Cushman & Wakefield Professionals Weigh-In at Rutgers Career Day

NEWARK, N.J. - April 27, 2016 - PRLog -- So you think you want to be a commercial real estate professional. The payout can be big, but exactly what does it take to succeed? Students at the Rutgers Center for Real Estate in Newark got the inside scoop from industry professionals - including two of Cushman & Wakefield's most seasoned New Jersey brokers - during a recent career seminar.

The commercial real estate services firm's Executive Vice Chairman Robert Donnelly, a corporate advisory specialist, and Vice Chairman David Bernhaut, a capital markets guru, were among 11 speakers who addressed more than 100 MBA candidates and other students. They talked about their areas of focus, "typical" work weeks, their companies, stress levels and whether they would do it all again.

Bernhaut, who co-heads a 15-member investment sales team that completes an average of $2 billion in transactions across asset classes annually, said that he is rarely off the clock. "I haven't had a non-working vacation since they invented the cell phone, but that's not a complaint," he said. "We are always working and thinking about deals. But this job is only as stressful as you want to make it.

"The environment is fast paced and collaborative," he added. "It is an ideal place to be if you are service-oriented, entrepreneurial and comfortable with a strong risk-to-reward ratio. Brokerage is a great place to start as it provides exposure to all aspects of the business. Many of us choose to stay; for others it provides a valuable stepping stone to something else."

Donnelly, who represents owners and users of corporate real estate facilities in New Jersey and across the U.S. - with AT&T, General Electric, Alcatel-Lucent Technologies and BASF among his most prominent clients - did not mince words when he discussed the competitive nature of the business. "It is important to understand that of every 10 recent college graduates we hire only about half will still be in the business and on that track three or four years later," he said. "As a side note - it is vital that industry newcomers work with a mentor or align themselves with an experienced brokerage team."

But he would not change a thing. "The entire New Jersey real estate community - from developers and property owners, to tenants and brokers - provides an environment that has given me the opportunity to do what I love: build relationships, compete, be creative and execute business on behalf of our clients."

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About Cushman & Wakefield (http://www.caryl.com/cushman-wakefield-of-new-jersey-inc/)

Cushman & Wakefield is a leading global real estate services firm that helps clients transform the way people work, shop and live. The firm's 43,000 employees in more than 60 countries provide deep local and global insights that create significant value for occupiers and investors around the world. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest commercial real estate services firms with revenues of $5 billion across core services of agency leasing, asset services, capital markets, facility services (branded C&W Services), global occupier services, investment & asset management (branded DTZ Investors), project & development services, tenant representation and valuation & advisory. To learn more, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com or follow @CushWake (http://www.twitter.com/cushwake) on Twitter.