Do you want to work in the vacation rental industry but aren’t sure where to start? There are thousands of jobs across the industry and the first thing you need to decide is if you want a hands-on role, such as a property manager, or a behind-the-scenes role working in a vacation rental management office or for an online vacation rental platform. The job search can be a challenging process, so that’s why we are here to help. Here are the best ways to find a job in the vacation rental industry.
Property Manager
Are you tired of your 9-to-5 churn and like the idea of a role where you don’t need to be on the computer all the time? A property manager position could be just the job for you. Property managers have to travel to the different properties they are responsible for, greet guests, show them around the rental, and arrange all the necessary services, such as cleaners, gardeners, repairmen, and much more. It’s an around-the-clock job, as problems can arrive at any point. Perhaps the power goes out leaving guests in the dark, and you have to find someone to fix the electricity, or maybe guests are delayed and arrive at 3 am and you have to let them in.
Search in Specific Destinations
The best way to find a property manager job is to hone-in on a particular area or destination. If you’re dreaming of sunny Spain, for example, the Costa de Luz is home to thousands of vacation rentals — and therefore hundreds of homeowners who are probably in need of property managers to take the reins. Search in area-specific Facebook groups, place an ad in the local paper, and get chatting to local residents. Property manager roles are entirely built on trust and are normally found via face-to-face chats with homeowners. The best part about being a property manager is that you can live in your dream destination — it will feel like you’re on a paid vacation.
Working With the Local Community
Vacation rental management means that you will be working closely with the local community, it will be a chance to learn a new language and meet a lot of new people. Through networking in the local community, doors (literally) may open for more properties that you can manage. Property management roles are often found through ‘word of mouth’.
Approach Individual Vacation Rental Companies
You can also approach individual vacation rental companies and see if they are looking for property managers or new staff to help with the marketing of the company or outreach.
Online Roles
If you want to work behind the scenes as a graphic designer for Airbnb, a special analyst for Booking.com, or a Front End JavaScript Developer here at AllTheRooms you’ll need to be regularly browsing online to find job postings. Many vacation rental and travel tech start-ups are fast-growing and looking for data analysts, content writers, marketing managers, customer support specialists, and website designers. Some of the best sites to find vacation rental jobs include:
LinkedIn is a great way of finding jobs. Many large companies are posting their job listings on LinkedIn, as it’s a way of not only reviewing CVs but also seeing just how ‘on top’ of your professional network you are.
AngelList
AngelList is another great site to find jobs in the start-up and tech industry.
Indeed
Indeed is another great job search engine tool that pulls up thousands of job listings. Just choose your location and put in a keyword for the type of role you’re looking for.
Google offers a thorough job search engine, which will send you to specific pages, e.g job-hunt sites specifically for graphic designers in the San Francisco area.
Start Your Own Vacation Rental Company
Can’t find your perfect job in the vacation rental industry? Why not build your own vacation rental company. Perhaps there’s a high demand in a particular area for an organized cleaning service, and you could run the show? Or maybe you could rent a property yourself, and kit it out so it’s the perfect vacation rental. Always be sure to check the rules and regulations in the country/city you would be doing this in, as some cities and destinations in the world are clamping down on the vacation rental industry, including Singapore, where it’s illegal to list properties for a rental period of fewer than three months and New York, where it’s illegal to rent an apartment or condo there for less than 30 days.
Tips
Finding a Job is a Full-Time Job
As the saying goes, finding a new job is like a full-time job itself and can be very time-consuming. Competition is high, and the travel industry is an extremely popular sector to work in. Don’t be disheartened if you receive several rejection emails — it’s all part of the process. You have to just keep applying and putting in plenty of effort into your applications. Half-hearted applications can often be a waste of time — a company can easily see the difference between an enthusiastic applicant and someone who has put in minimum effort.
Tailor Your Resume
Generally, you should never send the exact same resume to any job application. The most successful candidates create tailored CVs that showcase the skills that match the role they’re applying for. This doesn’t mean that you should write a new resume each time — just that when you apply for a new job, change your resume slightly to make it more appealing and specific to that exact company. Be sure to triple check that your resume has no errors, such as spelling mistake, formats errors or incorrect email and cell phone numbers.
Speculative Applications
Even if a company you really like the sound of doesn’t have any job openings listed online, don’t let this deter you. Often it’s worth speculatively contacting a company to see if they have any roles coming up. Send in your resume and express how much you’d like to work for the company and what you can bring.