The Dummy's Guide to Getting a Job

College: the best four (or five) years of your life. But now that caps and gowns are stored away, here's the hard part: finding employment. We talked with recent grads, CRE professionals, and the headhunters who love them to get the low-down.

At JLL, we snapped May SMU grad Collin Aufhammer and JLL managing director Jeff Staubach. The old adage rings true: it's all about who you know. ?Collin?s dad works in our LA office and he reached out to me,? Jeff tells us. He's helping Collin make professional connections with other firms. Generally, JLL doesn't hire new graduates, but Jeff says he's happy to connect great candidates with other firms. Sometimes JLL interns stay within the company and other times they move on. ?Our goal is to find someone who will be a success at JLL,? Jeff says. Collin?s had 25 interviews since March and is eager to stay in DFW, he tells us. Growing up in the industry, he's comfortable with networking. And at SMU, he says he learned speaking ability, being confident, and how to interview well.

We walked the UNT campus with College of Business prof Ted Farris, who helped start the logistics program back in 1997 with 15 students. Today, more than 500  have majored in the program—about 40% in operations management, 45% in marketing, and the rest are number crunchers, Ted tells us. UNT?s program differs from others, partly because an internship is a requirement: ?Industry leaders tell us they want hands-on experience.? Students send resumes and interview for the internships just like a job. Additionally, students are required to prepare a portfolio  and update it every semester. By the time they graduate, Ted says, they have work experience and a top-notch resume. The capstone class pulls together accounting, finance, and marketing to give the graduate the ability to solve problems and pay attention to the details.

While at UNT, we checked out the Business Leadership Building, under construction. The 180k SF, $70M building will house the College of Business, one of the largest in the nation with almost 6,000 students. Opening this fall, it's designed by Polshek Partnership Architects. The main firms working on the project include Hunt Construction Group, Jacobs Engineering Group, Charles Gojer & Associates, and Datum Engineers.

At the TCU Neeley School of Business, prof Joe Lipscomb says students learn real estate while developing their analytical skills: ?We've seen our results firsthand with the success we've had at winning real estate case competitions with our MBA teams.? TCU teams have won the Dallas NAIOP competition two years in a row and earned an honorable mention at the MIT case competition this year. Most importantly, he says, is they learn the things that will help them excel in the real world: particularly analytical and presentation skills. ?We go above the standard in helping develop team building, presentation development, and how to stand up and deliver a talk in person,? he tells us. Graduates have gone straight into jobs at Crow Holdings, Trademark, and Archon, among others.

The gals at Delta Dallas—Kaz Rash, Cecile Webster, Stacey Brady, and Dana Lee—coach job applicants. Cecile says one of the best sources to locate good candidates for client job searches is LinkedIn and Facebook. There are new grad groups to search and university groups to peruse. Kaz, who works primarily with CRE clients, says many employers are looking for that entry-level staffer fresh out of school because they want to mold and mentor that person for their corporate environment. Employers are looking for computer skills and often for advanced degrees like MBAs or an MS as well as certifications and licenses like a CPA or CCIM , Kaz says. Numbers guys are in demand on the finance side and brokerage houses are seeking out service specialists and client relations coordinators.

To stand out from the crowd, Stacey suggests students start thinking about post-college life while still in school. Many employers are looking for a GPA of at least a 3.0 and leadership roles in campus organizations. Other desirable traits: polished presentations, professional attitudes, growth potential, and a long-term commitment. She says employers want talent that's young and hungry, ready to go, anxious to learn more, and open to constructive criticism.