The real estate industry offers a variety of career paths which require research and personal outreach up front, but often result in a custom-fit opportunity.
Examples include:
- Large Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): These companies own and manage income-producing real estate. Examples include: Equity Residential, AvalonBay Communities, and Prologis
- Real Estate Developers: These companies develop new properties for residential, commercial, or industrial use. Examples include: Greystar, The Related Companies, and Hines
- Commercial & Brokerage Real Estate Firms: These firms provide various services to commercial property owners and tenants, such as property management, leasing, and valuation on the commercial side. As for brokerage services, they connect buyers and sellers of real estate. Some examples of these firms with formalized recruiting programs include: CBRE, JLL, and Cushman & Wakefield
- Real Estate Technology (PropTech) Companies: These companies are using technology to innovate in the real estate industry. Examples of PropTech firms that recruit on campus include: Zillow and Compass
There is generally not a structured approach for recruiting in real estate. As most firms do not have structured processes, students should use fall to create target lists and network. Application deadlines will vary from late fall through winter, with most hiring occurring in the Spring semester.
That said, many large financial institutions with real estate investment banking or lending divisions recruit from business schools. These can be good options for students interested in the financial side of real estate. They will typically follow the structure and timing of investment banking, with networking starting in September and application deadlines as early as the first week of November.
