Another Industry Veteran Sharing Session

Post 1: Developing good EQ - it's time to work on it!

EQ or Emotional Intelligence can be briefly described one’s self awareness, self management, social awareness and relationship management.

Ms Chen have shared with us that a person with a good EQ is as important as a person who is good with number crunching. She has also mentioned that in today’s real estate scene, one must possess a good EQ to get things done and to advance within the organization. Since one’s EQ is closely linked to one’s personality, Ms Chen shared with us how the Mapletree Asset team had to let off an intern because of her bad personality exhibited during the internship stint despite displaying excellent academic grades.

Last but not least, she added that one has to maintain a positive attitude, be honest and accountable for our actions and not to do things within the organization for personal agenda as such actions will surface over time.

Post 2: Finding the Right Path

I went prepared for the UC&P session with an important question in mind. I wanted to find out what were the motivations behind Ms Chen’s first job application. I was hoping to tap on the words of wisdom of a successful real estate practitioner who has gone through what i am about to go through in less than a year’s time.

During the self-introduction, we were asked to talk about our future job aspirations. To which, i responded in all honesty that i am rather clueless. Then came the reply. Quoting Ms Chen, “Do some soul-searching, find out what you are suited for… and take a long term outlook.”

At that moment, the answer to my question was given, but in the form of another question – ironically directed at myself.

Later on, Ms Chen candidly shared with us her own career path, which in her own words, was rather ‘unplanned’. That, in a quirk manner, felt like a form of encouragement to me.

To my peers, i believe soon-to-be fresh grads like us are mostly anxious when mulling over our future careers – in hope of finding the ‘best’ path. While it is important to have a strategic vision for our career plans, we should also do some honest soul-searching.

What’s right for one person may not be right for another. There are many paths to success; i guess we just need to take some time to find the right one that suits us.

Post 3: The Paradox of Choice

With so many possibilities in our career paths, it really is difficult to pinpoint what is the ‘perfect’ job to pursue when we graduate.

Miss Chen shared with us how she didn’t plan which sector or job she wanted upon her graduation. She travelled for some time before coming back to Singapore, and yet she secured a job faster than most of her peers. (Moral of the story: go travel!)

Of course, perhaps it was slightly easier those days as there were relatively lesser choices compared to our current job environment. From the days of the brick and mortar, the dynamism of the real estate industry has evolved and become more integrated with the capital markets. Hence, there are many opportunities for us to apply our knowledge in the wide spectrum of the real estate process.

Finding out what drives you is a great way to make a good career choice. Although for Miss Chen, who mentioned that her career track was relatively ‘unplanned’, she’s driven because her bosses give her the flexibility to complete her tasks. She also values teamwork as she looks forward to working with her colleagues.

This made me reflect upon many of my group projects done in NUS. I’m sure some of you will identify with me on this, as some of your team members enjoy discussions, and some just prefer to ‘get things done quickly’. Whichever the mindset, I believe teamwork is an essential part of our real estate career in future.

Realistically, I’m sure all of us are concerned about our pay when we graduate. Good paying jobs are out there, but usually at the expense of time and work-life balance. When you start to dread going to work, that might be a good sign that you may value your social life and work-life balance more than the money! :)