It can be stressful to get ready for an interview, especially if it’s for a job at CBRE, a global leader in real estate services. This article goes over the most common CBRE interview questions you might be asked. It gives you information about the types of questions that are asked and how to answer them. This guide is meant to boost your confidence and readiness, no matter how long you’ve been working in the field or how new you are to it.
Interviewing at CBRE can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience. As the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, CBRE receives thousands of applications every year for coveted roles across its business lines. With so much competition, it’s crucial that candidates come prepared with thoughtful responses to commonly asked interview questions.
This article provides an overview of CBRE’s interview process and culture, example questions across different roles and tips to help you craft winning answers. Read on to learn strategies for showcasing your qualifications during the CBRE interview.
About CBRE and Its Interview Process
Founded in 1906, CBRE now employs over 100000 people and generates $27.7 billion in annual revenue. The company provides a wide range of services related to commercial real estate including property management, facilities management, project management, investment management, appraisal, and mortgage origination.
CBRE prioritizes hiring employees who demonstrate strong technical competence, business acumen, client services skills, ethics, and leadership potential. The interview process is thorough and typically involves multiple rounds, including:
- An initial phone screen with a recruiter
- One or more video interviews focused on skills, experience, and culture fit
- For senior roles, a case study or presentation
- Panel interviews with managers and peers
- Reference checks and background verification
Throughout the process, CBRE looks for candidates who are passionate about the company’s mission, collaborative team players, proactive problem solvers, and strong communicators. Preparing thoughtful, detailed responses with real-world examples is key.
Common CBRE Interview Questions and How to Answer
Here are some of the most frequently asked interview questions at CBRE for various roles, along with advice on how to craft a strong response:
For All Roles
Why do you want to work for CBRE?
- Focus on your interest in commercial real estate and how CBRE’s industry leadership aligns with your career goals. Mention any aspects of the culture that appeal to you, like collaboration or camaraderie.
What do you know about CBRE and our different business lines?
- Demonstrate your research on CBRE’s services, clients, values, and recent achievements. Highlight projects or initiatives that excite you.
Tell me about a time you provided excellent client service. Why was this effective?
- Share a specific example that conveys patience, empathy, responsiveness, and strong communication skills. Emphasize outcomes over process.
How would your manager and colleagues describe your working style?
- Aim for positive qualities like self-motivated, team player, creative problem solver, dedicated, and cool under pressure. Back it up with examples.
For Financial Roles
Walk me through the three key financial statements. How are they interconnected?
- Concisely explain the purpose of the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows. Highlight how they provide different snapshots of a company’s financial health.
What financial metrics would you examine to evaluate a company’s performance?
- Discuss relevant metrics like revenue growth, profit margins, return on assets, current ratio, debt-to-equity ratio, and any others that provide insight into profitability, efficiency, and leverage.
How would you go about valuing a commercial real estate property?
- Walk through methodologies like discounted cash flow analysis, direct capitalization, and sales comparison. Discuss the pros and cons of each approach.
If we were concerned about ties to risky counterparties, how would you identify and evaluate that risk?
- Talk through auditing transaction documentation and researching counterparties for red flags. Explain ongoing monitoring processes to catch issues early. Focus on risk mitigation.
For Sales Roles
Tell me about a time you closed a difficult sale. How did you convince the client?
- Share a story highlighting persistence, creativity, and expertise. Convey the preparation behind your solution. Emphasize the value you created for the client.
If a client was unsure about using our services, how would you persuade them?
- Express empathy for their concerns. Ask questions to understand objections, then tailor your responses. Focus on building trust through industry knowledge, case studies, reassurances, and enthusiasm.
Take me through your process for developing a new client relationship from start to finish.
- Convey a methodical approach focused on learning the prospect’s needs, presenting solutions, establishing rapport, following up, negotiating contracts, onboarding smoothly, and nurturing long-term loyalty.
How do you stay up-to-date on industry news, competitors, and client needs?
- Discuss reading industry publications, taking continuing education courses, attending conferences, networking, researching online, developing client advisory boards, and any other steps you take to provide cutting-edge expertise.
For Technology Roles
Tell me about a time when you developed a technology solution to meet a business need. What was the outcome?
- Share a specific project where you collaborated cross-functionally, planned requirements, built a solution iteratively, and tracked measurable results. Quantify your impact.
What processes and tools do you use for testing and debugging code before release?
- Convey your expertise in industry-standard testing and debugging protocols. Mention any innovative techniques you’ve adopted like test-driven development.
How would you approach modernizing a legacy system while minimizing disruption?
- Emphasize phased, backward-compatible updates, extensive testing, communication plans, system monitoring, and rollback contingency plans. Convey both strategic vision and tactical diligence.
Describe a time you translated a complex technical concept for non-technical stakeholders.
- Share a situation that required patience, active listening, visual aids, analogies, and crystal-clear language focused on business impact. Discuss positive feedback received.
5 Tips for Acing Your CBRE Interview
Beyond preparing strong responses to likely interview questions, here are some best practices to shine at your CBRE interview:
1. Research the role and business unit in-depth. Understand the core objectives, metrics, processes, tools, challenges, and competitive landscape. Read CBRE’s latest annual report and news articles relevant to the position.
2. Review your resume and qualifications. Refresh yourself on key achievements, projects, and responsibilities you want to reference. Prepare one-sentence talking points that summarize them.
3. Practice aloud with a timer. Verbalize your answers out loud to polish them and correct filler words. Time yourself to keep responses focused yet thorough.
4. Prepare smart questions to ask. Draft 2-3 thoughtful questions that convey your understanding of CBRE and interest in the role. Inquire about goals, training, team dynamics, or challenges.
5. Arrive early and dress professionally. Make a strong first impression by being punctual and wearing formal business attire. Greet interviewers confidently with a smile and firm handshake.
With thousands seeking to join the CBRE team every year, competition is fierce. Standing out requires rigorous preparation, research, and practice. By mastering the art of the interview, you can land your dream role at this highly successful multinational firm. Use the tips and sample questions in this article to perfect your responses. With some thoughtful interview preparation and a genuine passion for the work, you’ll be ready to impress hiring managers and launch an exciting career at CBRE.
1 How do you manage risk in real estate investments? (Risk Management)
Managing risk in real estate investments is a critical aspect of ensuring long-term profitability. Here are some strategies to mitigate risk:
- Diversification means spreading your money around to different types of properties and places so that if one investment fails, it doesn’t have as much of an effect on your overall portfolio.
- Due diligence means doing a lot of research and analysis on possible investments to find and understand risks before putting money into them.
- Market analysis means keeping up with economic indicators and market trends to see what might happen that could affect property values.
- Financial analysis means keeping an eye on how investments are doing financially and making changes to strategies as needed.
- Insurance: Getting enough insurance to protect yourself from damages or liabilities you didn’t expect
- Legal Compliance: Making sure that all investments follow the laws and rules that apply so that there are no legal problems
By doing these things, you can control and lower the risks that come with investing in real estate. This will help protect your portfolio and get the best returns.
1 How would you approach building a network of potential clients and investors? (Networking & Relationship Building)
For long-term success in commercial real estate, you need to build a network of possible clients and investors. Here’s my approach, broken down into actionable steps:
- Figure Out Who You Want to Sell to: Write down a list of the ideal buyers and sellers of the types of properties you sell.
- Attend Industry Events: To meet potential clients and investors, you should regularly go to conferences, seminars, and networking events in your field.
- Use social media: Connect with professionals in your field and share useful information on LinkedIn and other sites.
- Offer Value: Help other people by giving them useful information, market insights, and your time, without expecting anything in return right away.
- Follow-Up: After meeting new people, send them personalized messages and stay in touch to keep the relationship going.
- Referrals: Ask happy customers to tell their friends about you, which will naturally grow your network.
You can build a strong network of professionals who trust your knowledge and are likely to do business with you if you use these strategies regularly.
Tell Me About Yourself – How To Answer This in a Real Estate Interview
FAQ
How to prepare for a CBRE interview?
How long is the CBRE interview process?
|
Answer
|
Percent
|
|
Same day
|
10%
|
|
Within a week
|
50%
|
|
1-2 Weeks
|
10%
|
|
2-4 Weeks
|
15%
|
Why do you want to work at CBRE?
Is CBRE hard to get into?
What is the interview process like at CBRE?
I applied online. I interviewed at CBRE (Atlanta, GA) The interview process was very quick and painless. First there was a behavioral online interview that I had to complete, and then a zoom call with the team that hired me. After about two weeks, I heard back from the company. Why are you interested in CBRE? I interviewed at CBRE (New York, NY)
How do I get a job at CBRE?
Very straight forward interview. Show enthusiasm and motivation and you’ll get the job. This role is fairly new so they tend to hire almost anyone to do the job. The role is contracted out to other agencies so not necessarily a promising role for growth. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I interviewed at CBRE
Is CBRE interview a bad experience?
CBRE Interview with CBRE is one of the worst experience I ever had in my entire career. The hiring managers don’t care about the candida’s time and money. They made me apply for a leave and travel 80 km to attend a final round in person which could simply be taken online.
How many rounds of interviews does CBRE do?
The number of rounds of interviews at CBRE can vary depending on the position and location. Most companies, including CBRE, conduct several interviews to evaluate candidates’ skills, experience, and fit for the role. The exact number of rounds could range from two to four or more.
