Post Grad Activities
Hi all,
I'm in need of some recommendations on ways to beef up my resume post undergrad. I've always been pretty heavy on the extra curriculars, from Elementary to College and now that I'm out I am lost.
After a recent job interview, it became apparent to me that most of the stuff I talked about/ my resume were things I did while in college. While all great experiences, I have been out for a couple years and came to the realization that I have done nothing to improve my resume out side of my day job.
At this point all I've managed to do since college was work 60 hours a week, get a RE license, and join the ULI. My eventual goal is to be a developer or REPE/ REIT principal in either retail or multifamily. I can't afford grad school/ don't want to ask my parents to pay for it and have looked into Argus and LEED certifications. Although the certifications would look good, I think I need a bit more on the leadership side of things.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what a guy in his early to mid 20s can do to show that I'm not some washed up fratstar?
Thanks
Joining you local NAOIP can be beneficial in terms of networking
Far more to ULI than just joining. I'd ask the people in your region how you can get more involved. I co-chaired an action committee and got selected to a young leaders regional initiative council. It really helps you connect with the other members (some of whom are complete badasses). The national fall conferences are absolutely badass and I love going. Regional conferences are decent.
Also, not really resume related, but I'm a big fan of adult sports leagues. You never know who you're going to meet and it's the only way to get cardio in without wanting to off yourself.
Having impressive extracurriculars is always good, but don't overthink it and especially don't over commit yourself. Not to say these become less significant, but extracurriculars in college are important because they show team working ability, determination, and ability to juggle priorities. Whereas once you have some real working experience under your belt they gauge these factors by your actual working history (except for networking obv, some things like college sports etc can help you for life).
Always put yourself in the employers shoes, it's important to have all the qualifications and skillsets, but you also want to be someone they want to spend 8+ hours a day with. This is your chance to show that you're a genuine and interesting person with a life outside of the office. So think of things that help with this, but more importantly that you enjoy and make you happier.
Also Argus and LEED certifications etc. aren't really extracurriculars if you're already working in real estate, these are skills and qualifications.
I joined my town's environmental commission as an energy engineer volunteer.
I get to meet all the rich local politicians.
I've looked into this but I'm in a fairly large town in a fairly large MSA. There is a lot of competition and a lot of the people serving on commissions have been doing it for a while. I've dropped my name in the running for a few, but only time will tell if I get selected.
ULI, NAIOP as mentioned above. Other local groups that are real estate oriented or groups that are industry specific to what you are looking to do (ICSC for example).
You can also volunteer, Habitat for Humanity and Volunteers of America are pretty much guaranteed to have active chapters around a big MSA and there will be plenty of like-minded business folks involved to network with while giving back,
You could also work on REFM/BIWS to sharpen up your modeling and financial skills.
I'm going to do REFM 1 this weekend. I'm a little tight on cash right now so I'll get to 2 & 3 once they're on sale.
I like the habitat for humanity idea though. I've always enjoyed building things (hence why I want to be a developer).
make sure you get the academic credit discount if you are a student. There is also an additional 20% discount currently running i believe. PM me if you need help or have questions
I found Habitat for Humanity (United Way) and volunteering at Special Olympic events to be very rewarding and only require a limited time commitment. Also, I usually walk away with one or two good stories from each event that are helpful when someone asks me to speak to these experiences. If you want to take it a step further, you can arrange for a group from work to volunteer and potentially go during a weekday if you employer is supportive (it looks good for them to put up a picture on their website of a team giving back to the community).
There are a number of other ways that I have been able to get involved with professional organizations but with less direct knowledge of groups that are active in your field figured I would stick to volunteer activities that everyone can do.
The best ways to network in the south are the three C's: Church, Charites, and Country Clubs.
Perhaps look into your local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters. I've been a part of it for a few years now and its a great volunteer experience, you generally match up with a little brother with similar interests and meet every other week for a Saturday afternoon. We play a lot of basketball and see movies or go to events in colder weather. Great way to have an impactful volunteer experience and definitely shows off some mentor-ship type skills.
Put down Feminist on your resume.
Maybe read to kids? Or there is a local YMCA you can volunteer at?
Some examples from my own life. The best advice is to do activities where you meet people while doing something so that it's not awkward or weird:
Just try all of the above and keep doing whatever you find most enjoyable, good luck!
-Join your condo board. Normally the condo board is overrun by retired people, and it's good to get a voice of reason to chime in before they ban all music after 4 PM. Good way to make friends (or enemies) with your neighbors. -There's always golf (most boring sport in the world IMO, but some people enjoy it) -Outdoor sports. Skiing, SCUBA, hang gliding, motorcycles, skydiving, kitesurfing, etc. Still bored, interact that passion with a serious problem. Film some documentary about spotted owls etc. -Museum memberships, activities that get organized there, etc. -Get a pilot's license. It's $7-10k, but it's a lot of fun. 3x more complicated than driving a car, but you can also travel 250 miles in 90 minutes. Want to visit Martha's Vineyard? Montreal? Sure, you can always drive there, but flying is a lot faster and, in a city like NY, a $100 hamburger (on a $15 check) on a quiet Saturday on Martha's Vineyard or upstate sometimes tastes a lot better than a $100 hamburger at Del Frisco's. And if you get your instrument rating or if you ever take some time off, the Keys or the Bahamas are about 6 hours of flight time away. And you can get there on your terms-- not American Airlines' or TSA's or Miami International's (and its bus ride + two air train rides + two miles of moving walkways to escape with a rentacar).
Paying $100/hour for a plane rental isn't something a first year analyst should aspire to do before their first bonus check, but it's something I think most college-educated people on WSO will be able to afford after the first couple years of their careers. At $100/hr tach time @ 75% power for 130 mph, it's not more than twice the cost of driving a car.
You'll find something. Work hard, play hard.
Big Brother Big Sister
Run. Then run farther.
I get a kick out of coaching youth basketball. I like to think the kids do too.
Use this time to teach them the importance of winning. Kids don't get that very often nowadays.
You can always apply to officer candidacy school in the military. Adventure, training, and good leadership experience that will carry you the rest of your life. If you don't want to do it full time, go reserves.
Go get certified in Argus. This will open plenty of doors.
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