When you first get into real estate careers, you'll want to give yourself several options. Look around at the different agencies out there. In an average size city, there are usually several different real estate agencies to choose from. Don't just limit yourself to the first one that you see. Go through the phone book or look online and make a list of your potential employers. Ask other people about their impressions of the different companies out there. Many times, you'll be able to get an opinion or two of the companies out there. If you start to hear too many negative impressions of a certain company, you can probably just eliminate it from your search.
Set up a time to meet with the person in charge of hiring. Regardless of whether they are looking for anyone new or not, it’s a good way to get your foot in the door. If you make a good enough impression, they'll remember you the next time that they have an opening or they might create an opening for you.
Ask a lot of questions about the real estate jobs that they offer. Find out how they distribute the leads that they receive. Will you be responsible for generating your own leads? Do you have assigned floor time? What is their compensation package like? You'll probably also want to find out how many new people were hired and still work there within the last year. If they have an unusually high turnover rate, there could be trouble in paradise. There are a lot of things that you'll need to know before you consider taking one of their property jobs.
When you're getting started with the interview process, remember that this is really a two-way street. You're interviewing the broker just as much as they're interviewing you. Most of the time, you're going to have to invest your own money for start-up costs as well as advertising. This means that the broker better be just as impressive to you as you are to the broker. If not, take your talents elsewhere. There is a company in your market that is worthy of your skills. It's just up to you to find it.
Getting into the best job out of all the possible real estate jobs out there can be challenging. Just make sure that everything is a good fit for both parties before you sign up.
