Your resume is often the first, and unfortunately sometimes the only, impression recruiters get of you.
There are other channels they can go through to get a more complete picture — your LinkedIn, your website, social media images (God forbid) — but they won't bother if your resume doesn't entice them enough to take the time to do so.
We spoke with real estate recruiter Sharon Bennie from Specialist Property Recruitment to find out the most important things real estate agents should include in their resumes to entice recruiters to pick up the phone.
Education and qualifications
You can’t be a real estate agent if you don’t have a real estate certificate or license - so it is a bit of a no brainer to include these details (including the expiration date) in your resume, says Bennie.
If you’re applying to become a real estate agent, you’ll need to obtain a Diploma of Property Services (Agency Management), so include all details of any education completed, the institute completed at, and graduation dates.
Awards
If you’ve won any relevant industry awards, Bennie says you should flaunt them on your resume.
The Real Estate Institutes across Australia hold annual auctioneering events, including novice competitions.
Winning one of these awards can often give you the little kick you need to take your career to the next level.
It isn't too late to enter - there are still several auctioneering competitions coming up. Entries are open for the REIQ Auctioneering Competition while the REISA, REINSW, and REIACT Auctioneering Competitions are still to come:
Highlight your most significant achievements
Bennie says that for a real estate agent, this could include significant properties you have sold, and your annual turnover.
For an assistant position, significant achievements might include how many agents you support, and what their turnover is like.
Bennie told WILLIAMS MEDIA you should also be specific when highlighting achievements. How many agents did you manage? What was your turnover like in hard data? By what percentage did you increase profit?
Ultimately, craft a resume that is relevant, streamlined and includes the most important information so that it is both easy to find and easy to read. Then, just make sure you are easy to reach when those phone calls start rolling in.