for my work.
Good advice for others considering applying for internships in the industry or in CEJ?
I see CEJ as a spacious workplace where there is room for everyone. Ever since I started in CEJ, I have felt welcome and felt that my work is appreciated. Alle colleagues are willing to help and set time aside when I have a problem or a question, I need help getting an answer to. My best advice is therefore to apply, it has helped me to where I am today, and you only find your shelf by trying out some different things.
On Property Careers Facebook page, the young people are sharing large and small from their workday. On propertycareers.dk you get access to a brand new job portal with vacancies across the industry.
CV
Oliver Bo Andersen, 23, is a financial economist from CPH Business.
September 2021 – now: Trainee in CEJ Property Management
May – September 2021: Student assistant in CEJ Property Management
January – March 2021: Trainee at business broker La Cour & Lykke