The month of August is typically seen as a quiet month in terms of hiring for the real estate sector. For as long as I have been headhunting (12 years), I have simply packed my bags and went away for the whole month. That ritual changed in the summer of 2012 when I became overloaded with recruitment projects, all of which were urgent and required people starting in September. It was quite simply a nightmare as any time I called someone they were in the south of France or Tuscany etc., where it was impossible to meet and discuss the role in person.
Last year saw the real estate market in Poland return to full-on hiring mode and this carried on throughout the summer. As I write this on June 26, 2013, I can honestly say that there will be even more hiring activity during the summer of 2013 than in previous summers. There are a large number of funds, developers, and agencies currently in the process of bolstering their teams for Q4. Among the agencies, JLL have been rebuilding their property management team following the departure of a large number of people to CBRE. DTZ are also rebuilding following departures to BNP Paribas. BNP Paribas currently have around 25 people and have just leased office space of 800 sqm, the intention and space to grow is clearly there in abundance.
With so many new office projects due to start in Q4 2013 / Q1 2014 there is a large requirement now for development and leasing skills.
In the retail sector, although there is not much new development, there is still a lot of activity. Funds who bought retail over the last 18 months are now embarking on mass refurbishment and repositioning projects.
So the moral of the story is, Ladies and Gentlemen, if you are currently looking for a new opportunity, then the summer is the wrong time to go on holiday!
