February 27, 2025

How To Get a Job In Commercial Real Estate – Or At Least How I Did It

Author: Braden Jones

Everyone knows that getting a job after college is not as easy as it is cracked up to be. For me, I spent months getting rejected, getting ignored, ghosted, and whatever else one might call it. It sounds like a bad relationship, I know. There is a light at the end of the tunnel even if it is sometimes invisible, and here are five things that I did to help myself break that barrier, and get into this industry.

1. Be a friend, not just a potential employee.

Everyone who is in the position to hire someone is a regular person, and they want to work with someone who they get along with. Culture is more important than anything when finding a job in Commercial Real Estate. No college education can amount to the knowledge that one has who works in the field every day, so don’t try to act like your role will completely reignite the company with new knowledge and expertise. Instead, offer your loyalty and willingness to spend countless hours learning from the person who you wish to work for. This will lead to them becoming your friend and your mentor – which is necessary in this business. Ask to buy them coffee, lunch, a beer, and spend that time just being their friend. This means asking about exactly what they do and taking an interest in that. It is key to come off inquisitive, not necessarily loaded with your own knowledge. Trust me, what you learn at work is nothing like the classroom.

2. Stay top of mind.

This goes along with being a friend. Don’t let too much time go by without checking in. This does not mean saying, “hey is there anything else I need to do?” Instead ask about their business, what trends they are seeing in the market, and what they are currently working on that they are excited about. Part and parcel to this, follow along with their company and take an interest in recent wins they’ve had, and ask what they did to achieve those wins.

3. Cast a wide net.

Talk to as many people as you possibly can. What else are you doing when you don’t have a job yet? Focus more on meeting new people, taking an interest in what they do, and learning as much as you can from each person. When you’re someone like me, who is young and eager to get your foot in the door, you don’t actually know exactly what you want to do. How could you when you have never worked in the industry? So, put aside your ideal role, and find out what everyone does – this will lead to you finding something you are genuinely interested in and will make your work life something you look forward to rather than just chasing a paycheck. You can never meet with too many people.

4. Play the long game.

This is exactly what I didn’t want to hear when I first began my job search. I was ready to work and I was ready to work that day. This is unrealistic. Real Estate itself is a long game. There are multiple things I started working on nine and a half months ago, when I started at CRE, that still have not come to fruition. The same happens when finding a job. Understand that nothing happens overnight and don’t get beat up by rejection, you’ll have plenty of time for that once you start trying to make deals.

5. Patient persistence.

This is by far the most important thing to learn when finding a job in Commercial Real Estate because this is Commercial Real Estate. Find a way to set reminders for yourself and stay organized with who you are prospecting. I often hear my boss, John Orr, tell me, “If it’s not important enough for you to continue following up with me, then it’s not important enough for me to meet you.” This could not be more true. If at first you don’t hear back from someone, call them again, and again. If you really want something, you wouldn’t give up after a few phone calls. Having said this, be patient. Call on Monday, and if you don’t hear back, call again Friday and ask them how their week was. Continue this process until you get meetings. This is what I still do every week working in this industry, and it is really what Commercial Real Estate is all about.

Stay positive, don’t give up, and make your first big deal that you close getting the dream job that you want. Your career begins when you start to look for a job, and those in the position to hire notice how you handle this process.

If you’re going through the job search process and have questions, let’s talk! You can find my contact info here.