JLL Property Consultants
Polytechnic | JLL Property Consultants

A Culture of Growth

JLL Property Consultants
A talent acquisition specialist shares his insights on how JLL fosters a conducive culture for employees to strive in their careers and achieve professional ambitions.

A Fortune 500 company, with nearly 300 offices across 80 over countries, Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants (JLL) has been around for nearly 250 years helping clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying, developing, or investing in real estate. JLL’s success and commitment to being an employer of choice has been recognised in many ways – being named a Top Attractor Company by LinkedIn, the “World’s Most Ethical Company” by Ethisphere for the 10th consecutive year as well as “World’s Best” and Asia Pacific’s Best International Property Consultancy. Nicholas Tan believes this success is due to the fact that employees are able to fulfil their personal and professional aspirations with JLL. The management team is always open to novel ideas and there is a constant thrill of being able to see the fruits of his labour in such a huge and open organisation.

What motivated you to venture into the talent acquisition field even though your academic background is in other fields?

I attained a diploma in Network Systems and Security in Ngee Ann Polytechnic and subsequently, a degree in Business Management with RMIT University. My first full-time role was a sales job with a boutique IT recruitment agency and the next four years saw many successes and failures. Through this experience, I have identified that the driving force behind what I do was finding meaningful jobs for people, thereby making a positive impact to individuals and their families. It was at that point that I made the transition to my current role in talent acquisition for JLL.

Why pursue this professional interest at JLL?

Being a talent acquisition specialist with JLL is a career milestone for me because I do not just get to impact employees; I get the opportunity to effect change on the core business as well. Finding the right candidate for the right role at the right time affects the top and bottom line of the organisation.

I like that the company lives up to its promise of promoting an atmosphere of openness and collegiality. This means teamwork, respect, and trust are integral to the function I perform. I work in a high-functioning team with peers who are always willing to extend help readily by bridging the necessary connections or pointing me in the right direction. On a larger scale, one thing I really enjoy is the ownership given to me to engage with stakeholders and colleagues across different departments. The people here are always ready to share and I come out of conversations learning new things about how I can grow personally and professionally.

Nicholas Tan Xing Rui

Nicholas Tan Xing Rui
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Diploma in Network Systems & Security, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Bachelor of Business Management, RMIT University

“The best part of my job is seeing the candidate whom I have brought onboard, enjoying the job and making a difference with JLL. In achieving my ambitions, I get to see others achieve theirs.”

In what ways do you find your roles and responsibilities challenging and dynamic?

Helping the business find a suitable candidate for the job is a daunting task. At times, I would have to manage the pressure from hiring managers to acquire talent with the right industry know-how quickly and effectively as well.

The roles I have to hire for are quite varied and people-relations are equally tricky so this role has helped me learn so much more than I expected. I have to ask myself how to better engage external talent, promote JLL’s unique differentiators, and manage stakeholders’ expectations. These questions force me to think out of the box and alter my approach towards sourcing for candidates by trying out new platforms and mediums at times. I am grateful to the management for their support on allowing me to conceptualise and refine my own strategies. Their constant follow-ups and open discussions on issues faced have honed my critical thinking skills to bring logical perspectives into the picture.

The best part of my job is seeing the candidate whom I have brought onboard, enjoying the job and making a difference with JLL. In achieving my ambitions, I get to see others achieve theirs.

Share with our polytechnic readers the kind of personal and professional development they can look forward to at JLL.

You can definitely expect a challenging and fast-paced environment: look forward to delivering a client-centric approach in all that you do because JLL prides itself on achieving the best value for our clients. The company also strongly believes in the human side of business and so invests in its employees through holding training courses and upscaling programmes.

On a personal note, each day at JLL is never the same and I find that innovation is the constant driver. I discover new ways to improve processes and the way I work within a challenging and structured environment every day.