CBRE Reviews

Current Employee – been working at CBRE full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Strong player in the global real estate market. Has a strategy for growth that includes multiple disciplines within the real estate sector, such as facilities, project management, critical facilities, along with their traditional brokerage line. CBRE has a strong commitment to training and developing talent from within.

Cons – The contract aspect creates an isolation from many of the benefits you would normally receive. For instance, training is sometimes withheld on global accounts. Although there are opportunities for movement in different markets, the move packages are very weak. Being on an account can isolate talent from the CBRE leadership.

Advice to Senior Management – Create more opportunities for talent identification and interaction with those team members on dedicated accounts. Realize the special challenges they face in trying to deal with two corporate structures, and don't create another online tool to replace personal communication. Break down the vertical reporting, so more than one person analyzes high potential candidates. Continue the great programs currently in place, such as foundations training and Q center courses.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at CBRE full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – They have a great work/life balance, good place to start your accounting career, growth potential, flexible, team events

Cons – holding back their top performers, lack of continuing education program, lack of fringe benefits, compensation

Advice to Senior Management – be careful not to hold back top performers and work upgrade your payscale

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at CBRE full-time

Pros – The company doesn't like to let people go, so job security is great as long as you're performing adequately.

Management listens to employees and takes their input seriously.

Good training, both in company and out. Management is willing to adjust/expand job descriptions if employees want to take on something new.

Depending on the teams you work with, hours and scheduling can be extremely flexible.

Cons – Pay! The company is very tight-fisted and doesn't pay non-commissioned employees what they're worth- even though the company sends out emails about how the company is doing fantastically well each quarter, raises are non-existent or don't even keep up with inflation.

Bureaucracy. There's enough layers of management to be confusing and allow for enough shifting of blame/responsibility that things get lost in the shuffle.

Unless you want to be a broker, there's not much opportunity for career advancement for assistants.

Overly formal/old-fashioned environment (dress code, attitudes of management and brokers, etc.).

Advice to Senior Management – Pay your employees what they're worth.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at CBRE full-time for less than a year

Pros – Flexible schedules somewhat and work from home 1 day per week. My manager is great. Co-workers are friendly. For a coporate world with 450 accountants, it sure is quiet there. Holidays are generous. Teams are helpful. IT dept. is good at helping. HR dept. is helpful as well. Training is extensive with videos, webinars, reading, etc. Not lacking in training. Promotions are there if you'd like to move up. Company is constantly growing. Lots of Teams are forming. You can move around from team to team or promote to upper level.

Cons – Pay is much lower for Staff Accountant than other companies pay.
Too much with processes and learning. Too many different softwares to know.
Some Upper Management are stressed out and some have egos. That goes in any company though. Some Upper Management are newer and not experienced as much as I'd like to see. Some Upper Management micro-manage, but again this happens everywhere if they are not experienced. This is bound to happen in a large company with many different managers and people.

Advice to Senior Management – I'd like to see more team spirit from Upper Management instead of micro-manage and giving orders and telling other what to do and how to do it. Be more friendly when approaching workers. Relieve your stress somehow.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at CBRE full-time for more than a year

Pros – As an admin assistant in the San Francisco area, the pay was decent, and the benefits were fairly comprehensive. They also provided free commuters checks which were a tremendous help since I was commuting daily from the East Bay.

Cons – Absolutely no room for growth as an admin. We never received a raise for cost-of-living increase, (due to the economy) and it was often feast or famine as far as consistent work. More often than not I had to find things to do to keep myself busy.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at CBRE full-time for less than a year

Pros – Professional working Environment with room to advance and grow. Great exposure to the commercial real estate industry as well as investment.

Cons – Long work hours, high performance driven, stress and pressure involve

Advice to Senior Management – Be more team oriented, and more empowerment to the employees at the entry level

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at CBRE

Pros – Great mentors and senior leadership. CBRE provides opportunities to grow and learn more about property management.

Cons – CBRE does not always compensate their employees when they take on more responsibilities.

Advice to Senior Management – Pay your talented employees what they are worth so they do leave.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at CBRE

Pros – Opportunities abound due to multiple business lines

Cons – Too focused on growth core services need attention

Advice to Senior Management – Focus on core

Former Employee – worked at CBRE

Pros – genuine effort is made for training, management was always willing to listen to suggestions comments and criticism whether positive or negative, good salary increases

Cons – operating engineers are contract positions and are affected not only be CBRE's position in the market but also the host, our customers

Advice to Senior Management – more support after layoff.....new employment opportunities for former employees without having to search the site everyday, automatic notificatiion of employees that left on good terms

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at CBRE

Pros – CBRE is the biggest player in the commercial real estate industry. While I know the pay is less than at other brokerage firms, I consider my time here as a resume builder. The experience and skill sets I build here will eventually be very marketable some place willing to pay market salaries.

Cons – Little to no opportunity for advancement or pay recognition for building advanced skill sets.