While the commercial real estate industry is expected to see greater stability following a long period of economic uncertainty, the CRE job market may be headed for a shake-up. 

CRE is gearing up for the impact of generative artificial intelligence, which can assist with sectors such as acquisitions and asset management. Many companies are also getting ready for the next generation of leaders, and discussing how to bring in and retain top talent — many of whom prioritize flexible work schedules, professional development opportunities and competitive salaries.

CRE recruiting firm SelectLeaders has been staying on top of industry trends while working with employers to find and connect with top talent through executive recruitment. In 2024, SelectLeaders launched its revamped website to expand its services for both employers and candidates. 

Its talent platform enables employers to review resumes, manage postings and applications and communicate with candidates, while allowing candidates to apply for job openings and view their application status. 

In 2024, SelectLeaders facilitated the hiring of a president of a pension fund that gives back to its region’s local community and onboarding a female property management president in a male-dominated executive board. 60% of hires initiated by SelectLeaders identified as women and people of color. The firm achieves a 98% successful placement rate for its clients.

The key to making these decisions is to cultivate relationships with clients that go beyond a single hire, along with talent strategy, said SelectLeaders Managing Director Ryan Neale.

“We emphasize to clients that we are a strategic partner to them,” he said. “Companies in growth mode will need top talent to acquire buildings, facilitate operations or push forward with new development and construction. They will need a long-term partner, not just for a one-time hire.”

SelectLeaders Associate Director of Recruiting Katie Hart said that companies should cast a wide net while hiring and looking at candidates with experiences and skills that provide value to the company, regardless of age, race and gender.

Neale said that if employers are primarily getting referrals from internal employees who, for example, are all connected through the same colleges, then they may end up closing themselves off to employees with diverse backgrounds or skill sets and inhibiting their growth.

“If you find candidates with different backgrounds and experiences, your organization will ultimately get better,” Hart said. 

SelectLeaders also helps employers meet clients’ salary expectations by using real-world data on a job’s base salary for a region, Neale said. This process is especially important for companies that don’t hire candidates on a regular basis and may not be up to date on salaries.

“Companies may want to post a job or initiate a search at a certain salary, but we tell them that if they want to be committed to hiring top talent in a particular market, employees need to be compensated fairly,” he said. “This is validated through multiple postings that we see in a particular region within the last 90 days relative to the position.”

Employers can showcase their company culture during hiring by making employees feel welcomed and being timely in their responses, Hart said. If companies set the right tone from the start, it can impact whether candidates take the job and, if so, how long they choose to stay.

“If a company is organized and efficient right out of the gate, that’s going to show the candidate that they have those qualities with everything they do, and that it is a great place to work,” Hart said. “Alternatively, if there are setbacks and delays, the candidate may wonder if those will happen when they come to work there.”

In addition to advising clients by using information backed by up-to-date hiring data, SelectLeaders recruiters can speak from their own experience at the firm — a primarily women-led company with a strong culture.

“From a culture, leadership and technical standpoint, not every person is right for every role, and we want to vet that in advance as much as we can from the front end,” Neale said. “Our unique point of view with what has worked for us at SelectLeaders and Bisnow means that we can help organizations figure out what aspects are valuable to their workplace.”