What to Expect When Recruiting in Real Estate

Looking to break into the real estate industry? It’s a big, diverse, and relationship-driven field with a ton of different career paths. Whether you’re interested in developing new properties, managing commercial buildings, or getting into brokerage and investments, you can find a role that’s a great fit for you.

Given the recent market, job growth might be slowing a bit through 2025 and 2026. The good news is that transaction volumes are gradually picking up. This means there will still be opportunities out there, but you’ll want to be proactive in your job search. Keep an eye on a few key trends: the rise of PropTech (technology in real estate), the growing focus on ESG and sustainability, hedge funds and private equity firms buying residential properties and the changing demands of new generations—like the ongoing need for multifamily rentals from Gen Z and the search for homeownership from Millennials.

The Recruiting Approach: It’s All About Networking
Recruiting in real estate is a bit different from other industries. Unlike investment banking, most real estate firms don’t have a formal campus hiring process. Instead, they hire on a just-in-time basis, meaning they look for people when they have an immediate need, often with little advance notice.

  • Networking is everything. It’s the most important part of your job search. Focus on building real relationships with alumni, hiring managers, and other professionals in the industry. Informational interviews are key. Just remember to be respectful of their time and come prepared with thoughtful questions that show you’ve done your homework.
  • Pivoting. The real estate industry welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds and unique skills that come with those experiences. The key is being able to translate these experiences and skills into how they prepare you to succeed in real estate.
  • Speed matters. Apply as soon as you know of a role, as roles will fill quickly. A strong network will make sure you hear about those opportunities.

Your Best Path to a Full-Time Role
Institutional players (e.g. JLL, CBRE) as well as real estate investment banking firms offer MBA internship opportunities. For these roles, the clearest path to a full-time job is through an internship. Firms often use their summer intern classes to fill full-time spots for the next year.  For other roles because recruiting is so “just-in-time,” plenty of students land full-time offers during the spring semester.

  • Internship recruiting for MBA students often kicks off in the fall, especially for structured programs at big financial institutions. However, most of the hiring happens in the spring, so keep networking and searching all academic year long.
  • Full-time recruiting follows a similar pattern. You’ll see some roles posted in the fall, but the real hiring rush happens in the spring.

Interview Process
Interviewing can vary, but for graduate-level roles, be prepared for a few rounds. The process can take anywhere from four to eight weeks from your first chat to a potential offer.

  • Initial interviews are often with HR or a recruiter and focus on your background and why you’re interested in the industry.
  • Following rounds will be with hiring managers and other team members. These will be more in-depth and might include some technical questions about real estate finance.
  • For some analyst and associate roles, you might be asked to complete a case study or an Excel modeling exam.


Tips and recruitment resources  

Written and redacted with support from ChatGPT

By Nursen Demiroz
Nursen Demiroz Employer Partnerships Manager
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