Financial Accountant - Real Estate Investment

Consultant: Joseph Morris 

Role: Financial Accountant 

Client: Real Estate Investment Company

Location: Central London

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What was the situation?

A Real Estate Investment Company that Joseph had done a lot of work with previously came to him for support with finding a replacement for an employee going on maternity leave. The business was also going through a lot of transition and growth. 

After their initial chat, Joseph advised that given the growing nature of the business, it would be more advantageous for them to hire on a permanent basis rather than fixed term. This gave them access to a larger pool of candidates with relevant experience.

Were there any challenges?

The main challenge that Joseph faced was the client needed a candidate that could start within 6-8 weeks. When searching for a qualified accountant this makes it slightly more complex as they normally must work a longer notice period.

What was the methodology?

It was important to establish what type of candidate the client was looking for, and what previous experience they needed. The client wanted the candidate to have some investment or development experience, as well as being a qualified accountant with a background in Real Estate.

Due to Joseph having worked with the client before, he understood their culture and who would be a good fit for them in that respect. With this in mind, he started reaching out to his personal network, as well as proactively approaching candidates with the right experience. He broadened his search to both active and passive candidates in the market, to find more people with the experience the client was looking for.

After the initial screening calls with 12 candidates, Joseph met with 5 that fit the criteria and could start within the designated time frame required by the client. 

What was the outcome?

The candidate ended up offering the job to someone Joseph had been speaking to for the last year, who was not actively looking for a new role, but he was very interested in the opportunity. He matched all the clients' criteria, and he was able to join within the tight time frame. 

The candidate has begun their new role and the client has given positive feedback. They were thrilled to have a candidate who could start quickly, and they were able to do an efficient handover with the previous employee that was heading on maternity leave.

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Email: joseph.morris@deverellsmith.com

Phone: 020 3056 0285