Six Ways to Successfully Manage a Recruitment Interview

by Judy LaDeur

Is there a right and a wrong way to manage a recruitment interview? What questions should you, as a recruiter, ask a new agent or an experienced agent? How do you maintain control of the interview? How do you determine each candidate’s problem-solving ability? What personal questions are permissible today? What magnets will attract agents to your company?

These questions and many more came in for detailed examination at a recent convention featuring Forum Recruiting & Management Solutions, Inc. Recruiting is not an exact science; there are some basic guidelines that can help smooth the process. Here are six suggestions for conducting a successful recruitment interview.

  1. Create a safe island. The strategy is to verbally outline your agenda for the interview. Let the agent know you are going ask questions, find out what their expectations are, provide them with information about your company, its commission structures, training opportunities, marketing and advertising opportunities, etc., and then determine if the two of you can arrive at a decision that is mutually beneficial. Interviewers should leave at least 18 inches of physical space between themselves and the persons being interviewed. The theory is by doing so, you will diffuse tension, increase their comfort level and help them open up to you.
  2. Ask specific questions to determine each candidate’s problem-solving ability. For instance, you might ask, “Tell me about a difficult buyer and how you handled it.” Your aim should be to use hypothetical questions to determine their DNA: why they DESIRE to be in the real estate business; what their NEEDS are; and how much ABILITY they have to produce. Be aware of potentially discriminatory areas. For instance, it is not appropriate to ask how a person’s family feels about them working weekends and evenings. Reinforce the candidate’s perception this is a selective process by writing down the answers they give. (See suggested questions below.)
  3. Give a visual presentation of what your company has to offer. At this point you may want to use a flip chart, and/or bring out samples of your training materials and sample promotions. By sharing these items, you increase the perceived value of what your company has to offer.
  4. Administer a personality profile to determine the candidate’s personal characteristics. This is an optional aspect of the interview process. Some companies find it a useful way to reinforce the selectiveness of the interview process. Others feel it’s a waste of time.
  5. Expectations – yours and the prospective candidate’s – and other details. In this phase, you will want to discuss commission splits and clearly spell out your performance requirements and expectations. For instance, you might want to say, “We expect out agents to have at least two production units within the first 30 days, however, you must be willing to follow our training instructions.”
  6. Make the final decision based on what you have learned. Interviews that follow this format can take an hour or more. If you are pressed for time, or dealing with an experienced agent, you may wish to spread the interview over two separate meetings.

Interview tips and tricks to use in the questioning stage

  1. Use the candidate’s name often.
  2. Make eye contact, listen and nod.
  3. Hold your calls or you may risk offending the agent.
  4. Probe for additional information as the agent becomes more comfortable.
  5. Check their body language for truthfulness of their statements.
  6. Resist the urge to get sidetracked from the interview.
  7. Don’t try to sell the person before the interview is complete.

Candidate qualifier for experienced agents
The following is a list of interview questions which Forum Recruiting & Management solutions, Inc. has developed for experienced agents. We are reproducing them here with permission.

  1. What do you like best about your current company?
  2. If you could change one thing about where you are now, what would it be?
  3. Why are you talking to us?
  4. What do you know about our organization, our tools, our systems and us?
  5. What are you looking for in a company?
  6. What was your production last year?
  7. How do you get most of your business?
  8. How much money did you earn based on your commission split? What is your split?
  9. How many years have you been in real estate?
  10. How does this year compare to the past two or three years in your career?
  11. Do you think you could earn more money with a different company? Why?
  12. What educational courses have you taken to enhance your real estate career?
  13. Do you consider yourself a lister or a sales agent? Why?
  14. What do you do to promote yourself and build your business?
  15. What professional designations do you hold?
  16. What would it take to hire you today?

Magnets that attract experienced agents.
Based upon surveys of brokers and agents conducted by Forum Recruiting & Management Solutions, Inc., here is a listing of the magnets that attract experienced agents to a real estate organization. These findings confirm contrary to popular wisdom, money is not the primary motivator.

  1. Working in an office with all full-time agents.
  2. Strong management support.
  3. Competitive commission structure.
  4. Advancement opportunities.
  5. Broker’s reputation.
  6. A visible office location.
  7. A company’s market dominance.
  8. Receiving calls from their own listings.
  9. A first-class office facility.
  10. Advertising and marketing support.
  11. Prospects for a personal assistant.

For more information contact Judy at (630) 876-0052 or e-mail judy@judyladeurinternational.com

 


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