Are You Looking for a Property Management Job or Waiting for a Property Management Job?
While being in “the right place at the right time” to find a job may have some truth to it, there are also some practical actions you can take to make sure you set yourself in the right place at the right time when looking for a job. Instead of waiting for a job offer when seeking a property management position, you can actively increase your chances of getting the apartment job by improving yourself as a qualified candidate and making sure employers take notice.
No matter what stage you are at within the job process—searching for a position, in the middle of applications, or even working as a property management professional—there are a myriad of means by which you can continually educate yourself to become distinguished within the apartment industry. One of these is to become certified if you haven’t already. The IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management) and NAA (National Apartment Association) both offer three types of certification for property management professionals, and will increase your credibility when applying for a position. As an apartment job deals with a variety of fields and situations, trainings and classes in relevant work (finance, maintenance, law) enhance your skill set and set you apart within the apartment industry. Beyond these classes there are also more informal opportunities: for example a free maintenance class at Home Depot, or shadowing a property manager for a day to get a feel for the typical day of an apartment manager.
In addition to improving yourself professionally for the position of a property management professional, maximize your networking capacities to find out about opportunities and get your foot in the door. Once you have identified the management companies or properties where you would like to work, find out all you can about them and then see who you might connect with there. Apartment industry professionals can be found on Facebook, Linkedin, and other networking sites. Search for links to potential employers, or others in the field who could give you advice. You can even look at the previous jobs of your Linkedin contacts and see if they ever had an apartment job. Even if you have already applied for property management positions, rather than waiting for a phone call you can continue to actively network in order to increase your chances of getting the job. Investigating all existing connections, and being persistent in forming new ones is a continual process that will give you an advantage as a property management professional.
Rather than passively waiting for a phone call or a job offer, actively improving as a candidate and networking will propel your job search forward. More than luck or being at the ‘right place at the right time,’ these practical steps will demonstrate to potential employers that you are or will be a successful property management professional.