How Students Can Land a Role at a Growth-Stage Brokerage: Networking Tips and Application Strategy

Hook: Why students struggle to break into fast‑growing brokerages — and how to fix it

If youre a student trying to land a role at a fast‑growing brokerage like REMAX, you have three big frustrations: too many applicants, no clear entry path, and little evidence that your resume will reach an agent or recruiter. The good news: brokerages that recently scaled up in Toronto and elsewhere are actively hiring for entry and intern roles to feed their agent pipeline. With a focused outreach plan, a compact portfolio, and smart networking, you can cut through the noise and convert conversations into offers.

Why target growth‑stage brokerages in 2026?

Late 2025 and early 2026 saw another wave of consolidation and brand switches in real estate franchising. REMAX, for example, added two major Toronto brokerages that represent roughly 1,200 agents and 17 offices — an acquisition that accelerated their need for marketing, operations, and intern support across the GTA. Brokerages scaling at this pace are hiring for roles that students can perform while learning the business: marketing assistants, Transaction Coordinator Assistant, Data & Market Research Intern, social media coordinators and client service support.

Erik Carlson, CEO of REMAX, highlighted investments in technology, marketing and digital presence as drivers for these kinds of conversions and growth.

What that means for you in 2026: scaled brokerages need quick tactical hires who can move the needle on lead generation, content, and process automation. They value candidates who can demonstrate measurable impact, even from short projects.

Student‑friendly roles to target in a brokerage

• Marketing Intern / Coordinator — social content, paid ads, open house promotion.
• Transaction Coordinator Assistant — document prep, follow ups, compliance checklists.
• Data & Market Research Intern — neighborhood reports, comps, TRREB data summaries.
• Client Service / Showing Assistant — booking, client follow ups, CRM updates.
• Growth / Agent Recruitment Support — outreach and onboarding materials for agents joining from other brokerages.

Step‑by‑step application strategy: a 30‑day playbook

Use this inverted pyramid plan: prioritize the actions that move the hiring needle fastest. Below is a practical 30‑day timeline you can follow.

Week 1 — Research and list building (3 days)

1. Identify 8–12 target brokerages in the Toronto market. Include fast‑growing franchises, newly converted offices, and the top 3 local REMAX offices from the recent conversions.
2. For each brokerage, collect: recruiter or office manager name, 3 active agents, and one recent news link or press release that shows growth.
3. Create a Google Sheet with contact, LinkedIn URL, office address, and the role you want to target.

Week 1–2 — Build a compact portfolio and tailor your resume (3–5 days)

Brokerage recruiters scan for outcomes not school prestige. Build a one‑page portfolio and a 30‑second pitch.

• Include 2 mini case studies with metrics. Example: Instagram reel campaign for a campus housing drive; 4.2k impressions, 87 clicks, 6 qualified leads.
• Produce a Toronto neighborhood market snapshot (one page) that shows you did TRREB or publicly available data analysis — use principles from designing clear dashboards to make it scannable.
• Make a short video pitch (45–60 seconds) introducing yourself and one idea for their office to test in 90 days. If you need basic kit guidance for phone lighting, see portable lighting and phone kit reviews.

Week 2 — Outreach sequence and templates (ongoing)

Use targeted messaging. Send an initial LinkedIn connection or email, wait 3 business days, follow up, then send a final note one week later. Keep messages value‑forward. Consider the content and PR angle of your outreach — see how press and backlink workflows can amplify a student project into visible traction.

Week 3 — Informational meetings and micro‑assignments

Book 8–12 informational 15–20 minute chats. Always show up with one tailored idea and offer to send a 1‑page sample the same day. If your idea requires a quick asset, portable streaming kits and compact rigs help you produce a polished clip — check portable streaming kit reviews and compact streaming rigs for field-ready setups.

Week 4 — Convert interviews into offers

For interviews, present your portfolio case, propose a 30/60/90 day plan tied to one metric, and ask for a trial task or short stipended project to prove impact. Field testing small paid projects is a common conversion path — consider micro project playbooks and field toolkit reviews for inspiration.

Outreach templates: copy, paste, personalize

Quick templates you can use now. Replace placeholders in all caps with specific items.

Email to office manager or recruiter

Subject lines to try: New grad / student available for marketing support, 6‑week growth project idea for OFFICE NAME

Body:

Hi FIRST NAME,

Im a student at UNIVERSITY studying marketing/data and I noticed OFFICE NAME recently expanded in the GTA. I put together a 1‑page neighborhood snapshot for the KING–QUEEN area that highlights quick listing opportunities and a 30‑day social test to increase open house traffic by 15%.

Could I send the snapshot and a 60‑second idea video? I am available part‑time and can start with a 2‑week paid trial.

Thanks for considering — NAME, PHONE, LINKEDIN, PORTFOLIO LINK

LinkedIn connection + first message

Connection note:

Hi FIRST NAME, Im NAME, a marketing student focused on Toronto real estate. I admire OFFICE NAMEs growth and would love to connect — I have a quick idea for boosting open house attendance I can share if youd like.

Follow‑up LinkedIn message after connection

Thanks for connecting. I made a short 60‑second clip with a sample Instagram ad and a one‑page market snapshot for the NEIGHBOURHOOD. Can I send that over? Small ask — would love your feedback.

Cold call script and voicemail

Phone script:

Hi FIRST NAME, this is NAME, a student at UNIVERSITY. I help brokers run small marketing tests that increase open house attendance. I sent a short note and portfolio link to your email — do you have 10 minutes for a quick idea the team could test this month?

Voicemail:

Hi FIRST NAME, its NAME with UNIVERSITY. I left a note about a 2‑week marketing test for OFFICE NAME. My number is PHONE. Happy to send a one‑page plan if you prefer email.

Portfolio checklist: what to include and how to format it

Use a single PDF or a simple URL with these sections. Keep it scannable and metrics‑first.

• Cover — 1 sentence value proposition (who you are and what you do)
• Mini case study A — problem, approach, tools, results (use percent changes)
• Mini case study B — market snapshot or data analysis with visuals
• Deliverables — links to sample posts, 30‑second pitch video, one email campaign
• Tools & skills — CRM, Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, basic SQL, Canva/CapCut
• References — 1 faculty or employer reference with contact

Mini case study template to copy

Title: Instagram open house test — King West

Problem: low weekday traffic for urban condos.

Action: ran 3 creative variations, $100 budget, target: 25–40 age, 5 km radius.

Result: 4.2k impressions, 124 link clicks, 6 qualified leads, 2 showings booked. CTR +0.85% vs control.

Tools: Meta Ads Manager, Bitly, CRM screenshots, A/B creative grid.

How to turn informational meetings into referrals

1. Start with a 15‑minute ask: request feedback on one idea, not a job.
2. Deliver a same‑day follow up: one‑page summary and two next steps.
3. Ask for a specific referral: who on the team runs marketing or agent recruiting? Can you introduce me by email?
4. Offer reciprocal value: audit a recent listing post and suggest two quick changes — field lighting and mobile kit tips can make listing photos and reels much stronger (see portable lighting guides).

Interview prep: what to demonstrate

In interviews for brokerage roles show three things: your curiosity about the Toronto market, your ability to move one metric, and that you understand agent workflows. Practice a 60‑second pitch and a 10‑minute portfolio walkthrough.

Prepare STAR stories for these prompts:

• Describe a time you generated leads or attention with limited budget.
• Describe a time you automated a repetitive task.
• Describe a situation where you improved a process using data.

Turn a short internship into a full‑time pipeline role

Ownership is the single fastest way to convert. During an internship own one metric — e.g., number of open house attendees, new leads added to CRM per week, or average time to close document completion. Deliver the weekly dashboard and one automation or playbook that saves agent time; if you want examples of operational dashboards and reporting, see a playbook on designing resilient dashboards.

Ask for feedback and a promotion conversation at the 6‑week mark. Bring evidence: metric trends, before/after screenshots, and agent testimonials.

Advanced strategies for 2026 and beyond

As brokerages invest in technology and content in 2026, these capabilities are high‑leverage:

• Video production for short form — reels and TikToks with local market hooks will beat static posts. If youre producing clips on a phone, compact streaming and phone kit reviews can speed up production.
• CRM automation — ability to build simple automations that move leads from ad click to calendar booking. See agent workflow reviews for tools and integrations in tenancy platforms: Tenancy.Cloud v3 review.
• Data fluency — TRREB and public MLS trend summaries, plus basic SQL or Excel modelling.
• Prompt engineering — using generative AI to draft listing descriptions, ad copy, and market summaries quickly and transparently. If youre experimenting with AI subject lines and prompts, read tests and safeguards before you send: When AI Rewrites Your Subject Lines.

Brokerages are experimenting with agent pipelines that blend gig work, part‑time marketing contractors, and stipended internships. Showing experience with flexible projects positions you as a future hire when the office formalizes headcount.

Common mistakes students make — and how to avoid them

• Generic messages — always include a specific idea and local data point.
• Large resumes with no metrics — hire managers want impact, not bullet lists of duties.
• No follow up — a polite three‑step follow up sequence increases response rates dramatically.
• Neglecting LinkedIn — agents often respond faster on LinkedIn than email. If youre aiming to build visibility from projects, see a short primer on turning press and mentions into backlinks and reach: From Press Mention to Backlink.

30‑day checklist (quick reference)

• Day 1–3: Build target list of 8–12 brokerages and collect contact names.
• Day 4–7: Create one‑page portfolio and 60‑second pitch video (see portable lighting and kit reviews).
• Day 8–14: Send outreach to top 6 targets, book informational calls.
• Day 15–21: Complete two micro‑assignments or offer a paid trial.
• Day 22–30: Follow up, present results, ask for conversion to internship.

Short example case: how a student landed an internship at a converted REMAX office

Example workflow you can replicate: the student focused on three REMAX offices in the GTA that had recently absorbed Royal LePage teams. They created a 1‑page market brief for each office, sent the brief with a 60‑second pitch, and offered a 2‑week paid trial focused on boosting weekend open house traffic. Outcome: meetings with two office managers and a stipended 4‑week contract that led to a part‑time role managing social ads. This pattern works because growing offices need immediate, measurable help and often prefer short trials before hiring.

Final tips

• Be specific: cite the office name, a recent listing, and one idea tailored to them.
• Be measurable: lead with outcomes you can influence in the first 30 days.
• Be helpful: offer small, free value first — a one‑page audit or 60‑second video. If you want to improve the quality of that video quickly, check compact kit recommendations and streaming rig guides.

Call to action

Ready to use these outreach templates and the 30‑day playbook to break into Toronto s fast‑growing brokerages? Start today: build your one‑page portfolio, personalize three outreach emails using the templates above, and schedule five informational meetings this week. If you want a downloadable checklist and editable outreach templates, sign up with internships.live to get the ready‑to‑use toolkit and targeted brokerage listings in the Toronto market.

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