College Experiences Helping a Vice President at Catalyst Commercial Real Estate Succeed
In college, although obtaining a real estate license and ARGUS certification provided a resume boost, Catalyst Commercial Real Estate's VP of Sean said that the most beneficial preparation involved cultivating social skills and building relationships with diverse individuals, emphasizing that "people wanna do business with people they like" and that being a social human being is more important than being the strongest underwriter. He also noted that regardless of hard skills, professionals need to develop social skills as "being able to build strong relationships and relate to people from all different walks of life is the most important."
Real Estate Licensing, Underwriting, ARGUS Certification, Social Skills, Networking
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sean Willett
Vice President
Catalyst Commercial Real Estate
San Diego State University
Business Management & Admin, Marketing
Real Estate
Business Strategy
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Getting a real estate license, even though the courses don't teach much about real estate itself, is essential for the career and good to have.
2. Taking underwriting classes and getting ARGUS certified helps in understanding the fundamentals and makes your resume look better.
3. Being a social human being and building strong relationships with people from diverse backgrounds is crucial, as people prefer to do business with those they like.
Transcript
What did you do in college to set you up for success in your career?
I did multiple things. I got my real estate license, which, looking back, the courses don't teach you anything about real estate. It's interesting, but you need to have it, and it's good to take.
I also took underwriting classes and got ARGUS certified, just trying to understand the fundamentals as much as possible. This looked great on resumes and helped me land roles.
But I believe what helped the most is just being a social human being. Being able to hang out with people from all different walks of life and socialize on multiple topics because relationships are the most important here. People want to do business with people they like.
So regardless of if you're the strongest underwriter on the planet, you might get passed up by the guy who can connect with the client about basketball. That's just kind of how it works. Being able to build strong relationships and relate to people from all different walks of life is the most important. Having an open mind, lots of different friends, and not sticking to just one circle is key.