Recruiting is a challenge for many real estate development companies in the United States. As a result, a growing number are partnering with private employment agencies to satisfy their human resource needs. This study considers how to maximize the benefits of such partnerships.
The study draws on the thematic analysis of data derived from semi-structured interviews with a selective sample of recruiting professionals serving the U.S. real estate development industry.
Results suggest partnerships between private employment agencies and real estate development companies are most effective when they are grounded in long-term relationships, involve ongoing collaboration and employ agreed upon screening procedures to identify and evaluate job candidates with the right combination of technical skills, soft skills and organizational fit. Further, these partnerships tend to yield the best outcomes when the parties involved jointly build excitement around available employment opportunities, leverage professional networks to expand the pool of qualified job candidates and act decisively when strong candidates are found.
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to examine how private employment agencies serving the real estate development industry approach their work, and how real estate development companies can best leverage the expertise these agencies possess.
