Tag: Christopher Frederick

New Thinking for the New Year – Upgrade Your Approach to Recruitment

New Thinking for the New Year – Upgrade Your Approach to Recruitment

After a brisk 2013, the new year has found employees in the real estate sector emboldened by improving job prospects. Construction, especially, is expected to be the third biggest job creator among U.S. industry sectors, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently predicting annual job growth of 2.6 percent. In the out years, the BLS in December predicted 50.6 million job openings across the economy between 2012 and 2022. Unemployment remains at 7 percent, but improving conditions mean employers and job seekers alike should position themselves for a new hiring landscape in 2014.

On the Move

Job openings nationwide climbed to nearly 4 million in October, reaching levels not seen since the first months of the recession in 2008. The Labor Department also noted that more workers – 2.39 million that month – left their jobs voluntarily than in any period since October of 2008. That indicates a confidence on the part of employees that they can find more fulfilling or lucrative work. Those hunkered down in positions that offered stability during the recession but no longer meet their professional goals should keep a close eye on the career moves of their peers and managers. Opportunities could emerge in the coming months in the form of lateral openings at different companies and vacancies caused by managers taking the jump to more advanced positions.

Network Now

Even in a rising market for property values and skilled personnel, it’s important to make use of resources that have evolved since the last time real estate companies found themselves in tight competition for talent. LinkedIn, for example, grew its membership 38 percent, year over year, in the third quarter of 2013. With 259 million members globally, it’s become critical to maintain a presence on that network. Even if you’re not actively using social media to find leads, potential employers are.

At Christopher Frederick, we’re also taking the hiring process to a new level. We’ve built the fastest-growing digital network of any traditional recruiting firm, while staying true to the level of personal service we’ve provided our clients for decades. Our proprietary network reaches nearly 200,000 leaders in real estate. Unlike automated online services, though, we use this as a tool to reach the most qualified candidates before a personal, one-to-one approach to screening job finalists, all at no upfront cost to our clients. Call us any time if you’d like to learn more about how this approach can enhance your search for the leaders who make your business excel. Whatever your goals for 2014, keep your head up, look for new opportunities, and develop a strategy now to make the most of a recovering job market.

At Christopher Frederick, we’ve spent more than two decades helping some of the biggest names in real estate hire the talent that keeps them growing. Contact Chris Hingle at chingle@chrisfred.com. Or visit our website at www.chrisfred.com where you can find exclusive job listings for real estate executives.

Taking Stock and Giving Thanks – A Holiday Greeting from Chris Hingle

Taking Stock and Giving Thanks – A Holiday Greeting from Chris Hingle

As the holidays arrive and afford us the downtime to contemplate the last year, I’m struck by how much we have to be thankful for in the real estate industry. The economy remains fragile, yet we seem to have reached the end of the worst downturn the majority of us have ever experienced in our careers. We’ve worked long and hard to stay atop the housing market as it has rapidly evolved, and for many it’s finally paying off.

Just look at the numbers: October’s home sales were up 21.6 percent, year over year, despite rising interest rates. For the same month, the unemployment rate in the real estate sector fell below 6 percent. Unemployment in construction remains higher but continues to drop to levels not seen since 2008. All of this is driven by recovering home prices and double-digit increases in housing starts in markets across the country.

In my work as a recruiter, I’ve had the pleasure of working with both the industry’s existing leadership and its rising talent as homebuilders, commercial real estate firms and others restart their hiring. Engaging with these truly driven and knowledgeable professionals this year has left me absolutely confident they will capitalize on today’s growth and lead the industry to a sustainable, lucrative future. To all of you I’ve had the chance to correspond with this year, I wanted to say “thank you” for letting me be a part of your professional development.

Even as excited as I am about the prospects for 2014, the things I’m most grateful for this season are not professional but personal. This year, I’ve been privileged to watch my daughter enter college and to visit my own tight-knit classmates at The Citadel in South Carolina. I’ve had the chance to enjoy time with my family in Houston and New Orleans. I’ve also had the opportunity to deepen relationships with the outstanding professionals I’ve worked with over the years. The downturn drove home the fact that relationships are the most lasting, most important blessings that I’m thankful for each day. With better times on the horizon, that hasn’t changed.

I hope this finds you and your loved ones enjoying this season and looking forward to a prosperous 2014.

Happy Holidays,

Chris Hingle
Principal, Christopher Frederick Search Consultants

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