Thinking about becoming an estate manager but aren’t sure where to start? We’ve written this blog post to help guide you through the process.
We’ve included tips and tricks to help you get a head start in the industry and provide you with some unmissable advice from Kelly Dixon, who has 25 years of working in the residential luxury property improvement industry.
There’s a lot more than meets the eye with estate management, and we’re here to keep you in the know. So, if you’re interested in becoming an estate manager and require some extra info, keep reading.
What is an Estate Manager?
Estate Managers are the top-level executive position in a large household or complex of properties that employ several domestic staff members.
They’re responsible for working directly with the owner to plan and execute the overall plan to manage the property and other employees.
At first, you might not feel comfortable…
When you’re looking to become an estate manager, it might not be sunshine and rainbows at first. That’ll be mainly down to how you feel when working in close contact with other private staff members.
Often the owners of large, luxury properties will have other domestic staff members working for them. And, like most jobs, you may feel like a bit of an outsider in the first couple of weeks. This becomes especially true when you’re looking to relocate and work abroad.
However, it’s only a matter of time before the other staff members realise that you don’t mean any harm and that you’re simply just doing your job! And as with most human interactions, they’ll get used to your presence and want to shine to show their best side.
This, of course, isn’t the case in every estate management scenario. We recommend getting an overall feel for the place, and if you love the property, the complexity of the system and the energy, it’ll only be a matter of time before you feel comfortable. After all, Kelly says that you have to have a certain personality to “withstand the rigours of demands when working in somebody’s home.”
The ability to blind manage
Any job requiring a certain level of responsibility comes with challenges that may seem difficult to overcome. For example, you may be given a new position without even stepping foot inside of the home. You might even end up finding yourself managing several properties at once.
For example, some New York-based estate managers who are no longer working in the city will still have to make sure their NYC apartments are running smoothly. This may seem daunting at first, but having the ability to blind manage will ensure you’ll stay on top of the challenges you may encounter along the way.
Bear in mind these properties will require a lot of work, but we recommend staying cool, calm and collected when faced with more complex management tasks. Your level-headed approach will reward you.
Your CV is important
CVs are essential at the best of times. It’s your chance to show your ability through lists of multiple different experiences. And in the context of estate management, experience is valued highly.
Kelly explains that when looking through prospective candidates’ CVs, she “doesn’t care about attention to detail” but wants to know that you’re a 20-year veteran, multi-property Estate Manager, Chief of Staff.”
Don’t worry, though. It’s not the be-all and end-all if you’re new to the industry. Kelly says that “if you’re new to the industry, lay it out there, ‘I love this industry, I’m super passionate about working for private-’ – whatever the statement is, what got you to this point? Give us a little tidbit about it – a snapshot of what your career has been like and how you got there. What do we need to remember about you? And if you can’t state that in the first half of your resume, I lose interest.”
So, when you’re tailoring your CV for that estate manager role – keep these tips in mind.
Getting into an estate management position doesn’t need to be as difficult as you might initially think. Just make sure you consider how you sell yourself to a prospective employer and always keep your CV’s importance in mind.
Watch the new episode now
Despite having many responsibilities, the job is incredibly rewarding, and there’s often a lot more than meets the eye. If you’d like to find out a bit more in detail, Silver Swan recently recorded a podcast about all things estate management. Click here to listen to the episode in full.
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