Job Search

You just wrapped up a job interview for a role you’re excited about. You think it went well. But wait, did it?

Now that you’ve had some time to take a breath and reflect on that conversation, the confusion and self-doubt have kicked in. You’re chewing your nails and overanalyzing every answer, offhand remark, and facial expression, searching for clues about whether or not you can expect a second interview. Were you the candidate who stood out the most from the interviews?

You aren’t alone—we all do it. The job search is filled with a lot of uncertainty, and there’s no surefire way to get inside your interviewer’s head. Fortunately, there are a few signs you aced the job interview (and conversely, there are some clues you can pick up on if it didn’t go so well).

Signs You Aced the Job Interview

Before we jump in, a friendly disclaimer: When it comes to the interview process, there’s really no such thing as foolproof signs. While the things we’re about to discuss are generally positive, they aren’t a guarantee. Similarly, if these things didn’t happen in your interview, that doesn’t mean it was a disaster. There are always exceptions.

Got it? Good. Now, let’s talk about some signs that you likely hooked that interviewer and are one step closer to landing that job.

Your Interview Ran Longer Than Scheduled

Your interview was scheduled for half an hour, but it was closer to 45 minutes or an hour before your conversation wrapped up. Chances are, your interviewer is interested in you and was highly engaged in the information you were providing.

Your Conversation Flowed Naturally

While this is easy to forget when your nerves are running high, interviews really are human-to-human conversations. Kaplan explains that if your interaction flowed more like a natural discussion and less like an interrogation, that’s a positive. Polite small talk and some friendly back-and-forth indicate that the interviewer was not only interested in you, but also felt a certain level of comfort.

Just be aware that some companies conduct very structured interviews with set lists of questions asked in a certain order to satisfy diversity and inclusion criteria or abide by other company policies, so don’t get discouraged if your interviewer seemed to stick to the script.

Your Follow-Up Email Got a Quick Response

You know the importance of sending a thank you note after your interview, and you took that advice and wrote a friendly, personalized email. That message received a response almost immediately to thank you for your time and to tell you that they’ll be in touch soon.

A quick reply is confirmation that you’re top of mind and they want to keep you engaged in the hiring process. Even better than that? There was an email about next steps in your inbox before you even had a chance to press “send” on your own thank you note.

Signs Your Interview Didn’t Go So Well

Now let’s talk about the flipside: You have this sinking feeling that maybe your interview didn’t go as well as you hoped. If you noticed some of the following signs, they could mean that you need to continue your search and prepare to nail future interviews with other employers.

Keep in mind that nothing is a guarantee, and the only way you’ll know for sure is when you get either a polite rejection email or hear that the company wants to invite you to do a second interview, an interview assignment, or another next step.

Your Interviewer Wasn’t Paying Attention

If your interviewer appears to be somewhere else mentally or you notice them looking at another screen during your video interview, Kaplan says, they might be disinterested or disengaged from your conversation.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that they were taking a quick look at your resume or their list of interview questions. So don’t place too much weight into a brief distraction or break in eye contact. That’s way different from a lack of commitment to your entire conversation.

You Didn’t Have an Opportunity to Ask Questions

If you were given the opportunity to ask questions but your interviewer provided really curt or vague answers, that’s also not a great sign for your candidacy or for that employer’s commitment to respectful and transparent communication.

Read More: https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-know-if-an-interview-went-well

With workers laid off in a myriad of industries, including commercial real estate, it must be incredibly difficult to begin a CRE job search now, right? There’s so much uncertainty in the markets and so many others competing for the same jobs. Where do you start? How can you strategically launch your job search during these tricky times?

Begin Your CRE Job Search Right

These are scary times. And it’s important not to jump into this half-baked. Maybe you were a happy analyst whose furlough never ended or a property manager looking for new opportunities. What was your state of mind before the pandemic news came? Were you looking to change career tracks or seek advancement in your current path?

This is the perfect time to get in touch with who you are and reflect on your future. Things have changed, and maybe you have, too. Don’t rush into this. Begin your CRE job search right by asking a few questions like:

• Will my position still be in demand in this new environment?
• Am I good at what I do and where can I bring the most value?
• Do I enjoy this role? What am I passionate about?
• What new opportunities have current events created?

Develop Your Brand

Once you’ve decided whether to stay in your current career field or go after a different side of the commercial real estate industry, it’s time to brand yourself. In a competitive market, getting hired at your dream firm doesn’t happen by accident. You must stand out from the crowd.

If you’re serious about developing a high-impact brand for yourself in this new job search, here are a few steps with which to start:

• · Learn the key mission of each target employer
• · Identify which of your skills best match that mission
• · Craft a targeted branding statement that highlights this match

Learn New Skills

One of the best things to do when you begin your CRE job search is improving your skill set. The difference maker between you and the many other candidates is often the skills and certifications you have on your resume. Be sure not to underestimate the power of soft skills such as communication, leadership, and problem-solving.

Can you take a few classes right now in your down time? Can you update any outdated certifications? Perhaps take on larger roles in volunteer organizations? Closely follow the requirements in your target roles, and align your current strengths with those parameters.

Work with a Recruiter

If you are targeting a successful CRE company, chances are that firm already knows the importance of partnering with a search firm. They’ll likely prioritize candidates who have already been pre-screened by their search partner and interview those people first. Or in many cases, they will work on retainer, in which case, the recruiter is the gatekeeper.

Here at Building Careers, we actively nurture our relationships with numerous CRE professionals and leading CRE companies. We’ve been matching the right candidate to the right role for years. If you’re a good fit for the job you want, we will be a powerful advocate on your behalf. And if the fit just isn’t right, chances are, we’ll know of the best alternatives.

If you are one of the thousands of CRE professionals laid off or furloughed during the current crisis, don’t be nervous. You can begin your CRE job search right and stand out from the crowd. Let us know if we can help!

Jobseekers often have a hard time deciding the best way to follow up after an interview. Once it’s over, you’re instantly waiting for feedback. When you are eager to hear about a new opportunity, it can be frustrating to wait, but sometimes the interview process takes a lot longer than you’d like.

The employer has to interview all the suitable candidates, which might take a few weeks since this depends on the availability of both the applicants and everyone who will interview them. To keep your expectations in check, it’s always a good idea to ask the interviewer about their timeline for deciding on a candidate before you leave the interview room. This way you’ll know when it’s appropriate to follow up.

The Right Time for an Interview Follow Up

Your first step should be to send a thank you note to the interviewers (or the person scheduling your interviews) within two days of the interview. Only one in 20 candidates send a thank-you note after an interview, so taking the time to write one is a great opportunity to leave a positive impression on the interviewers.

I suggest sending it by email and keeping it brief — thank everyone who interviewed you for their time, re-emphasize your interest in the role, and express excitement about the next step in the recruitment process. You can also reference specific conversations that may have come up in the interview and use your thank you letter to highlight the ways your skills and experience are a good match for the position. Finally, if there’s something you forgot to mention during the interview, this is a great opportunity to bring it up.

If the company hasn’t told you anything about the next step, it’s best to wait at least a week before you follow up. If you are overeager, you risk annoying the recruiter or the hiring manager. However, if you’ve sent your thank-you note and the decision date the hiring manager indicated has come and gone, it’s time to follow up.

How to Follow Up After an Interview

For an interview following up, start with the person who said they’d be in touch with you. That could be the recruiter, recruiting coordinator, or the hiring manager. Email is definitely the best way to follow up without appearing pushy.

Here are a few pointers:

• Address the person you are emailing by their first name
• Mention the job title of the role you’re following up about and the date you interviewed to refresh their memory
• Confirm that you’re still interested in the position and that you are eager to hear about next steps
• Finally, ask for an update

Read More: https://www.livecareer.com/resources/interviews/prep/job-interview-follow-up

Do you have your eyes on the ideal CRE position, but don’t know how to brand yourself as the perfect fit? You might be wondering how to get the attention of the hiring manager or guarantee that your resume will win you an interview. Or perhaps you’ve applied to numerous companies and can’t seem to land an interview with the ones that matter.

What’s the secret? What does it take to position yourself for the commercial real estate job you want?

The Power of Personal Branding

As businesses already know, branding is a powerful tool for distinguishing your value from that of your competitors. It’s all about strategically associating key messaging with your name. Branding encompasses not only brand awareness – getting on the radar – but also brand value. Organizational branding in CRE is huge, but personal branding is just as powerful.

Each time a resume comes across a hiring manager’s desk, a first impression is made. Perhaps there isn’t enough information to make a positive impression, or perhaps the information is simply unimpressive. Either way, this is a missed opportunity for branding.

But when a hiring manager has enough relevant information to understand the value you can bring to the organization, your chances of landing that interview are much higher.

How to Brand Yourself for CRE:

First, determine what your ideal career path is and who you want to work for. Perhaps this is a re-brand for you, and you’re switching from the brokerage side to CRE investing. Or maybe you’ve been in the industry for some time but only recently became serious about future advancement. Now is the time to nail down exactly what you want and where you’d like to be in the next few years.

Next, identify the top three-five organizations you’d like to work for. Absorb everything you can about their company cultures, missions, values, and uniqueness in the market. Become a superfan. Network with anyone you can who currently works there or your local recruiting resource to make an introduction. Don’t overlook employees who aren’t in the C suite. Any connection is a potential key to the inside track.

Then, identify the key points of value you can bring to these companies. What attitudes, experiences, and training of yours uniquely meshes with their goals? If need be, update your certifications or take additional training. Then, craft a branding statement for your resume that speaks directly to each target organization (tailor this statement for each application). In a nutshell, tell the story of you and the future contributions you can make to directly impact the organization’s objectives.

Next, get serious about your digital footprint. Google yourself to ensure your online record accurately reflects your career focus. Curate and share quality content in your space. Build a community around this content. Share your successes and accomplishments. Update your LinkedIn profile to emphasize the key points of value you offer these companies. A professional headshot is a must.

Once You’re Ready, Go for It!

The last and most important step is to put yourself out there. You’ve taken the steps to brand yourself for your ideal CRE job. So, don’t hide your brand under the proverbial bushel. Start making some noise.

Sharing with others invites them to share with you. This is the essence of a vibrant and strong network of contacts. And in a healthy network, asking for referrals and reaching out to contacts in these target organizations is completely natural. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, tell your story, and ask for that interview!

With a strong plan in place and an emphasis on clearly connecting your value to their goals, you’ll successfully stand out in a crowded field of candidates. For additional help branding yourself for the CRE industry, get in touch with our career experts.

Locally in San Diego, Building Careers is working in conjunction with NAIOP to kick 2021 off with a personal branding Lunch & Learn, so be on the lookout for details!