My name is Saagar Chana and I am a final year Business Management with Marketing student at Pearson College London. Over the summer I obtained a place on Knight Frank’s Summer Placement Scheme, working for 12 weeks across various offices including the headquarters in Baker Street, Southbank and Battersea/Riverside!
The Application Process
I applied for the role through the company website, after coming across an advertisement on LinkedIn, which sparked my curiosity in both Knight Frank and further grew my already existing interest in the real estate industry.
After sitting various assessments/interviews I was offered a place and began my placement in the Southbank office, where I spent two weeks before moving to Battersea/Riverside and working at the headquarters.
What I did on the placement
During the placement I collaborated alongside various divisions of staff supporting the residential lettings teams, such as working on lists of applicants from diverse backgrounds by utilizing software, in particular, Hub to correspond with applicants, closing deals and managing them, whilst establishing robust leads and obtaining client data before using it to populate the CRM system.
I also sent a total of 1018 emails to applicants upselling properties culminating in further offers and deals. This both reinforced and evolved my sales, leadership, software and analytical skills.
Furthermore, I successfully dealt with walk-in applicants, conducted a total of 45 viewings, received 17 offers, and completed 14 deals, developing negotiation, resilience and interpersonal skills as well as the ability to thrive under pressure.
I also attended meetings with senior staff and concisely used Microsoft Office (in particular Excel) to generate reports on applicants, which immensely grew my interpersonal skills and IT skills.
Ultimately, I excelled at all tasks during the internship, this was demonstrated by the immensely positive references I received from senior management including both proprietary and regional partners and applicants.
During the internship, I further took part in many events, including a conversation with the CEO of Knight Frank - William Beardmore Grey, intern social events and networking evenings with senior management and individuals who are currently on the graduate scheme.
I was also privileged enough to connect personally with the Head Of Healthcare, Julian Evans who was kind enough to pass on his knowledge and share his years of experience in the sector with me.
Reflections and advice for others
Upon reflection on my time at Knight Frank, I would say I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of tasks and intensity of the role. From day one I was able to immerse myself in the world of real estate, and every individual whom I came across during my time there was extremely welcoming and more than eager to pass on knowledge.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time at Knight Frank and I have no doubt that the skills and experience I obtained will benefit me going into my career!
In regards to students who are looking for internships, I would recommend LinkedIn, since it has many helpful filters, which can help you to refine your search. Furthermore, Pearson College London's own Talent Development Centre, can be immensely helpful when searching, remember though opportunities may vary depending on the chosen industry of your choice!
By Saagar Chana (Final year Business Management with Marketing student)
