Effective land acquisition starts well before an investment decision. The person responsible must research opportunities, approach owners professionally, interpret initial site and planning information and document clearly why a site should progress or stop.
An interview should therefore go beyond asking about a network or the number of previous contacts. Employers need concrete evidence of research, qualification, communication and handover to development or investment. This guide brings those areas into one comparable selection process.
1. Define the acquisition mandate before searching
Start by defining the opportunities the new colleague should identify. Residential land in a growth region, urban infill and commercial existing assets demand different market knowledge, relationships and checks.
Also clarify where responsibility ends. Will the person identify suitable opportunities only, lead owner conversations and commercial discussions, or support the process through an investment recommendation? A clear handover point keeps acquisition, project development and investment responsibilities distinct.
- Specify the region, intended use and typical site size.
- Define on-market, off-market or mixed acquisition.
- Separate responsibility for initial review, owner contact and negotiation.
- Explain interfaces with development, planning, legal and investment teams.
- Separate three essentials from capabilities that can be developed.
2. Use a short initial-qualification case
Give every candidate the same fictional case: a site in the target region is available, its current use is known, but a possible future use has not been confirmed. The asking price, owner motivation and basic location information are provided.
Ask candidates to explain in ten minutes which information they would check first, which assumptions they would flag and whether they recommend a deeper conversation. The exercise should reveal their reasoning, not replace paid diligence on a live site.
- Which information is missing for a credible initial assessment?
- Which planning or commercial assumption is most critical?
- What would you ask the owner first?
- Which internal specialist would you involve next?
- What would be a clear reason to pause the opportunity?
3. Ask six questions that reveal relevant experience
Ask for anonymised examples from previous work and clarify the candidate’s personal contribution. Strong answers distinguish their own work, the team decision and the result. They also identify uncertainty and explain how new information changed the initial view.
Use the same core questions for every candidate. Follow-up questions may explore an answer, but should not change the requirement.
- How did you identify a relevant land opportunity that was not already widely marketed?
- How do you assess whether a location and possible use fit the search brief at an early stage?
- Describe an owner conversation where expectations were initially far apart.
- When did you stop pursuing an opportunity despite an attractive location, and why?
- How do you document sources, assumptions, open questions and next actions?
- How do you hand a qualified opportunity to development or investment colleagues?
4. Assess five criteria instead of relying on instinct
Create a scorecard before the first interview. Use one scale for each criterion and record the candidate’s statements or examples as evidence. This keeps the reason for progression visible.
A strong answer does not need to resolve every specialist question immediately. It recognises the limits of an early review, prioritises missing information and involves the right internal specialists.
- Market and research: relevant sources, search routes and regional logic.
- Initial qualification: a clear order of checks and defined stop criteria.
- Owner communication: respectful outreach, active listening and realistic expectation setting.
- Commercial judgement: reasoned assumptions on price, use, timing and risk.
- Documentation and handover: clear sources, open points, recommendation and ownership.
5. Treat Germany and Switzerland as distinct contexts
Site qualification depends on the planning framework. In Germany, municipal land-use planning under the Federal Building Code guides the building and other use of land. In Switzerland, federal law, cantonal structure planning and municipal land-use planning interact. Candidates do not need to answer every legal question in an initial interview, but should recognise which authority and documents are needed for a credible assessment.
Assess market knowledge by region. Experience in Germany does not automatically transfer to a Swiss canton, or vice versa. The relevant capability is adapting the review process to the local context and involving specialist advice when required.
- Which planning and property information would you review in this region?
- Which municipal or cantonal authority is relevant for the next clarification?
- Which assumption must be resolved before a decision?
- How do you flag legal or technical questions requiring specialist review?
A useful selection process reflects the actual work of land acquisition: finding opportunities, prioritising information, developing owner relationships and preparing a clear recommendation. Set the mandate, case, core questions and scoring criteria before the first interview. Candidates can then be compared using relevant evidence and the next stage can focus on the remaining uncertainties.
Sources and context
MuJobs editorial practice guide, published on 27 October 2026. The case and scorecard are adaptable selection aids, not legal, valuation or investment advice. The context references Germany’s Federal Building Code and Switzerland’s Spatial Planning Act; any specific site requires review against the competent rules and documents.