It’s hard to believe that another year has flown by and February’s Apartment Careers Month is almost upon us.
Now is the perfect time to start putting ideas together and planning ways in which your company or local apartment association can participate. Our industry offers opportunities that few industries can match, such as almost recession-proof, portable and interesting careers, yet few young professionals or new college graduates know of the jobs available in our industry or of the ability to rapidly move ahead in the industry.
The latest industry statistics tell the story. Approximately 35 percent of U.S. households are renter households. That number is up 4 percent from 2004. Over the next decade, the number of renter households is expected to increase anywhere from 360,000 to 470,000 annually. To keep up with this demand, our industry will need to employ even more professionals to staff new apartment communities and fill jobs created by retiring Baby Boomers. Almost every town—no matter how small—has at least one apartment community.
Unlike many other industries, we hire people from a wide variety of professional and education backgrounds, including from the retail, construction and hospitality industries, as well as people experience gained in business, finance and marketing. Bright and ambitious workers are finding their lifetime careers working in our industry.
Boston Association Launches Program
No matter your sector of the apartment industry—management company, local apartment association, supplier partner, apartment community—use Apartment Careers Month as a time to reach out to your local high schools, veterans groups, community colleges or universities and participate in career fairs and career exploration presentations. Consider offering internships and job shadowing experiences for students. Follow the example of Boston’s Residential Housing Association, which will soon launch a program partnering with Bay State College to expose students to industry career opportunities by featuring speakers drawn from the association’s membership.
John Lafferty, Executive Director of the Rental Housing Association of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, has recruited Winn, Dolben, Equity and Corcoran Management companies to participate in the program. He expects others to soon sign on as well. These companies have committed to offering Bay State business students job shadowing and internship opportunities. Lafferty said the industry is looking for motivated, curious self-starters coming out of college, and the program with Bay State is ideal for fostering relationships between the industry and students.
“This is a huge industry yet there is very low awareness among young people entering the job market,” Lafferty says. “There is a need for the apartment industry to heighten the awareness about the available career opportunities.”
Elena Swaim, business professor at Bay State, said the program will match students who are seriously looking at career options in the apartment industry with industry companies and potential employers that can help them on their paths. The program is being conducted through the college’s DECA chapter, which is a business student organization.
“This program will introduce students to a whole new area of management that they may not have thought of when looking at career options,” she said.
Bay State’s students are like many other people who are looking for their perfect job. They simply don’t realize all of the career opportunities available in our industry. For those Bay State students who pursue internships, NAAEI and Boston’s Rental Housing Association will work with them in completing their NALP designation before starting their internship.
Affiliates can easily put similar programs together for their own members. ApartmentCareerHQ.org offers 2012 Apartment Career Months resources. Also, check out the resources available on our website at http://www.naahq.org/education.
Maureen Lambe, CAE, is Executive Vice President of NAAEI. Contact her at maureen@naahq.org.