Whether an industry veteran or just getting started, it’s never too early to start thinking about where you want to take your career. Having one, three, five, and even ten-year goals can help guide you in your current role and help you discover how to achieve your next steps. Keep reading for some helpful tips to not only hone your passion in the real estate industry but how to get to your long-term, short-term, and everything-in-between term goals.
1. Define your why. Is it to enrich your residents’ or tenants’ lives? Is it to build something beautiful? Is it to create meaningful connections to current and future clients through strategic and innovative marketing platforms (*waves*)? Start with WHY you want to do what you do in the industry. Hint: never make it about money. You can earn a living doing a million things. Why do you want to work in real estate? Note that your “why” can change over the course of your career! The most important part is to be aware of the reason you do what you do.
2. Pick your passion. List everything you do in your role from your most favorite thing to your least favorite. List everything, even the mundane! Now, look at your top five-six items. Those things can be used to start defining your passion in the real estate industry. Is it talking with clients or meeting new people? Is it coming up with new ideas or training new employees? Your passion can encompass more than one aspect, but those top items will help guide you to pinpoint your career path.
3. Think long term. Picture your career in ten years. Where are you? What role do you have? What is your title? What are your job responsibilities? How are you making an impact? Think BIG and know that ten years ago, people rarely had the title of “marketing director” or “social media strategist”. Now (*waves*), look where we are. So know that as the real estate industry continues to grow, so will the roles and positions we haven’t even thought of yet.
4. Think backwards. Starting with that lofty ten-year goal, work backwards. Where are you in five years? Does that five-year goal line up in a trajectory path to your ten-year goal? Take it back again; think about where you want to be in three years. Two years? One year. Six months. And now we start building our goal path.
5. Share it. If you don’t have a mentor in the real estate industry yet, get you one. Network with your local or state association, join a committee, reach out to a seasoned colleague or experienced leader in your company. Talk about your goals and ask for their feedback. What steps are you missing and what help might you need to get to where you want to go? Whether it’s credential courses, extra classes on design, engineering, public speaking, or leadership, there are lots of educational resources out there to help you along the way. Getting someone else invested in your goals is a great way to not only get advice on your big picture goals but to offer resources you might not have considered yet. Additionally, share your goal with your boss! Especially if you want to grow within the company you are with now, your boss will be delighted to help you along the way and keep you invested.
6. Keep checking in with yourself. Set yourself a calendar reminder for a self-check-in every six months. Ask questions like:
“Am I still on the goal path I set for myself?”
“What hurdles am I facing now and what do I need to overcome them?”
“What can I do in the next six months to get me closer to my big picture goal?”
“Who do I need to talk to about my career path?”
7. Don’t give up! Yes, we get passed over for promotions sometimes. And yes, there might be setbacks or days where you don’t feel like you’re progressing. Don’t give up! Ten years isn’t a short amount of time, and any long-term career goal should be a marathon, not a sprint. Treat each setback as a stepping stone and talk to your mentor or your boss about how you’re feeling. You might find that eventually, those setbacks were the perfect thing to get you even closer to your end goal.
For all your goals, big and small, let BG Real Estate help! We offer the best in temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire candidates. We also have the perfect jumping-off point to get started in the real estate industry! Contact our team today or learn more at BGSF.com.