JLL’s new Stamford associates take in-house program to learn about real estate

TThe commercial real estate services company JLL launched an in-house training program last year for its new employees. The program, called JLLU, runs for 12 weeks and is designed to help the new brokers develop the skills needed to meet their employer’s occupational requirements.

Among the latest cohort members of JLLU are Ryan Farnham and MaryGrace Searles, two associates based in the company’s Stamford office. Not only are both of these newly-minted JLLU graduates recent arrivals to the commercial real estate world, but both are also new to the full-time workforce.

“I got this job right out of college,” said Searles, who graduated Magna Cum Laude from College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts with a B.A. in History. “In my interviews, I was told that it was a new program and it’s mandatory. So, if you’re a new associate, you have to do it.”

But Searles discovered that “it wasn’t in any way a slog – it was really fun. They promoted it as something that was to help us transition into brokerage and that made it really interesting.”

Farnham, who graduated from Pennsylvania’s Villanova University with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Business, viewed JLLU as a “big draw” when he was considering a career at the company.

“During the interview process. I remember my boss said that was one of his big selling points, because especially when you’re in a market like Stamford where people may not recognize the name. Getting exposure at a national level to a program that everyone knew the company is engaging in was definitely a big drawing point for me.”

The JLLU program begins with a three-day meeting at the company’s Chicago headquarters. Farnham appreciated the ability to not only meet his age-peers who were also new to JLL, but also “people in management positions and in brokerage positions that have been in the business for a couple of years.” He added that after returning from Chicago, “you go back to your individual markets and you have training sessions twice a week where different people from around the company come and speak to you on different topics, and teach you different things that you’re going to need as you’re starting your broker’s position.”

Searles stated that she found the JLLU coursework invigorating without burdening her with information overload.

“The coursework was less challenging, more educational – it wasn’t like we had homework, it was just classes,” she said.

“It was definitely more informational than time consuming or demanding,” Farnham agreed. “Because as we’re going through this program, we’re obviously learning on the job from people in our own offices.”

Currently, Searles is focused on business lines include tenant representation and agency leasing in Fairfield and Westchester counties while Farnham is aimed at tenant representation in the office and industrial markets. Both maintain communications with their JLLU classmates from across the country to measure how their respective careers are progressing, and they feel the experience helped integrate them seamlessly into the JLL operations.

“We have connections where we’re able to speak with people that are that are having the same experiences as us,” Farnham said.

“It’s really beneficial, for especially students who just graduated or are going into an entry level job,” added Searles. “It’s a perfect transition point and it’s comfortable – it helps you get used to the company.”