Is there a right and a wrong way to manage a recruitment interview? What questions should you, as a recruiter, ask a potential candidate to better help you select the ‘right person for the position’? How do you maintain control of the interview? How do you determine each candidate’s problem-solving ability? What personal questions are permissible today? These questions are very common. Recruiting is not an exact science. However, there are some basic guidelines that can help “smooth the process.”
As we enter the Holiday Season, we also enter a great season for recruiting. It's important to remember that as you recruit from your competition, you competition is recruiting from you.
Any company that hires new agents, has a responsibly to get them productive as quickly as possible. A lot of studies have been conducted which prove the faster an agent has their first transaction, the more likely it is they will succeed in the real estate business. These guidelines have allowed companies all across America to see instant production from their newly licensed associates, up to four transactions in their first 30 days!
As we arm today's real estate professional with the best tools and greatest systems available to ensure success, let's not forget that the most powerful arrow in their quiver is a winning exit strategy. We have a responsibility as Broker/Owners and Managers to educate and structure their business not only for success today, but to enable them to have a business worth selling when they are ready to leave the business. Additionally, we have the opportunity to maintain our market share by helping them transition into retirement.
After 10 years as a full time recruiter, and 20 years in the training industry, I have interviewed thousands of potential real estate agents. Each time I sat before a potential candidate, I had all the same thoughts that you do. I looked for all the "things" you do. I guess that is why I am constantly being asked by brokers and managers throughout the country, "What should I look for? Is there a way to know who will succeed? What does the right new agent look like?"
What better way to show you care than to provide them with the opportunity to face the cold and flu season "armed" for success!
Many real estate managers spend the bulk of their valuable time on problem-solving and production issues. In my work, as a consultant with companies around the country, owner/managers who focus most of their attention, time and energies on recruitment and retention, will dramatically increase their market share as well as their profits, especially when their focus is on the recruitment of experienced agents.
The secret to having a powerful presentation when you get face-to-face with the experienced agent is to pretend you are working with a buyer! Let’s first review how we work with buyers.
You are six months into the year. Are you on track for your recruiting goals? When you get to the end of this year, will you have the same number of associates that you started with? More or maybe less? What is the caliber of the agents you are recruiting? Will your market share for this year be greater than last year?
On September 11, 2001 our country was paralyzed by one of the most tragic events in history. Most brokers felt awkward calling agents. “What should I say?”, hey asked. “How can I ask them to make a move when we are on the brink of war? Why would they move when the economy is so unstable? How long should I wait before calling again?” Perhaps if you think of recruiting as a logical process, those questions seem valid. However, very little about recruiting agents is logical, and almost nothing about recruiting real estate agents makes any sense if you think about it for too long.
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?
It is my opinion that these are the top 10 things today’s agents are looking for in a firm. My opinion is supported by many top producers and I have personally seen that when a company responds to the needs of the agents by implementing the systems that they need, it just gets easier to recruit.
The one task everyone seems to hate about recruiting is making those darn calls! When I ask brokers why they hate making the calls the number one reason they give is that they hate the rejection. Along with the rejection, most say that they just can’t find the time.
Most of us have our own style of recruiting and we tend to conduct the same interview with all of our candidates. But did you know that there are two distinct types of personalities and four different behavior patterns? Each makes their decision based on different criteria and looks for different things. The two basic personality’s types are: Emotional decision makers, and Logical decision makers.