Posted on 13/05/2022 by pat

"I’m new to Estate Agency and have zero experience. I’ve seen an advert for the perfect job. The trouble is – I’ve no idea how to put together a CV that will get me an interview.”

Is this you? Then read on and learn how to craft a stand-out CV that’s bound to impress. If you are an Estate Agent with experience and are looking for a guide on writing a CV, check out our Guide to writing an Estate Agent CV that stands out.

Table of contents

• Why is a stand-out Estate Agent CV so important?
• But what do I include in my CV when I have no experience?
• Know your employer – tailor your CV to their needs
• Which parts of my CV do I need to tailor?
• Why are Cover Letters important?
• More points to remember when writing your Cover Letter
• Best practice for the structure of your tailored CV
• How long should my CV be?
• Going for an Estate Agency role, and you have no experience? No problem

Why is a stand-out Estate Agent CV so important?

Are you new to Estate Agency? Have you spotted a job that you’re sure will be a great fit for your skills? Then your number one priority will be to put together a CV that convinces the hirer to grant you an interview. This CV will be the first impression that you make … and we all know how much first impressions matter.

For the CV to work, it must have a clear structure along with appealing content. You’ll also need to write a convincing Cover Letter that showcases how your particular skills and temperament are so well suited to this role with this particular Estate Agent.

Get these two elements right, and you’ll be well on your way to clinching that very first Estate Agent role.

But what do I include in my CV when I have no experience?

First - don’t worry! Everyone has to start somewhere. Recruiters and Estate Agents both know this. They also know that there are good reasons for employing someone who’s new to the profession. Maybe they’re looking for someone who they can mould into their own company culture. Perhaps they see the need for a fresh personality in the office, someone who will bring their own skills to the business.

As an Estate Agent with no experience, of course, you can’t mention previous Estate Agency roles. No problem. There are plenty more vital elements to include:

1. Your key skills

If you’re selling a product, you need to underline its benefits. Think of your CV in the same way. The benefits you have to offer are your skills. So – make a list of the things you’re good at. Then match these skills to those that your prospective Estate Employer is looking for.

Use your imagination. Do you love drama, netball, football or playing in a band? Each of these activities, plus many more, require teamwork and enthusiasm – so, make the most of these skills, and others, in your CV.

2. Begin with a Personal Statement

This will be the first part of your CV that the hirer will read, so it has to be good.

• Keep it brief – no more than 150 words.
• Introduce yourself with your education level and a couple of key skills - I am a hardworking and self-motivated recent graduate.
• Highlight what you’re looking for - I’m looking for a role which will challenge me and help me to progress in the Estate Agency sector.

3. Highlight your qualifications

It doesn’t matter if you have a degree in a subject that doesn’t relate to Estate Agency. There will inevitably be aspects of the course which will apply in the property sector – research, presenting, planning, group work, or developing the ability to work on your own.

4. Show the real ‘you’

Include some personality – describe an achievement that might make you stand out from the competition. Have you run a marathon? Did you successfully follow The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme? Did you carry out some outstanding volunteer work during the pandemic?

Know your employer – tailor your CV to their needs

Don’t make the mistake of drafting a single CV and Cover Letter to send off to countless Estate Agents. To create the right kind of impression, you must demonstrate you’re genuine interest in the specific vacancy that’s available with the specific Estate Agent. You need to tailor both your CV and your Cover Letter accordingly.

Your first step is to research your target Estate Agent. Find out as much as you can about them:

• their specialisms
• their achievements
• the company culture
• any charities they support
• how many branches they have
• where these branches are located

To find out this kind of information, check out:

• the company website
• the LinkedIn profiles of the managers
• the LinkedIn page of the company
• online customer reviews (from their Google My Business page, for example)
• employer review sites

With this kind of market intelligence research, you’ll be well-placed to gear your CV and Cover Letter to exactly the needs and aspirations of your target Estate Agent employer.

Which parts of my CV do I need to tailor?

The parts of your CV to focus on are your:

• Personal statement
• Work history
• Skills
• Work-related qualifications and training

Let the job description be your guide
Mirror the key words that your prospective employer has used – the duties, skills, and elements of experience. Be sure to support each skill with real-life examples.

Prioritise your skills
Once you’ve worked out what your prospective employer is looking for, prioritise your skills accordingly, putting the most relevant at the top. Do the same in your Cover Letter.

Examples of tailoring your CV …

Is your target Estate Agent looking for someone who is:

a ‘team player’?
Highlight instances when you’ve worked successfully with others and achieved strong results.
‘I volunteered with a group helping families with their shopping during the pandemic. We were able to support over a hundred families. This helped me to learn about the value of teamwork – listening to and looking out for others in the group.’

innovative?
Were you ever part of putting a new idea into practice.
‘In 6th form, I helped to develop the new school website and came up with a new approach to using social media to promote the school.’

a ‘leader’?
Perhaps you haven’t any leadership experience. No matter. We all have to start somewhere, but you can still show that you have leadership skills. Think of a way to demonstrate that you’ve inspired people, given instructions, or taught others something new.
‘Last year, I helped lead a team in a charity fund-raising event’.

a ‘self-starter’?
Can you think of a time when you pushed yourself to work well on your own?
‘At University, in spite of choosing a challenging topic for my dissertation, I managed to achieve high marks along with a special commendation.’

Why are Cover Letters important?

Your Cover Letter matters because it helps the recruiter to learn more about you. Imagine your CV is a skeleton. Your Cover letter puts the flesh on the bones.

Your Cover Letter will give your future employer a clearer insight into who you are beyond your basic skills and qualifications. It will complement your CV, enabling you to expand on your skills, expertise and strengths. With a strong cover letter, you’ll be highlighting why it’s you that your future employer should hire ahead of anyone else.

Tailoring your Cover Letter when applying for a role with an Estate Agent

Tailoring your application is just as important with a Cover Letter as it is with a CV. Your Cover Letter is how you will impress your prospective Estate Agent employer by underlining that you’ve considered carefully why you are specifically well-suited to filling their vacancy.

Doing so will:

• demonstrate your genuine, authentic interest in the role
• show how you will benefit the Estate Agency
• highlight your most relevant skills and experience

All of this will put you in pole position for an interview.

You’ll need to use the same research techniques you employed with your CV to find out all that you can about the company.

When crafting your Cover Letter:

• Find out who to address it to so as to make the letter more ‘personal’.
• Research the key skills they’re looking for and include those. Omit elements that are irrelevant. Back each skill with relevant experience.
• You can still include skills and experience that aren’t directly relevant, provided they’re transferable.

More points to remember when writing your Cover Letter

• Don’t repeat your entire CV – make sure you’re adding something extra that supports your application.
• Be specific with your evidence and examples
  Don’t make vague claims. Use specific figures when highlighting your achievements.
  ‘When I worked as Assistant Manager in a bar, I used my social media skills to increase sales by 17% within two months.’
• Remember soft skills – they matter too
  Skills such as communication, problem-solving, creative thinking and consideration of colleagues. These soft skills aren’t always easy to demonstrate in your CV, so the cover letter is the place for you to showcase them.

Best practice for the structure of your tailored CV

You’re applying for a role as an Estate Agent, and you have no experience in Estate Agency work. It’s critical that your CV outshines the others. This is your first opportunity to demonstrate your skills, qualifications, personality, and temperament.

Some key ‘best practice’ ideas to help you pull together the perfect CV.

1. Start with your basic personal information

The best CV structure is one that starts with all the ‘need-to-know’ details - your name and contact information. Don’t include any irrelevant information, such as date of birth or marital status. But a neat LinkedIn profile will help. All these elements should be at the top, in bold. Make sure they’re clear and easy to read.

2. Your Personal statement

This is where you sell yourself to a hiring manager or recruiter and demonstrate why you’ll be such a good fit for the role. Keep it brief - one or two short paragraphs will be fine.

3. Work history/overview

This should run in chronological order, starting with your most recent job role and ending with your first job. Remember to include company names, positions, dates and a brief overview of responsibilities, skills and achievements.

4. Education, Qualifications, and Training

Begin this section by documenting first those qualifications most relevant to Estate Agency. Leave less relevant educational qualifications, such as GCSEs and A-levels, to the end of this section.

5. Interests and hobbies

Avoid cliché hobbies such as going to the cinema, socialising, and reading. Try and mention those that reflect your interpersonal and communication skills. Where possible, these should be positive activities, such as sport, music, drama, gardening, and cooking.

How long should my CV be?

Don’t forget - Recruiters are busy people and won’t be impressed with waffle. Keep your CV down to a maximum of two pages. Make your CV appealing to read. Use short paragraphs and plenty of headings and spaces. Use bullet point lists too.

Preferred writing style

Your personal statement and cover letter should be written in the present tense, like this - ‘I am flexible and find it easy to work on several projects at once.’

Your work history should be written in the past tense.
‘I was responsible for analysing product market trends’.

Avoid cliches, such as ‘I’m passionate about …’.

Don’t mention qualities that employers will see as a ‘given’ - for example, punctuality and reliability.

Format of a CV

Don’t use imagery, elaborate fonts or graphics. To create the right impression, clarity is vital. When you submit your CV, save it as a PDF. This will make it appear professional.

Check for mistakes

Having taken all this trouble to research and craft your CV, it’s almost criminal to ruin the impact with grammatical and spelling mistakes. Use a spelling checker, and there’s no harm in getting someone else to read through and check for errors.

Going for an Estate Agency role, and you have no experience? No problem

The first time around, applying for a role with an Estate Agency may feel intimidating. Don’t worry. Every successful Estate Agent has been through the same process. Take your time. Follow these guidelines. Be resilient – don’t worry about knock-backs. With persistence, effort, and a great CV with a Covering Letter, before long, you’ll be on your way to getting your dream job. And you never know – the first step to a great career in Estate Agency!

If you do decide to take a step into the Estate Agency industry by yourself, let us know and we can help get you those first important clients.