Climbing the Commercial Real Estate Career Ladder: How to Build a Resume That Lands Deals (and Interviews)
Thinking about stepping into the fast-paced world of commercial property—or climbing the ladder from leasing agent to development manager? Your resume is your most powerful sales pitch. At The Perfect Resume, we help aspiring and experienced commercial real estate professionals craft resumes that speak directly to employers in property firms, REITs, and commercial agencies. Here's how to make yours impossible to ignore.
Why Your Resume Must Be Role-Specific in Commercial Real Estate
Commercial real estate (CRE) is not one-size-fits-all. A candidate applying for a commercial leasing role will need a different resume focus than someone pursuing an investment analyst role. Your resume must echo the exact skills, outcomes, and lingo found in the job ad. If the listing mentions "lease renewals", "rent roll analysis", or "asset repositioning", those exact phrases should appear in your bullet points—backed by results.
For example:
- “Led lease negotiations with national retail tenants, securing a 12% uplift in rental yield across a 15,000 sqm portfolio.”
- “Analysed rent rolls and tenancy schedules to identify underperforming assets, informing a $2.3M repositioning strategy.”
Must-Have Skills for Commercial Property Roles—And How to Prove Them
Employers in the commercial sector want numbers, evidence, and sharp business acumen. Don’t just claim you’ve got the skills—prove them.
- Deal Negotiation: Mention specific transaction values or client wins. E.g. “Negotiated 5-year lease terms with ASX-listed tenant, securing $650K in net income.”
- Market Insight: Show how you used trends or data to inform actions. E.g. “Identified market shift towards logistics assets, leading to successful acquisition of 3 industrial lots valued at $9.5M.”
- Relationship Management: Highlight long-term client retention or strategic partnerships. E.g. “Maintained ongoing relationships with 30+ commercial tenants, achieving 95% occupancy across all managed properties.”
- Financial Acumen: Include your role in feasibility studies, investment modelling, or P&L responsibility.
Resume Writing Tips Tailored to Commercial Real Estate
It’s not just about what you’ve done—it’s about how you present it. Here’s how to make your resume cut through the pile:
- Start with a sharp summary: E.g. “Licensed commercial leasing agent with 7+ years in office and retail space, generating over $14M in contracted leases.”
- Prioritise achievements over duties: Replace “Managed tenancy schedules” with “Managed tenancy schedules across 20 properties, reducing vacancy rate by 8% in 6 months.”
- Quantify everything: $ value of deals, square metre sizes, occupancy rates, rental increases, capital improvements, etc.
- Use industry terms: Terms like “yield optimisation”, “net lettable area (NLA)”, “WALE”, and “capital works” show you know the landscape.
Examples of Powerful Resume Statements
Instead of saying...
- “Responsible for site inspections.”
- “Liaised with tenants.”
Say this:
- “Conducted over 100 site inspections annually, identifying capex improvements that increased valuation by 11%.”
- “Managed communications for a mixed-use portfolio with 40+ tenants, achieving 98% rent collection rate post-COVID.”
Free Resume Review for Commercial Property Roles
Want tailored feedback on your current resume? Email your CV to info@theperfectresume.com.au for a free review by our expert team. We’ll tell you exactly what to tweak, improve, and add to attract the right roles—whether you're aiming for a property analyst job, a sales and leasing position, or a senior development role.
At The Perfect Resume, we know commercial real estate isn’t about fluff—it’s about performance. We’ll help you craft a resume that speaks the language of property professionals and sells your value from the first glance.
Because in commercial real estate, every square metre—and every word—matters.