How to create a cover letter for a job in commercial real estate

Alongside your CV, a cover letter is the first thing your future employer will read to decide whether you may be up for the job. It’s a chance to showcase yourself and put your best foot forward in order to get a callback for an interview. With that though can come a lot of pressure to get it right, to make sure you’re saying the right things, and to make sure you’re formatting it in a way that promotes you both professionally and personally.

When writing a cover letter for a job in commercial real estate, these are key things to consider that will help set you above any other candidates.

1. Express yourself, don’t just sell yourself

One of the biggest mistakes candidates make when writing cover letters for any job, let alone jobs in commercial real estate, is being generic. So, make sure you tailor your cover letter to you and the job you’re applying for.

With such emphasis these days on people and company culture, a lot of the time the person reading your cover letter will want to get a feel for who you are, not just what you can do. They will want to see whether you’ll be a good fit for the role, but also for the office, and with the others you’ll work alongside. So, make sure your cover letter highlights not only your unique selling points professionally but also what makes you, you.

2. Show your interest

As a candidate you need to remember that the hiring manager or HR person on the receiving end of your cover letter likely has stacks to go through and is time poor. That means to put yourself above the rest, you need to write a cover letter that really demonstrates your interest in the company and/or the role. So, make sure you really read the job advert and job description if available, do your research on the company and the people you may be working alongside or for. That way you can convey in your letter not only why you’re applying but also that you’ve done your homework as such and that your cover letter has been written specifically for this role. For example, if the company places a big emphasis on certain values, perhaps outline how you align with them or how you embody them in your work. Or, if you know the company does a lot of business within specific markets, you could outline not only your experience but why you’re interested in those markets, or similarly you could touch on current trends in those markets and how you’re adapting to them. Overall, again your letter can’t be generic and appear as if you simply send it out to any and all vacancies.

3. Make sure you tick the boxes

Unlike trendy start ups for example, commercial real estate is a professional industry, so your cover letter needs to portray that also. Your language and tone need to match the role and company you’re applying for, for example, and you need to also make sure that you aren’t making any basic errors in the formatting of the document. You’d be surprised how off-putting small mistakes can be to those that are hiring.

Here’s a few of the basics to double check before sending your cover letter to any real estate job vacancy:

• Ensure spelling and grammar are correct
• Choose a font that is easy to read and ensure spacing is consistent
• Format your cover letter like a standard letter
• Address the cover letter to someone specific or if unknown use something like “To whom it may concern”
• Sign off your letter
• Keep it short and concise, with one A4 page being a good guide to length

And lastly, the key areas to make sure you’ve ticked off:

• Have you mentioned the job itself?
• Have you covered why you’re applying?
• Have you covered who you are, both professionally and personally?