From Selling Shoes to Real Estate Manager
Mr Chand hails from Lomawai, Sigatoka. He was single handedly raised by his late father in their family home in Lautoka.
Being patient and industrious is the way any business should run, the results will fall into place.
This is Shaneet Chand’s philosophy about businesses.
The 23-year-old is the rental and property manager at Jasons Realty, a real estate agents and services in Suva.
Mr Chand hails from Lomawai, Sigatoka. He was single handedly raised by his late father in their family home in Lautoka.
Living a life of challenges, Mr Chand had to work in a shoe shop as a salesperson to help his father.
But at 18, his father died. This was a turning stone for Mr Chand because he had to be independent and there was no turning back.
“I was working part time as a security guard at a bar in Suva while studying.”
Later, he secured a part time job as a sales consultant at a real estate company based in Suva for two years where he learnt his skills which guided him to where he is today.
Can you tell us about your role and experience in your role? And if you could also share with us your experiences before you joined your current company?
My job is to oversee the real estate leasing and property management capacities at Jasons Realty. As the rental manager deploys me to understand the local market and implement strategies for the sales consultants to execute. It also deals with people management, problem solving, client mitigation and many more.
Some common challenges that I encounter on a daily basis is negotiating with the landlord’s in terms of the pricing, understanding what clients require and delivering similar properties.
My qualifications, my edge of learning (adapting) fast, as well as with the assistance of my mentor I was able to reach this stage.
How do you manage the demands of professional and personal commitments?
In real estate it is quite difficult to manage your professional time with personal as this job requires us to be available whenever the client wants us to be, basically our work requires us to work when the clients are free that is after work or during the weekend, sometimes it gets really busy but it’s all about managing your time and giving ourselves break before we burn out.
Did your family background or where you grew up have an influence on your career choices?
No, in fact my parents were both
school teachers. They came from a very quiet background however my career requires me to be very present and a sociable person. This is sales and the best sales people have the ability to socialize with anyone and everyone. Also, at the same time we need to be very professional and show etiquette as such.
What are some of the challenges faced by the organisation?
Fuel prices as our business is heavily dependent on mobility, getting these high prices makes us strive harder in terms of getting those deals closed.
What is the most rewarding thing about your job?
When the landlord calls me and provides a compliment about our staff or simply when clients are happy with our services and they recommend us.
What have been some of the highlights of your career so far?
Being recognized for my hard work.
Finishing my tertiary education even in hard times.
Being able to assist my colleagues and clients when they needed me.
Have you been inspired or influenced by anyone in particular?
My dad, Gyan Chand has always been my idol.
My partner, she’s always supporting me in terms of choices and in my hard times.
Our director who has been the most influential person in my career so far and lastly.
My mentor and advisor Sunil Krishna, our senior sales consultant at Jasons Realty.
What impact has COVID-19 pandemic had on your professional and personal life?
Our business is mostly dependent on traveling and viewing properties.