College Undergraduate CRE- Capital Markets Interview Advice Requested
Hi Reddit,

Long time lurker, first time poster. That being said, let us get into it, shall we? Today, I was lucky enough to get an email regarding a telephone interview for a summer internship with Jones Lang LaSalle's Capital Market Group, specifically their Special Asset Services Team. This will be my first interview with a CRE firm and am very interested in the opportunity. 

I don't know many people in the industry, so I thought, why not come to the infinitely helpful subreddit for Commercial Real Estate. If anyone has advice for me about the interview process, how I should prepare, or anything to help make me as competitive as possible, it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Reddit.

Cheers
[{"id": "c7p4dle", "text": "I work for a specialized group at Marcus and Millichap as an analyst so I do get some exposure to the brokerage agents.\n\nDo you know what kind work you'll be doing at JLL? From my experience, brokers have always been the go-getters and negotiators. You need to be able to sell your product to someone, or, be able to convince someone why they should sell their property. It's a \"dance\" you'll have to learn and different brokers have different approaches. There are type A douche bags who work best with douche bag clients Type B quiet brokers who work better with similar clients. I would say, focus on communication, motivation/drive to learn, and be passionate about the job. Having experience or knowledge about real estate will give you an edge. Show that you have a hunger to learn.\n", "replies": [{"id": "c7perme", "text": "Here is a quote from the job listing, \"The SAS team provides debt disposition advisory services to commercial and investment banks, debt funds, private equity groups and other financial institutions.\" I will be helping prepare pitches/presentations, conducting research regarding an asset's market position, analyzing real estate trends, etc. \n\nI feel as though I can convey those points you noted. I would have to say I am more of a \"type B\" person, but still consider myself a go-getter. Hopefully, I have a decent shot at the position. Thanks for the advice!", "replies": [{"id": "c7q2j1k", "text": "Sounds like a market research analyst kind of position. If you do get the job, be sure to always ask if there's anything that needs to be done. It's the best way to experience different aspect of the company/industry. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "c7sx9xy", "text": "I am an Asset Manager at one of the largest special servicers in the country.  It sounds like you'll be doing a lot of NPV analysis.  Know key terms such as discount rate, IRR, cap rate, NPV, and debt yield.  Be familiar with your basic Excel functions - lookups, pivot tables, data validation, conditional formating, etc.  If you don't have Argus experience, download a student version and play with the templates.  Know the difference between lease types: Net, Gross, Modified Gross (+ a few others). ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "c8fdzw7", "text": "any idea how much cold-calling or rejection brokers have to deal with compared to other sales jobs?\n\nI've got an interview for a broker program coming up.", "replies": [{"id": "c8fj5kn", "text": "really depends on how many leads they give you to start with. the company i work for (im an analyst there, not a broker), they usually have you sell properties that are currently listed already. i can say that for sure, local brokerage companies are you going to be harder to break the chain of seniority in terms of who you can talk to and who you can't. most of our buyers are institutional buyers so they usually out-bid everyone else. ", "replies": [{"id": "c8fj7wx", "text": "I'm trying to figure out what I should know prior to the interview to ask about and what to consider before accepting an offer if it comes.\n\nI like talking with people, I really like speaking infront of groups, but I've done cold calls before and I don't have that kind of personality. I could present solutions to a problem to a board, I could give a tour of a building and talk about possibilities, but I don't think I could do the 9 no's for 1 yes cold call business again.", "replies": [{"id": "c8fjbh7", "text": "well, everybody's gotta start somewhere! would you mind if i asked which company?", "replies": [{"id": "c8fjdo5", "text": "I've got interviews with a few companies, some in analyst spots others as a broker.\n\nIt's not that I feel that I'm above doing cold calls, it's just not something I want to do. Much like someone knows they may not like public speaking, or doing math, or writing. It's best that they don't find a profession that relies on them doing that thing that they don't like.", "replies": [], "depth": 6}], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "c8fjjga", "text": "what kind of compensation do entry level analysts make?", "replies": [{"id": "c8fl6e8", "text": "definitely not enough", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "c8fdyxl", "text": "there should be a pinned or some link in the sidebar for this kind of things.\n\nI just got a call to come in for an interview for a commercial broker internship program.\n\nI came here to ask for advice on questions.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]