6 Steps to Quick and Easy Recruiting

The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.    - Steve Jobs

Without question, finding the right people to hire at the right time is one of the most frustrating challenges for real estate business owners to overcome. But in order for any business to thrive in today’s economy, finding and retaining top talent is crucial. This is especially true for small businesses forced to compete with larger businesses, and larger budgets, for top talent.

Enter Megan McManus, General Manager of Appointments Inc. by CINC, and resident real estate recruiting expert. Throughout her 12 year career in real estate, Megan boasts an impressive resume of hiring for roles like Marketing, Sales, Support, ISAs, OSAs, Admins, Coordinators, and most recently and impressively, 9 ISAs in 45 days! Earlier this year at Inman Connect NY 2017, Megan shared her 6 steps to hiring the right people every time - read on to discover the proven steps that lead Megan and her team to real estate recruitment success.

1. Know who and what you're looking for

First and foremost, you should begin your hiring process by clearly defining and clarifying your expectations for the role itself, and outlining the key responsibilities required of the person in the role. Be sure to clarify the key metrics that will define how success will be measured as well as any necessary skills, attributes and qualities required of the candidate prior to starting your candidate search.

2. Advertise the Role and be Specific

Once you’ve clarified what you’re looking for in a new hire, create a compelling and dynamic job description that paints a clear and accurate picture of the position while detailing the daily rhythm, culture and environment of your real estate business. In creating the ad, don’t be afraid to make it difficult to apply...  feel free to test them a little bit! Keep in mind that candidates willing to jump through a few hoops throughout the interview process are much more likely to be serious about wanting and committing to the job itself.

3. Interview in Groups First

Steve Jobs cited ‘hiring the best people in the world’ as the secret to Apple’s success. If you really want to hire the best people, start by involving your entire team in the recruiting process early on to ensure that the team is invested. Though it may seem unconventional to start with a group interview, involving your team early on ensures that everyone is invested in finding the right candidate from the get go, making it much more likely that they’ll stay invested in the person’s success long term.

4. Schedule your One on One Interviews

Following the group interview exercise, you should have a clear indication of which candidates that you want to move forward with for a one on one interview. Use the outlined role requirements and responsibilities from step one to guide your interview questions in the one on one interview. The candidate's responses to your questions should help you determine not only if the candidate is qualified for the role, but also whether or not they are a good fit culturally and personality wise for the team.

5. See if they Can do the Job for an Hour

Immediately following the formal one on one interview, put the candidate to a true test in the role by simulating a hands-on experience. For a marketing position this could involve a small project or brainstorm, and for an ISA it could be a dialer campaign calling old leads for an hour. At the end of the day, there’s no better way to vet one’s skillset than by observing them hands-on in the role, and you’ll quickly uncover whether or not the answers given in the interview are going to translate into actual success on the job.

6. Extend the Offer to your New Hire

At this point your candidate has proven that they are interested in, qualified for, capable of, and well suited for the job. It’s time to extend an enthusiastic offer to a candidate both you and your team are genuinely excited about bringing on board.

The PROVEN benefits of this hiring process are that:

• It’s not 100% up to you to decide, as you’re relying on your team for their input throughout the process
• You’ll discover early on which candidates are able to follow directions by testing them a bit in the application process
• Coming out of the group interview process, you’ll know immediately who your  team players are
• And most importantly, your team will be bought in and invested in the new person– before, during and after the recruiting process is complete

Once the offer has been extended and the dust has settled, keep in mind that it’s up to you to properly train, onboard and set up your new recruit for success. At the end of the day, as a manager of others you must always keep in mind that your people are your most valuable asset, and as such you should stay continually invested in each person and their goals. Happy employees help businesses thrive, keep employee morale high, boost productivity and in turn improve your bottom line. Now Happy Hiring!