“They are not your employees, they are your people.” Stephen Covey could not have said this better. We all can agree the business environment we work in is not for everyone. The decisions we make about potential employees are considered by many as the most important decision you can make. Property Managers make decisions every day about marketing, property and product positioning, suppliers, scheduling, risk management, maintenance, and a whole host of other critical areas. However, the most important key to our success as leaders and managers is the people we place in the positions that support our decisions. Since we do not operate, manage, or lead in a vacuum or by ourselves, hiring the right people could not be more important…of course followed by keeping and motivating the right people.
Any manager can say they have made good hiring decisions, and likewise can also say they have made bad ones. I know most of us can say they have hired Dr. Jekyll, only to find Mr. Hyde after a period of time. The key to success in hiring the right people is like solving a difficult puzzle. It is finding the right piece to complete the picture for success. The question I hear asked time and time again is, “How do I minimize my risk and improve the chances of hiring the right person?” The answers can be found in viewing the hiring process in several steps, all of them important.
Know the difference between what you need and what you want!
This first step is often not taken seriously. You say you need a leasing consultant. You probably say you first need someone that can lease! That is important, however; you also need someone that fits into the team. You need to understand and look back at what characteristics make up the best person for the job, the community, and your team. Leasing and selling apartments is only a portion of this position if we think about it. We also need someone who is outgoing, not afraid to and knows how to handle an unhappy resident or prospect, someone that has the right attitude to learn, is organized and can manage their time, can communicate well both verbally and in writing, and so on. This step is often cut short because we “think” we know what we are looking for on the surface, or we are rushed to fill a position and do not take the time to fill it with the “right” person. This works for any position in multi-family management.
Have more than one person conduct the interview!
It should always take more than two people to hire and make hiring decisions. Studies show the more people involved in the interview process, the greater the chance of finding the right person. Including others in the process does several things. First, it provides a different perspective of the candidates other than our own. With a variety of interviewing styles and questions, we have a greater opportunity to see a candidate for who they may truly be. Second, including other team members in the process adds to creating a motivational environment. Everyone wants to feel they are a part of operations, and involving others can be extremely beneficial and rewarding. Remember, the interview process is to confirm the person being considered is competent and compatible, and is a good fit with the rest of the team.
Ask the right questions…get the right answers!
Have a series of questions you ask every candidate. This provides for a comparison of answers and provides an equal playing field when interviewing. Never ask questions that can simply be answered by a yes or a no. For example, when asking about their ability to be a team player I might ask, “Please share with me specifics as to why you believe you are a team player and provide examples which will help me understand your belief.” Never ask about their strengths without follow-up validation. Having been an interviewer as well as an interviewee, I know this type of question often comes up. I don’t want to know just what someone views as his or her strengths, but confirmation that it is a positive attribute. Anyone can say they have strengths; I want them to prove it. Never be afraid to ask follow-up questions. “You say you are an excellent service person. What in your mind are the specific qualities that determine excellent service?” Now, I may get the answers I am looking for.
Never be afraid to test the applicant!
I’m not talking about psychological profile tests. If you’ve taken enough of them you probably know how to answer them without revealing your true self. What I am suggesting is testing their ability to do the job. Two key points are critical to performance testing. One, you have to be knowledgeable in the area being questioned. Second, if you are not knowledgeable you need to involve someone who is. Let’s look at two examples. You are hiring for a service position. Anyone can say they are good at heating and air conditioning. To consider myself as an effective leader in managing our valued service team members, I took the class for HVAC refrigerant certification and Certified Pool Operator. Don’t ask me to change out your compressor; you might not be as warm in the winter as you would hope to be. I do, however; know important information related to HVAC operation that helps me understand what our service personnel must do, which allows me to ask questions in an interview other regional’s may not be able to. I will often tell a service candidate I need them to troubleshoot a problem. The situation is the interior blower unit is working, however; the outside condenser is not. What are you going to check first? If the candidate says they will check the refrigerant levels, I know they are not my next employee; as you always check the electrical components first. If I am not confident in my knowledge of maintenance systems, I am going to find someone who is to conduct an interview and ask the verification questions. I have even had service managers take the candidate out on the site on service calls to see if they really know their “stuff.” If I am hiring a leasing person and they say they can lease ice water to Eskimos, how do I know they can perform as stated? I provide them with all of our prospect information, let them review it, and then take them to the model or an apartment. I always leave them alone in the apartment home, and tell them to return to the office and provide me their thoughts. What I don’t tell them is when they return I am going to say, “Now show me that apartment as if you were going to lease it to me, starting with me walking in the front door.”
Ask the hard questions and don’t just emphasize the good!
Anyone can ask “fluff” questions, and you will probably get “fluff” answers. We do not work 9-5 jobs, and we do not always have the happiest campers to deal with. The character of an employee shows not only when things are going well, but also how they handle themselves when they are challenged. For a service candidate I may ask, “Accepting this position means you will have to be on call after normal office hours. You may get a call at 2:00 AM from a very upset and angry resident. In addition to being a qualified service person, you also have to act as the property’s representative and ambassador in times of need. Are you prepared for this and what do you believe is important in handling this type of delicate situation?” We tell candidates about our benefits, how good the company is, how the team is, etc., but we fail to remind them everyone will be challenged at some point in time. It is how these times are handled that impact not only the perception of an employee, but the entire team. These types of questions also set the stage for what our expectations really are.
Don’t trust the resume or forget to check references!
Now, I realize many companies are hesitant about providing reference information other than if the candidate worked for them and their hire date. This is where being Sherlock Apartment Homes is important. Unless you have a company that will do this service for you, it is up to you to verify and confirm what they tell you. When checking their credit file, it often has address information listed. If they say they have been working in Denver and you see they have had credit with an address from San Francisco for the past nine months, you might want to ask some questions. A recent study showed 68% of candidates exaggerated accomplishments, and 45% were not honest about their position responsibilities. You must at least make the attempt to contact former employers, ask the questions, and do everything you can to provide verification. I asked a manager once about the hire she had made and if she had checked references. She said she had called the candidate’s last two employers at least three times each, faxed the authorization for information, and could not even get a return phone call. Can you say “Red Flag?” Within a few weeks it was very apparent we had made a poor hiring decision, and there was more to the story. I had a candidate for a position, and after calling Human Resources at her previous company, I asked if I could verify some information. The Human Resource representative said, “I’m sorry I am not allowed to talk about her departure from our company.” She did not say they were not allowed to give out previous employee information; she was very clear about anything dealing with this previous employee. Nothing ventured…nothing gained, so take make the effort.
Don’t just fill the position, fit the position!
One of the biggest mistakes made today is not taking time to insure you are finding and selecting the best candidate for the position. We look at being short-staffed and for some reason have blinders on, focused on filling the position immediately. Other team members may have to compensate for the missing employee, or we as managers may have to work harder. This is where working smarter will have a lasting benefit and make up for overcoming the challenges of a short-staffed team. The fact is if we fail to find the right person, we very well may be going through this process again in a short time. We should realize the average cost of an employee replacement is estimated to be well over $4,000, which includes finding and training a new team member. This is not to mention what impact it can have on the cohesiveness of the existing team members by hiring the wrong person. Take your time, which will save time later by making sure you fit the position with the best candidate.
Hire the wrong person for the wrong job and it will have an impact on operations, your team, and even resident retention. The financial costs in making the wrong decision can be in the thousands, including time and resources. This does not include what impact the wrong decision can have on disrupting and in some cases, dismantling an entire team by bringing in the wrong player. Hiring is both a management decision and a leadership decision. We need to manage the process, while placing leadership principles into the equation. Anyone in management can make decisions. Making good decisions in a timely manner shows you can be an effective leader. Don’t forget, it’s about hiring the right person, for the right job, and for the right reasons.
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