My journey to investment internship at Nrep
– Ville Kunnari, Investment intern, Helsinki (Spring 2025)
Reasons to apply
With this blog post, my intent is to share my journey to Nrep and my internship experience. I am a third-year Industrial Engineering and Management student and have previously worked mainly in startups, meaning that I did not have much exposure to real estate investments through work or studies prior to joining Nrep. Nevertheless, I have always had a keen interest in the real estate sector, as the investment deals are substantial in Finnish scale, and I wanted to learn more about the transaction process.
Most of my prior knowledge about both the company and the industry had originated from discussions with friends who are in the industry or that had previously interned at Nrep and enjoyed their time at the company. For these reasons, I decided to first apply to the Nrep Internship dinner to learn more, which ultimately led me to apply for the internship position.
Preparing for the interview process
Much of my preparation for the recruitment process was focused on familiarizing myself with the terminology and basic dynamics of the real estate industry, as well as reflecting on my motivation to work for the company and in the industry. I found reading various real estate market reports about the Finnish market particularly helpful, as it gave me a high-level understanding of past and ongoing trends and dynamics in the industry, which aided me in the case exercises.
The interview process consisted of two rounds of interviews: the first round had two separate interviews, while the second round consisted of one. I found the experience to be pleasant and smooth, with clear communication regarding the progression of the process. Although I was initially nervous about the interviews, I quickly discovered that the atmosphere was quite relaxed.
Clear communication from the company regarding the fact that prior real estate industry knowledge was not necessarily required for the case interviews also helped me to focus on the most relevant aspects during my preparation. For example, I avoided spending time trying to master real estate financial modeling before my interviews and instead focused more on things that I could improve in a short time, such as developing a general understanding of the dynamics of the industry.
Keys to succeed in the interviews
What I think helped me succeed in the interviews was reflecting on my motivation beforehand as well as trying to maintain a structured approach during the case interviews. I had had prior experience with case interviews, which gave me some confidence going into the situation. However, I was a quite mindful of not having completed any real estate-focused cases before. I discovered that staying very structured in my answers and communication helped compensate for my lack of prior experience, as it made it easier for the interviewer to follow my reasoning, even if my terminology might have been slightly off at times.
For anyone without prior experience with cases, I highly recommend practicing case exercises with a friend or someone else applying for a similar position. Practicing together is a great way to improve your ability to communicate information clearly and in a structured manner during the cases, rather than just writing answers on paper.
Internship experience
The internship period has met my expectations very well, and I feel it has been a great place to learn and gain insight into the real estate industry. In the case of getting the intern position, I strongly recommend participating in the various social activities organized by the company, as they offer great opportunities to get to know your coworkers better and make the most out of your internship.