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The director of an independent brokerage says brokers looking to attract new talent should be targeting university students before they graduate.
Diversifi’s Rose De Rossi said she has been offering work experience to university students during their holiday periods to promote the industry and teach them the processes and systems that mortgage brokers use.
“At first we were concerned that it would be difficult to show someone enough about broking in a short period of time,” she told The Adviser.
“But it became evident that students normally have not worked in an office environment before and they are eager to learn all aspects – especially the lodgement platform. They are very tech-savvy.
“If brokers are looking at bringing a younger broker on in the near future, they should look at attracting them while they are still studying so that they are front of mind when they graduate. Otherwise, they would be up for grabs by any brokerage."
Ms De Rossi said she has had a number of students complete work experience at her brokerage – even taking on her son's friend who was keen to learn more about the broking industry before commencing study in finance at university next year.
“We realised that there may be a misunderstanding out in the workforce about what brokers actually do, so why not take the opportunity to show someone what the life of a broker is really like,” she said.
“He wanted to be able to learn all aspects of finance, with one of them being broking. It was great to hear that students are looking at broking as a future career path.”
Ms De Rossi believes her work experience strategy is a great way of promoting the industry without taking the full responsibility of employing someone that may not eventually develop within her business.
[Related: MFAA launches new broker traineeship]
