How do I respond to people asking for my resume while networking?
I've been reaching out to people in the industry to network with and talk to about what they do, how they got there, etc. How do I respond when they ask to see my resume? Yesterday, I had a guy on the phone and he said I should send him my resume so he could pass it on to his MD. Now, another guy today said he wanted to see it, review it, then set up a time to talk (first time reaching out to this guy through cold email).
I wouldn't have an issue with any of this except that I'm going into my senior year of college (they know this) and my resume isn't nearly where I want it to be. I have no relevant internships and have only worked retail. My "skills" section would also be lacking as I am not an expert with anything that has to do with CRE yet. My GPA is also not where I want it to be atm. So how should I go about reconstructing my resume to send to these guys? Or how should I respond to them?
Tf? You're gonna have to send a resume to move forward at one point or another. You obviously can't make up experiences or change your GPA, so I'd recommend just making it the best you can and bring out the positives, and maybe include a note in your email explaining what you are working on to improve your skills. But you aren't going to be having any serious conversations with people unless they see your resume.
Also, if you aren't an expert with CRE yet, or have any experience, how do you know you want to work in it? I'd recommend proving your interest via completing a real estate modeling course, taking an online real estate class, etc. etc. Otherwise, the only thing you have going for you is an "interest" in real estate, which doesn't go too far.
My point is that my resume right now is not what it will look like 6-9 months from now when I will be actively looking for jobs.
I guess I forgot to mention in the op that I am currently taking the BIWS RE modeling course and reading Linneman's textbook to better understand CRE. Also reading journals online, reaching out and speaking with multiple professionals weekly. My dad is a real estate investor and brought the idea of CRE as a career. I've spoken with him and enough people to know that this is what I'd like to start my career in.
Hindsight is obviously 20/20, but you should have had your resume ready to go with listing things like BIWS RE or the fact that you've taken relevant coursework on the subject PRIOR to starting your networking rounds. Obviously, the next step in the process would be to get your resume out there to industry pros.... You shouldn't be viewing this as a negative, this is what you should want to be happening.
Going forward/to be constructive, even if it's "in progress", there's a way to tactfully incorporate it into your resume. With your GPA, you could either go the route of not listing it or putting your major GPA or some other fudge factor on there if it's higher/more favorable (as long as it's clear which it is and you don't misrepresent).
You should become involved with as many CRE related groups/clubs as you can, take as many courses as you can, and get as many programs under your belt as you can (excel, DCF modeling, etc.) so you show some legitimate interest in this as post above mentioned.
The reality is that you were unprepared for this level of networking and had more success initially than you probably anticipated, which is a good thing, but now you've got some make-up work/catch-up to do.
Why will your resume be different now versus 6-9 months from now? Whatever that reason is, highlight that on your resume.
talk about fund raising for a club you are part of and leadership roles in grad school. talk about the parttime retail jobs and how you drove growth or efficiencies.
you can obviously bullshit if they are asking for your resume, so use those same skills to write a resume and get your counselor at school to review that shit.
You're unprepared to interview and you're in your junior summer and don't have a polished resume or any internships, you need to get into gear or you'll be left behind . From my point of view, if I was networking I wouldn't take you seriously, work harder to get prepared for the job market
I do have an internship currently. It's just not CRE related. I accepted this internship and missed all the CRE internships before I really decided this is what I would like to do.
I decided to start my career in the CRE industry at the beginning of this Summer. In that time I've done extensive research, met up with a developer whom said we should keep in touch, was invited to check out an office at a big brokerage (CBRE/JLL/CW) by an executive VP after two phone calls with him, and talked with a few other professionals (VP's, etc) on the phone as well. A few even mentioned getting back to them in the Spring to check open positions as they said some don't get posted. I've also started studying RE fundamentals and started excel modeling to prepare for a CRE job. I'm not sure what else you expect in the small time frame I've been in the CRE mindset but everyone else has been taking me pretty seriously and giving me the time of day so I guess your opinion doesn't weigh much. Especially coming from an intern.
edit - and what am I supposed to be prepared to interview for? I agree I should have had my resume polished up, but I am not looking for a job right now. Just trying to network. I wont be looking for a job until well into next Fall semester.
Well I'm an analyst now but yeah just out of college, look it's good that you're networking and going for it but I'm just being real. It sounded like you just worked retail and last minute were starting a job search for after college. Just follow the advice of other people and work with your career center to polish up your resume, good luck to you
"Here you go" should be your response. In all honesty, good advice on this thread.
Just get it put together and start giving it to people. No one expects you to have any relevant experience out side of school.
It will even make a good touch point in 6-9 months letting them know about the updates and re-sending it to them.
Hey, thanks for the response. I ended up completely reworking my resume using the WSO template the day after I made this post. Looks much better now.
Awesome!
Make sure you save it in pdf format and title it scshtx - resume or something like that. I can't tell you how many times I meet with a kid who wants to work in CRE that sends me a file called, ruseme.docx
Eum qui autem ipsam debitis. Dolorum quidem asperiores rerum explicabo et repellendus libero. In commodi officia quia. Est molestiae cum voluptatem ut iusto quam doloribus. Quo et culpa est quis ratione recusandae aperiam.
Assumenda quia a repellendus mollitia qui voluptatem vel sunt. Exercitationem quos perferendis omnis eveniet eos qui ipsam. Architecto illum dolores possimus accusamus est. Voluptatum reprehenderit quia quia vitae voluptates non quia iste. Officiis consequatur officiis maxime autem sunt.
Ratione voluptas consequatur quas. Et facilis natus maxime voluptatem.
Blanditiis adipisci qui esse fugit. Ipsa eum libero tenetur at non.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...