My Story Working With Costar - Tenant Research Associate I CoStar Group Employee Review

1.0
23 Oct 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Not really a good experience

Cons

I have been thinking about writing this review for a while. Now I decided to write it because it has been in my heart to do so and I want to be heard. A couple of months ago, I decided to leave my job of 2 years for Costar as a Tenant Research Associate I. I was very successful at my last job but looking to have more opportunities to grow. I was very excited to start a great career in a Fortune 500 company! The plus side was the beautiful scenery of downtown Richmond. I began training for my position. For new hires, the first 2 weeks are in a classroom where you learn the introduction of Commercial Real Estate and the last 2 weeks are in nesting. The first two weeks were great and I learned a lot. We even presented a Presentation for management in our department and I met wonderful people there. The last two weeks, it slowly went down hill. A couple of days into nesting, my trainer decided to audit my call I did on the first day. It was one of my first calls. In which I was shocked because I was just learning the system and interacting with the customers on the phone for the very first time in my Commercial Real Estate career. But she said the first audits for new hires usually are very low, so don’t worry about it. So, I did not, I pressed forward in nesting. My next audit was one of the best from the class. Just to let you know, that while in nesting, the amount of calls and interviews that you have done throughout the day is on a television screen in nesting. You can see how you are doing and compare yourself to your peers. This is very important to remember this for later. It is the most important information in this story. During the second week of nesting, the trainer had one-on-ones with everyone in nesting to review your performance thus far. This was a Wednesday or a Thursday, so we had a couple of days left in nesting before we go onto production. While I was in nesting, I was improving on my daily goals. As a Tenant Research Associate, you have to researched six tenants an hour with three interviews, which are calls that are at least 90 seconds. Throughout nesting, in comparison to my peers, my performance was right in the middle. I was not the very top person out of nesting nor the very bottom. During my one-on-one with my trainer, she told me that I had to make sure that I increased the amount of tenants researched and I told her that I will for that day and the days after because I was already improving and had began researching my daily goal already. Please remember this part as well, because this the the second important part of this story that will come up later. She told that to majority of the class. I know this because the class ate lunch together and used to talk about our day. And I did want I promised I made my goals for the rest of the week. On the last day of nesting, it was almost lunch time so I was there for almost four hours, my trainer pulled me to the side and taken me downstairs. She guided me to this room and it turns out to be her manager. I found out that day, I was terminated due to my performance. I was shocked because I had improved so much during my 2 weeks of nesting and that I actually reached my goals. But, he told me that I was not consistent enough for that. He also told me that my audits were not high enough. I asked him what he meant by audits. He began to give me scores of my audits that I NEVER heard of before and I told him that my trainer never mentioned any additional audits and had not reviewed it with me during my one-on-ones. I asked him what did I missed on my Audits? I was totally confused! He said that he did not have this information. I told him that this is my first time hearing about this. During this meeting, there was a woman on the phone, that was part of the meeting and told me that there will be an exit interview sent to my email address for me to send back on what I think should be improved on the company. Guess what? I never received an exit interview even after I requested it through an email. This is not even the worse part. Later on the very day, one of my friends that I met at Costar texted me to see where I was. I told her what happened and she said that she was sorry for me and I asked her if she likes her team and she said that she did. I asked her this question to see if she still works there and she is. Which is very interesting to me. Remember earlier in the story when I told you that everyone productions are on the television screen so everyone in nesting can see it. Over two weeks of nesting, my production was always better than hers and after the one-on-ones, she did not even reached the daily goals and she still works there! Mind you me and her are different races. Things that makes you really think! I could not believe my treatment from this company. I gave up a decent job to come here to just be unfairly let go. Now I am trying to pick up the pieces of my life. Some days are better than others but each day I strive to be what I want in life. I feel so relieved that I am finally telling my story. It is a huge burden off my chest. Someone close to me asked me, by putting this review on here how will it benefit me, I told them that I just want to be heard and understood.

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Pros

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Cons

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1
2.0
23 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Here's the deal with working here if you're starting as an Associate Research Consultant. You will do 5 weeks of training 2 weeks in the classroom in which you will undergo two tests that you must pass to continue being employed. Then you will go to the "nest" for three weeks in which you're performance also determines if you will stay. Then you will go to your team where your performance also determines whether or not you'll stay. Everybody knows this is a metric based company and the truth is you can promote quickly if you're numbers are very good. The problem is that a combination of your market/team/managers/portfolio given once you reach the nest all determine how good your score can be. Also a lot of the metrics are pure luck. One of the metrics "CUF" basically means in your portfolio of brokers how many can you talk to on the phone for at least 90 seconds per month and this metric is worth 20% of your score which is odd considering it's luck if these old stuck up brokers pick up the phone or not. If you're smart you will find ways to "game" the system/metrics and rig your score to be higher. A lot of the tactics are hard to learn at first but with time if you're smart you can sneakily rig your score to be higher by frauding the system in certain ways. I was able to learn certain tactics even years ago in the nest that still work although some methods are only applicable depending on the market you are assigned to. If you're smart and sneaky and diligent you can find ways to cheat and make your life easier which I encourage everybody to do. This company is worthless and they do not stand by there employees at all. Only work here for money and benefits.

Cons

The pay and benefits is the only reason people stay at this job. Otherwise it is hell. Constantly being micromanaged and encouraged to do more regarding metrics that continue to become even less obtainable unless you cheat the system in some way which again I encourage although it is difficult and I think most people are not competent/diligent enough to do this consistently without eventually getting caught. The company now doesn't even want to build/accommodate enough parking spaces for employees. Overall it just gets worse and worse.

2
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