Graduate profiles

Nick Short, 29

"My line manager is one of the youngest partners in the firm: You can kind of see there is a light at the end of the tunnel - work hard now and that's where you can get to."

Current department:

National Office Agency

Joined C&W:

September 2006

Degree:

Business Studies at Leeds University. Then a Property Conversion Course at Southbank University, London.

Hi Nick, didn't we speak a year ago? How's it going?

We did! I was finishing my first year then, now I've got my APC in October. My role has totally changed. Back then I was in Auctions, and now I'm in National Office Agency, so the product is totally different. Auctions were very high churn on a lot of different properties. This is much longer term, on much larger projects, with some of the firm's biggest clients, which eventually produce higher income.

So you've had two very different roles at C&W?

Definitely. I think people have a basic understanding of what commercial property is, but these two different sectors have shown me how different the roles can be in C&W. It then gives you a better understanding of where you might see yourself further down the line.

And can you say how far those ambitions go?

Well, my line manager is one of the youngest partners in the firm. He's just turned 30, and was a partner at the age of 29. I literally sit next to him, and he's my immediate counselor in the APC as well, so I've got that role model. You can kind of see there is a light at the end of the tunnel - work hard now and that's where you can get to.

Has the training stepped up in your second year?

The training has just been there from day one really. In the second year it does ramp up a little bit, and you have some more important meetings to get you signed off for the APC. There are always a lot of contemporaries you can turn to, and you have the support of a counselor, and a supervisor on a day to day basis. Now I'm actually acting as a mentor for new people joining the firm, which is a bit surreal after two years!

What do you think grads need to succeed here?

Being a people person is very important. I didn't see myself as a number cruncher before I joined, or I'd have probably looked at banking. Also, I enjoy it and make the most of the opportunities, because a lot of people would like to be in the position that I am.

So what are you doing after you qualify?

Luckily for me, both teams I'd worked in seemed open to the idea of me working with them, and I'm going to stay in the National Office Agency team. I've also just got married, and have a baby due this year, so it's really busy! To people who say you can't juggle it all, I say there's no reason why you can't if you manage your time. This situation has definitely made me value the things Cushmans does for our work-life balance.