Quote from @Dillon Squier:
In January I will be separating from the U.S. Navy and will be moving to Chicago. I have wanted to join the field of real estate for sometime now but after looking at postings on LinkedIn I have noticed that I am very much under qualified compared to the other applicant submissions who all have degrees and marketing experience. My question for the real estate agents or brokers out there is what qualities can I work on to make myself more marketable to the industry? I am on course to start my license courses next month and will have passed the test by the time I'm separated and am starting the path to finish my degree in marketing come January once I get to Chicago. Besides about 9 months of sales floor experience in a farm and ranch store pre military I do not have any applicable past sales experience for my resume. Any tips and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Congratulations on your tour of duty, from another ex-Squid. First Gulf War veteran USS Bowen FF-1079, ET3.
You can go two ways with this:
1. Find a large firm that will onboard just about anyone so long as you have your license.
2. Find a small firm that is always in need of agents.
Either route has advantages and disadvantages. If you go the first route, you'll likely have better access to training, mentorships, and other tools that can speed up your learning curve. Flip side is they'll likely eat up more of your commission split because they're the big guys, and there's so many agents there that you're unlikely to get much with referrals or cold calls until you get some time in. With a small agency, you'll be hunting for more training and education on your own, and there won't be as much business either referral, street, cold calls, etc. On the other hand, you'll learn a lot about running an office since you'll probably share in some of the workload, have a better chance of getting referrals or cold calls that do come in, and will likely get a better commission split.
It really depends on what you think you need. I have my license and I'm with Keller Williams, but only because my longtime agent is part-owner. Next year I can get my broker's license and I'll be doing something different.
