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I have a passion for customer service and would like to begin my career in real estate through apartment leasing. I have some experience in sales and customer service. I am hoping for some insight on what I need to do to obtain a position as a leasing consultant with no prior leasing experience. I am also looking for a position out of town. Is it true that most employers overlook resumes that are not local? I am able to pay for my moving expenses and can start after two weeks notice to my current employer. I know that I am a good candidate and I am looking to start with a company, grow in it, and add value. Any extra tips? I am open to suggestions.

What City are you looking for a position in?
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I would bet many regional managers ignore out-of-town resumes, even if the person says they will pay their own expenses. You think, "What if it doesn't work out, and they moved here for this job?" You feel like you could really mess up someone's life.

Better to explain that you are moving to that place and why. You don't have to be specific until they call you. Say that it will be around (state a date about a month away). The idea is that if you get the job, you WILL move, so you take out that natural barrier.

Keysha,

I have been in this position before so I know exactly what you mean. Honestly, I think it will depend on whether or not you have any connections. Chuck is correct, many people do worry that if the job does not work out, then they may be contributing to making you miserable in a city you don't know and have no support system. However, I can tell you, you can survive a "bad decision" and if you want to move, MOVE. Start networking and getting some connections in the industry. I, for one, feel people will hire based on your fantastic attitude and train for skills later!

Diane,

I am looking around the Atlanta area.

Mindy,
I have family in various cities around Atlanta and they are all willing to help me out in the event something goes awry. I am going to move no matter what and I will take your advice on networking. It is great to hear from someone who has been where I am.

Chuck,
I will definitely try it. I wouldn't want anyone to feel responsible for me. I try to remember that everything will work out in the end. I am thinking about visiting where I apply to and seeing if that will make them more comfortable.

Hi Keysha,

The advice you've been given is great- I just wanted to add one more thing from a hiring manager's perspective.

Not all companies are run the same, of course, but at my company there are many different stages of the hiring/interviewing process. We have applicants come in one time to take a couple assessments to see if they meet the bare-minimum requirements. After that they have to come in a different day to my office for a face-to-face interview. Finally we have you come in for a different interview at the actual property you would be working at to meet with the Training Manager. All in all you have to come in three different times (three different days) and the way our hiring is set-up we can't do it all on the same day as we need time between each to evaluate everything before we know if we want to do the next step.

The reason I bring this up is for out of town applicants you may want to write in your cover letter or e-mail that you understand you may need to come into town several times for different stages in the hiring process and are more than willing to do so. I know for me when I see they're out of town applicants I worry about this because it's a lot to ask someone to come from out of state several different times so when they tell me upfront they know they may need to do that, it really eases that worry.

Best of luck in your job search!

Jenna,

Your company is very, very thorough. I would say it is not the norm for someone to have to come in that many times to interview and/or be tested before one is hired. How does your company find the time to do this? Do the higher-level positions have even more pre-screening steps before they are hired?