Resume from a real estate agent, bad idea?

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 8, 2012

Why would anyone want to make you give up your real estate license? That makes no sense to me. There are a lot of people in nursing who have had prior careers in other fields -- and I have never heard of any biases against them like you describe. Most hiring managers I know appreciate the skills and experience that 2nd career nurses bring to the workplace.

marlonRN · Nov 8, 2012

Thank you so much for the reply. I will still probably include it, but I just wanted to make sure there was no bias

xenogenetic · Nov 8, 2012

I have my real estate license and have my own brokerage, part-time, on the side mainly so that it helps me in acquiring more property into my rental property business. I NEVER, EVER include the fact that I hold a real estate license on my resume and suggest you don't either. I believe that employers will feel as if you might be a waste of resources (meaning employers spending time and $ training you) because you have another career that you can potentially slip into. Or, they may not view you favorably with respect that sometimes they know they will be looking for emergency coverage for shifts and with you having potentially a second career you probably will not be available to help fill out those hours.

Lastly, you have to remember that many members of the public view Realtors in a negative light, as being one step above used car salesmen. Don't assume that everyone has a POSITIVE impression of Realtors, because not all people do. It's a shame that the whole Realtor profession gets splashed by the poop water of the incompetent few, but that's the real world we live in.

T-Bird78 · Nov 8, 2012

I'd list it on your resume if it's the last job you held prior to healthcare (most applications want 10 years of work history anyway, and it is your work history) and it can show duration of employment if you worked there several years. I have medical billing experience and list that if applications want 10-year history or have more "work history" slots on their application than I have listed. I think it helps because it shows I was there 8 years--I'm loyal and not one to jump from job to job, so their hiring and training me will not be in vain. If they run a license check on your nursing license, would the real estate license show up too? If so, I'd be prepared to explain that it was just something to help you get through school with as little debt as possible.

ARock&AHardplace · Nov 9, 2012

I have my real estate license and have my own brokerage, part-time, on the side mainly so that it helps me in acquiring more property into my rental property business. I NEVER, EVER include the fact that I hold a real estate license on my resume and suggest you don't either. I believe that employers will feel as if you might be a waste of resources (meaning employers spending time and $ training you) because you have another career that you can potentially slip into. Or, they may not view you favorably with respect that sometimes they know they will be looking for emergency coverage for shifts and with you having potentially a second career you probably will not be available to help fill out those hours.
Lastly, you have to remember that many members of the public view Realtors in a negative light, as being one step above used car salesmen. Don't assume that everyone has a POSITIVE impression of Realtors, because not all people do. It's a shame that the whole Realtor profession gets splashed by the poop water of the incompetent few, but that's the real world we live in.

Coming from someone who has spent a lot of time with HR managers, recruiters, and hiring managers from various career fields I can't disagree with this more.

While yes people may not look at realtors in the most positive manner, you can't build your resume on the assumption or fear of your potential employer being one of the "incompetent few".

Now whether or not to list your actual "license" when applying is debatable. The holding of the license itself is not too relevant to the nursing field (other than you have shown you can meet qualifications to actually hold some type of state regulated license) so it is really your call but personally I wouldn't due to its irrelevance.

The EXPERIENCE as a realtor on the other hand I would list. You have shown that you are personable, can gain the trust of people (enough that allowed them to trust you with assisting them in buying a house which is a pretty big deal), and can be responsible for the correct handling of the home buying process. Not to mention you worked while going through nursing school which is an incredible feat in of itself and shows incredible time management and performance under stress.

My point is while buying a house and ensuring a patient receives the correct and accurate amount of medication are two completely different tasks, there are transferable skills you have gained while working as a relator that you shouldn't leave out of the resume. Writing a resume can be awkward because you have to "sell yourself" or "brag" but don't be afraid to show the confidence.

Now I couldn't speak to the having to forfeit your real estate license upon hire. While I have never heard of this, I don't know if that could be a policy of the hospital or law of the state, but it would be worth doing a bit of digging to find out.