How did you land your job in CRE?

Curious to know how some of you landed your first job and any subsequent jobs in commercial real estate.

And by "how" I mean what METHOD did you utilize to get you the interview and ultimately the job?

1) Did you see the job posted online, send in an application and get contacted by the firm without knowing anyone from within?

2) Did you utilize your network to learn of any potential leads for jobs and get in that way without ever actually seeing the job posted online? i.e. an "off market" hire that evolved solely from a relationship

3) Did you see the job posted online, and then see if someone in your network could put you in contact?

4) Did you utilize a recruiter or staffing agency to help you find a job?

5) On-campus recruiting?

Thanks for any input.

 
Stoo:
Job 1: Acq. Craigslist and crushed the interview
Craigslist? Never thought to look there for jobs..
Stoo:
Job 4: Acq. SelectLeaders and...well you know

How did your interview go?

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” - Nassim Taleb
 

Not specifically CRE per se:

Networking. I went to a way non target no name state school, did a ton of stuff to beef up my resume, cold called a guy for two months, got rejected after an interview, sent a follow up thank you letter, got a call back with a job offer, met with someone higher up at a ULI/NAIOP/Bisnow event, got a better offer at same company, got hired.

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” - Nassim Taleb
 
Most Helpful

Realistically... nepotism.

Got out of college and met with anyone who would talk to me in the market I wanted to be in; mostly people family and friends put me in touch with then asked for a couple of people I should reach out to at the end of each interview . I had one real estate related internship in college (investment sales at a large brokerage) and a business-ish degree from a good state school. Saw a job posting online at a large brokerage shop for an analyst role on a very strong investment sales team, applied online, then asked folks I'd been talking to if they knew anyone at the company and on that team, several of them emailed my resume and their reference to the brokers and my grandfather called the head of that office. Had interviews the next week, got asked if I knew what a cap rate was, played the name game, and talked college football for a bit. Got hired like two weeks later.

There's a lot of luck involved, but we all have to make our own luck and then get some help. Moral of the story is that if it is easy for you to help someone, just do it. Takes like 20 minutes, if that, and can make a huge difference in someone's career. That's why I try and meet with any young kid that reaches out... I won the genetic lottery and had a lot of folks in my corner early on and then I fucking hustled and tried to earn the trust other folks put in me and prove it well founded... still trying to prove worthy of it too.

 

Just landed my first job out of undergrad in REPE.

Networked my ass off. Landed a few interviews at major REPE shops but nothing materialized. Was on the phones every week with anyone I could get a hold of, but was losing some hope. Randomly applied to a reputable MM REPE analyst posting on SelectLeaders and got a phone interview. After many rounds of interviews there I got the job.

Point being, from my short experience, you can be doing all the right things, but sometimes it really is just luck that gets you in the door.

 

First post!

I originally started in FP&A. Boss (Manager of FP&A) went back to school and I convinced VP and CFO that I could handle the workload. I learned a ton about finance, modeling, and even more importantly, the asset class I was dealing with.

Fast forward two-years, a position opened up on an acquisition team 10 minutes from me. Just so happened that the team deals strictly in the asset class I was working in. I was lacking the extensive RE experience but they decided to give me the gig because I knew the asset class better than all other applicants (90% had RE experience). So far, I am extremely happy with the move.

 

Similique maiores pariatur vitae alias sit quisquam provident. Illum rerum et debitis.

Qui asperiores qui nesciunt numquam tempore quaerat. Soluta nisi natus in vel sit aut ratione.

Consectetur repellat quia facere nostrum voluptatem. Ipsa cupiditate rerum pariatur. Est tempore in omnis aliquam temporibus aperiam.

No pain no game.
 

Aliquid exercitationem mollitia excepturi et. Laborum voluptatem ut totam rerum a incidunt doloribus. Rerum mollitia aut quia commodi eligendi excepturi. Tempore similique omnis iure tempora. Non quasi labore architecto iusto laborum explicabo dolorem rerum.

Quia dolore nesciunt perspiciatis aliquam saepe autem aliquam. Nulla aliquam sint odio et itaque minus est. Est et laboriosam et error.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (145) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”