Barrier to entry - commercial real estate brokerage side
Hello all,

I am looking for advice as to getting my foot in the door to gain experience on the brokerage side. I read through a few posts on here mentioning analyst and appraisal positions to start.

Ideally, I would like to start as a CRE analyst, although even this position seems very competitive to land (at least in LA &amp; Orange County area). 

As of now I just finished up my bachelor’s in finance and I hoping that could help me stand out. Although it seems that a lot of these firms want at least 1 year experience in CRE + the bachelor’s degree. I do have some experience in data entry &amp; heavy use of excel at my current job as an inventory specialist.

Any advice as to how I could land a job as an analyst would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
[{"id": "j0dj03g", "text": "You're picking a rough time to enter CRE. Volume is way down.  Experienced people are worrying about themselves, not expanding.", "replies": [{"id": "j0w4woe", "text": "Thanks for the insight. Can you elaborate? I know that the CRE industry will always have \u201crough times\u201d however, isn\u2019t that to be expected? \n\nWhen it comes to securities and investments (including real estate) ups and downs are inevitable and I\u2019m okay with that.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "j0dqpqk", "text": "Utilize LinkedIn, and look up some investment cre firms/brokerages in your area and email them to introduce yourself. Ask for coffee chat/phone call about their experience working in the industry, and after the call ask if there's anyone else in their network that they would recommend you to reach out to.\n\nAlso look at Eastdill Secured jobs on LinkedIn, I think they're hiring analysts right now", "replies": [{"id": "j0w58mv", "text": "Thank you for the insight.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "j0eznvk", "text": "I got a job as an analyst at one of the top local CRE multifamily teams with almost 0 experience. How? I built my own offering memorandum and presented it during the interview. As you present your project, you will showcase all the skills that the position requires and you will stand out from the competition as you will bring something to the table.\n\nGo out there and find a property you could analyze. Find a financial model online (or build your own) and conduct a financial analysis. Do some research on the city/region, conduct a rent survey, find sale comps. Put all of this into either a presentation or a written report and send it out to the managers! If you do this, I\u2019ll guarantee you\u2019ll at least get the interview. \n\nGood luck!", "replies": [{"id": "j0w49gb", "text": "This is great advice, thank you!", "replies": [], "depth": 2}, {"id": "j0w89h0", "text": "Can I also ask what you kind of job you had before this analyst position?", "replies": [{"id": "j0w93jg", "text": "4 years of retail sales and an 8 month internship at a small asset management shop. Nothing prestigious", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "j1dyd30", "text": "Going into Property management is a good \u201cfoot in the door\u201doption and provides an income aswell as access build relationships with owners and tenants", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]