Interested In Working at Commercial Real Estate Firm
Hey Folks,

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I realize this is probably not what this community is for, but I was hoping you all could offer some guidance as I seek to obtain a job in commercial real estate. I am a recent college graduate currently working as Mortgage Loan Originator, and I've just seen a job opening for a Property Manager position at a sizable commercial real estate firm in my area. I was hoping the good people of this sub could offer some critiques of the resume I plan on submitting. Any criticism/guidance is much appreciated.

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[Resume](https://imgur.com/gallery/endHd0F)

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I have minimal work experience and a completely unrelated major in college because I was enrolled in ROTC and slated to become a Marine Officer. Unfortunately, I was medically disqualified from service during the second semester of my senior year (long story). As a result, I had little time for internships during college, and I gave almost zero thought to immediate post-grad civilian career plans before the last few months of my college career.  
[{"id": "egpelnd", "text": "Honestly, the best way to break into the industry is just networking. Look up VP\u2019s, MD\u2019s, etc. and ask them out to coffee meetings. This allows you to explain your resume as well. ", "replies": [{"id": "egpflli", "text": "Thanks a ton, that definitely seems like sound advice. I imagine getting my foot in the door is probably the most important thing, but are there any skills or certifications that I should pursue in the meantime? I\u2019m thinking I may need to continue working as an MLO for a few months before I can afford to accept an entry level position with entry level pay, and I would like to make those few months as productive possible. ", "replies": [{"id": "egpka9e", "text": "My situation is a little different due to having a Bachelor\u2019s in finance, but I cold emailed a few MD\u2019s at some prominent brokerages and they all contacted me back. You may have to approach it a little differently if you\u2019re aiming for property management, but for brokerage they just like the fact that you go out of your way to contact them because that\u2019s an important trait to have in the industry and that\u2019s what they look for. \n\nAs far as particular skills/certifications go, the most you\u2019d need is a real estate license, but that\u2019s dependent on what you\u2019re going to be doing. When I interviewed, I never took any real estate classes nor knew much about the industry. Again, it may differ depending on the positions you\u2019re targeting. If the position is commission based then you\u2019ll definitely want to keep your MLO position for a little, unless you have a years worth of savings. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "egpfbvc", "text": "I\u2019m not trying to be a dick but property management (lower positions) is probably one of the easiest jobs to get in CRE. It\u2019s a job almost anyone can do if you have the grit. \n\nYou\u2019re resume looks great. Just be as much of a people person as you can be and it will work out. ", "replies": [{"id": "egpfu2h", "text": "Yeah haha all good. Kinda seemed that way, but admittedly, I have very little knowledge of the industry. If the pay is good enough (I have some debt) it seems like a good starting point for a career in CRE. Would you agree with that? Or do you think I should be aiming for a different position? ", "replies": [{"id": "egpg7z6", "text": "Definitely the safest way to start in CRE. Just don\u2019t get looped into being a property manager for life. Try to move on to an asset manager role, broker, or even principle role with PMs under you. I\u2019ve just met so many Property managers that are 35-50 and they seem beaten down. I manage 4 class A office buildings myself for secure income but I also focus on landlord rep and sales. My main goal is to never manage a property again once I make some solid sales. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "egpg8to", "text": "Do you know why you want to get into Commercial Real Estate? A property managers role will be very different than someone who\u2019s in development/brokerage/acquisitions. \n\nGetting a PM role for a big company without any experience won\u2019t be easy. If this is the route you want to take, definitely aim for assistant property manager positions. ", "replies": [{"id": "egph1tu", "text": "Ultimately, I think I want to work in development, but as I said, my knowledge of the industry is pretty limited. I was looking at this position as an opportunity to get my foot in the door, expand my knowledge, and build a network. \n\nAlso, in regards to the job opening, it\u2019s being advertised as an \u201centry level PM\u201d role with significant on the job training with more seasoned PMs. So, it sounds like it\u2019s essentially an assistant PM position, although it didn\u2019t use that title in the job description. ", "replies": [{"id": "egppido", "text": "I disagree with some of these posters. CPM is a good way to get your foot in the door.  Most large scale property management companies will also do in-house brokerage (leasing and sales).  As a PM, APM, or Property Coordinator, you will learn the ins and outs of property types, lease law, facilities management, etc.  It's a \\*very\\* good starting place to begin to learn the CRE industry.  But, as someone alluded to, don't get trapped.  Property management is infamous for chewing you up and spitting you out.  Get some years under your belt and learn the business - You canmake contacts and develop important relationships with everyone from national tenants and mom and pop property owners to developers and asset management companies.", "replies": [], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "egpifrx", "text": "Friendly suggestions:   \n\\- Remove everything about cooking and working in restaurants.  Completely irrelevant.    \n\\- Remove high school info.  Nobody cares tbqh famalam   \n\\- Get yourself a real estate license.  In my state, it's a one week course in a classroom or online.  You seem bright, you can bang this out quickly, I have no doubt.  \n\\- Join your local real estate investors groups and realtor groups.    \n\\- Embellish your resume with these groups and anything you can think up related to real estate.  \n\\- Fake it to you make it.  \n\n\n  \n", "replies": [{"id": "egpiprg", "text": "Love it. That said, I really don\u2019t have the time to get a license. I work a minimum of 60 hrs/wk not including my commute, and I really can\u2019t swing taking that much time off. \n\nThat said, this opening seems pretty low level. Is all the embellishment really necessary to land a job like this? ", "replies": [{"id": "egqfdzz", "text": "While property management itself is quite easy to get into, I think you\u2019re going to have a very tough time getting a Property Manager job with no prior experience in that field. I am a broker now but started out in property management. I think you may be able to somewhat easily land an assistant property manager or director of leasing within the same company, but are going to have a very tough go of getting the nod to run an entire property/portfolio of properties with your inexperience.\n\nHowever, as everyone is saying here PM is a great step into the CRE world and ended up with me landing my dream brokerage job due to be connections I made within it. I also really like how a few people have talked about the \u201ctrap\u201d of PM as well as it is very real. You better have an exit strategy or you will grow old in that job, which is harder than it sounds because it\u2019s somewhat easy to work your way up to a decent salary and then become scared of the jump to a commission based position.\n\nI pretty much did exactly what you are looking to do, however I put in my PM time during college and then jumped to brokerage immediately upon graduating. If you have any specific questions I can try to answer them as well. But the previous comment regarding the resume and removal of items like cooking sums up what I would comment on it specifically as well as you should absolutely tailor your resume to the position you would like to land. Best of luck to you!\n\nEdit: even more similar to your story, I am also a DODMERB DQ as well!", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "egpopbn", "text": "I used to be a Commercial Property Manager and Broker's Agent.  I would highly suggest you customize your resume for whatever job you're seeking -- in this case, you're going to want to talk about taking on responsibility, handling multiple tasks at the same time, dealing with accounting, money and client relations. It would also be VERY good to get a real estate license -- this will allow you to legally negotiate and sign commercial leases (one of the principal responsibilities of a PM). You probably aren't yet qualified to be a PM, but I'm sure there are many firms that would be more than happy to take you on as a \"Property Coordinator\" - which is basically the person that does a lot of the running around, face to face and tenant relations.  Despite what some people may say, Commercial Property Management can be a \\*TOUGH\\* job.  We managed 95 million in assets and had everything from residential neighborhood, multifamily, shopping centers, retail, office, etc -- as a CPM I had to know a lot of different laws and how to deal with each individual type of tenant (and their unique leases).  If you can tough it out, CPM can give you deep insight into CRE which may lead to bigger and better things in the future.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "egq4waw", "text": "I work at a real estate private equity fund that raises tens of billions of dollars every five or so years to invest in large swaths of real estate. If you\u2019re interested in this scale of CRE investing, I made a brief video on [the common paths to REPE.](https://youtu.be/kAWGP4bJFfQ)\n\nI also interviewed a non-target student who broke into the industry [in this blog post](https://leveragedbreakdowns.com/2019/01/07/interview-with-a-real-estate-private-equity-acquisitions-analyst-who-broke-in-from-a-non-target-state-school/) that might provide some insight into his networking skills and hustle.\n\nFinally, I developed a [free intro guide to REPE](https://www.leveragedbreakdowns.com/repe-intro-guide/) if you\u2019re interested in the technical side.\n\nI understand REPE is just one piece of the CRE industry, but it\u2019s where I work and I enjoy it so thought I\u2019d share!", "replies": [{"id": "egqt4w5", "text": "This is great stuff ", "replies": [{"id": "egrfmx4", "text": "Thanks! I\u2019d appreciate any love you can spread. I\u2019m trying to close the knowledge gap between CRE outsiders &amp; insiders.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "egtl25r", "text": "I'm a commercial agent at a boutique firm in my city, but I started off an an intern/assistant in property management for about half a year while I was getting my licensing squared away. Property Management isn't my cup of tea, but there is most definitely a lucrative future in it. I'm not sure what city you are in, what company you are looking at, or what drive you have, but property management at CBRE or JLL in Los Angeles is going to be on the complete opposite end of the spectrum as property management at the smaller firm in nowhereville. Regardless of what firm you are trying to get your foot in the door with, you are young and have real estate and financial underwiting experience. That shows drive and commitment to the indusrty, you should have no trouble with a mid-bottom tier firm. If you are young and show drive and ambition, make it clear that this is something you're passionate about and that you will work your ass off. Aside from that, there is a CPM (certified property manager) designation. It is quite pricey so unless you are not financially limited and are certain this is something you want a future in, I would look into that. I do know that my firm and many other firms will cover the cost of these designations. Hope this helps.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]