Recent news headlines tell the story—job cuts, layoffs and increasing unemployment.
The one bright spot may be the apartment industry, which stands in contrast to the rest of the nation because of the wealth of career opportunities it offers to college graduates.
The National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI) is partnering with two student housing management companies in a pilot program to market apartment industry careers to more than 60,000 residents of student housing. The program is being conducted as part of February’s Apartment Careers Month and will use posters, websites and other electronic media to raise awareness among college students about the wealth of career opportunities in the apartment industry. Students will be encouraged to visit ApartmentCareerHQ.org to learn more about the industry and to contact NAAEI for information on job shadowing opportunities.
Many people, especially new college graduates, don’t realize the variety of careers offered by the apartment industry. Multifamily housing companies employ more than 1 million people. Reaching out to recent college graduates is not new to the industry. In fact, the efforts highlighted below are but two examples of the ways in which the apartment industry is reaching out to new sources of potential job candidates.
Asset Plus Companies
Asset Plus Companies, a student housing organization, has created a talent pool by recruiting college students to first serve as resident advisors before moving up to positions as resident directors and beyond.
The effort was launched several years ago at the company’s College Station, Texas, properties and has expanded from there.
In fact, the company recently moved its first group of 13 people into positions at the corporate office.
These people started with the company more than five years ago as undergraduate students before moving into full-time positions and then working their way up into management roles.
Ryan McGrath, CCIM, CPM, Chief Operating Officer of Asset Plus Companies, said this effort gives employees the chance to learn about the student housing business from the inside out. He said a key selling point for potential employees is that the company will train them how to not only run an apartment community, but more importantly, in how to run a business.
Apartment community managers essentially act as chief executive officers of a business, McGrath said. They oversee a $40 million asset, manage approximately 20 people and must respond to any issues and challenges that arise. That is invaluable experience for people who are still in their 20s and are just starting their careers.
“We look for people with a good work ethic, with personal integrity and with the ability to learn because we can teach them the rest,” he said. “The key is that we want the people we hire to have a certain level of maturity because they will be running a business.”
Having managers who started with the company while still in college and worked their way into leadership positions within the company makes a huge impact not only on customers but also on other employees, McGrath said. It also encourages employees to refer others who share their same work ethic.
“The best way to find talented individuals for this industry is to find a source of untapped talent and train them in the way that you want and use those people to pass the baton on to other employees who follow behind them,” he said.
Campus Apartments
Heather Sizemore, CAPS, National Director of Residence Life at Campus Apartments, started her career in the industry as a resident advisor while an undergraduate at the University of Central Florida. As a Master of Business Administration student, she worked in the university’s campus housing office until being approached by an Orlando-area student housing management company for a full-time position. That was in 2002. She has been in the industry ever since.
“People don’t grow up wanting to be in property management one day because they simply don’t know about all it offers,” she said. “They don’t realize our industry can accommodate so many backgrounds and provide stable, long-term careers for many people.”
Sizemore said she sees people in the industry who come from a variety of backgrounds, including mass communication, information technology, accounting, systems administration and business. Large housing management companies, in particular, are likely to have opportunities for people with all types of backgrounds because these companies often have their own in-house divisions to handle functions such as human resources, accounting, marketing and public relations, computer support and even employee training.
“The apartment industry offers a lot of room for people to decide where they want to take their career in our industry,” she said. “The opportunity for career growth is wide open compared with the opportunities offered in other industries for people fresh out of college and with little or no experience.”
That’s important to know, she said, particularly for new college graduates who probably haven’t been exposed to the career opportunities available in the multifamily housing industry.
“In the multifamily/student housing industry, every day is different, and just when you think you have seen it all something new pops up,” she said. “You will always have new experiences that keep you from getting bored at work.”
NAAEI is encouraging all of its affiliated associations and member companies to participate in Apartment Careers Month in February.
Check out the apartment industry career resources available at http://www.apartmentcareerhq.org. If you are interested in hosting a college student during Job Shadow Day or offering an internship, go to www.naahq.org/education.
Maureen Lambe, CAE, is Executive Vice President of NAA’s Education Institute and can be reached at Maureen@naahq.org.