Open To Work: How CRE Job Candidates Can Get On Recruiters’ Radars

For many commercial real estate professionals, securing the next career opportunity takes more than crafting an impressive résumé and diligently checking job boards. It involves getting in front of the right person.

However, this person is not always the employer itself. Many CRE companies use executive recruiting organizations like SelectLeaders to help them find the best candidates for the job. As SelectLeaders is focused solely on CRE, its executive recruiters work closely with employers to find candidates that match their criteria for the role, which often includes having a deep knowledge of the asset classes a firm focuses on and how well a candidate will fit into the company culture. 

SelectLeaders Associate Director of Recruiting Katie Hart said to attract a CRE recruiter’s attention, candidates should highlight tangible and measurable metrics in their résumés, such as the number of deals completed or the number of units or square feet overseen. Indicating the asset class they work with also helps the recruiter target the right people. 

She said that the more information candidates can provide on the résumé about their work experience, the better their chances of getting in front of the recruiter. 

“I want to make sure I’m approaching the right type of candidate, and I focus on metrics because it’s a hard skill that clients typically indicate is important for applicants to have,” Hart said.

She also emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the features LinkedIn offers, especially if a candidate is active in the job search. This includes adding a professional photo, posting LinkedIn certifications, mentioning the CRE groups they participate in, sharing relevant articles and using its “open to work” banner to let employers know they can reach out to connect about job opportunities. 

SelectLeaders’ deep knowledge of and focus on CRE hiring mean the organization can be intentional with its search while being conscious of a client’s timeline. Hart said that regardless of whether a candidate is looking to make a career change at that particular time, for them to get noticed by recruiters, the best thing they can do is ensure their profile is up to date, is reflective of their experience and highlights their best attributes. 

“If someone is looking at your profile, they should be able to see that this person is presenting the best version of themselves,” Hart said.

She said that depending on its clients’ hiring needs, SelectLeaders may use a retained executive search strategy to consult with clients and provide the assistance they need to fill their C-suite and management-level positions. The firm is committed to not only helping companies get the best candidates but also ensuring candidates are getting a fair contract. She said this is why recruiters use internal resources to analyze the average salary that employers offer in a particular market and ensure their clients meet this number. 

SelectLeaders recruiters can also extract and assess profiles based on clients’ initial criteria and initiate a discussion about why the candidate may fit a certain role and dig deeper into what they are looking for.

“We do our best to be thoughtful and try to get to the bottom of what skills and qualities clients are looking for within the roles they’re trying to fill,” she said. “The more I know, the better the conversation will go with the candidate and the better I can identify the fit.”

The companies and recruiters search for eligible candidates through LinkedIn as well as the SelectLeaders database. Candidates can use the database to look at open roles in companies based in a particular region and filter by CRE asset class, field of work in real estate and type of position. The SelectLeaders team also utilizes the Biscred database to search for talent based on title, location, asset class and investment type. 

“We want to ensure that the candidate's experience is a positive one, regardless of whether or not they get the job,” Hart said. “My mindset is that I’m a representative for our client. Within my conversation with the candidate, I’m making sure that their experience and qualifications are in line with what our client is looking for.”

SelectLeaders works with candidates to lead them toward their next career opportunity, assisting throughout the interview process. Click here to create a profile on the SelectLeaders job board so you can receive job alerts and start applying.

This article was produced in collaboration between SelectLeaders and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

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