What stood out to you about the firm you secured your role with CBRE?
Two main things stood up to me in CBRE. Firstly, it is the welcoming culture that fosters a supportive environment where people are happy to help each other out and help individuals grow. From the interview day I felt already part of a company that values people. Secondly, the flexibility of the job and the wide range of opportunities for progression have attracted me to join CBRE from the start. The Graduate scheme is a good opportunity to learn and network in order to start growing within the company.
How did you make your application stand out?
Firstly, I revised my CV in order to highlight how each experience led me to develop skills that would fit the job. I reflected on what skills I learned through my different internships that could be useful and reflected the job requirements.
Following that, I submitted with my CV a motivational letter that highlighted why I was interested to join CBRE and how I could have been a good fit for it.
Additionally, presenting oneself as confident was central when at the video interview stages. I exercised myself on replying on traditional interview questions in order to grow confidence in replying to my eventual interview.
What part of the application process did you find the most challenging?
I believe the final stage, the assessment centre, was the most challenging for me. This is because it required me to be able to think on the spot and act accordingly and maintain focus for a long span of time. Additionally, it was the one that required to be truly oneself and showcase one’s skills and could not be prepared in advance, unlike other steps of the application process. However, it required abilities that had to be previously presented through the precedent steps of the application.
How did Bright Network help you secure this role?
Bright Network was helpful in multiple ways. Firstly, the easy sign up allows to be able to apply to multiple graduate jobs while it showcases an appropriate level of requirement for each application. Additionally, reading the member stories and the different types of career advice supported me with preparing to apply to a job. Moreover, I had the pleasure to take part to one of Bright Networks internships which supported me with training further some of the skills that allowed me to obtain the job.
What are your top tips for tackling tough interview questions?
Firstly, it is central to have a knowledge of the general types of interview questions and how it is most appropriate to reply to them. Many tools to train you to reply to them are available online, and Bright Network has different resources available to support you.
Additionally, it is focal to be prepared by knowing the company, its values, and why would you want to be part of it.
Finally, I believe it is central to understand yourself: what are your strengths but most what are your weaknesses and how to turn them into a strength. In interviews it is especially important to know how the experiences you made can be utilised to showcase your skills.
Did you get any feedback in the past that helped you with your application?
I did not receive specific feedback from the application that got me the job in CBRE, but multiple times I received feedback from applications I did not pass and that prepared me for the ones I eventually succeeded in.
Firstly, in some occasions I got recommended to prepare better: having a better understanding of the company and its ethos can help you better especially in the interview stages.
Additionally, concerning the testing stages, I got recommended to train more. There is different free sources, among which my university provided many.
What top three tips would you give Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps?
- Be curious and eager to improve. This means be interested in how to make yourself a better candidate and respond positively on feedback. Sometimes it is difficult to do so, but it is something that if embraced can improve you.
- If you are deeply interested in a company, maybe reach out to someone in it from LinkedIn and ask them questions about it.
- Remember that once at the interview stage it is not just you being interviewed, but also you interviewing the company. Make sure you agree with the company values and you think it is a good fit for you as well.