Mike McMullen is the CEO of Prominence Homes and the author of Build. Rent. Sell. Repeat!
getty
Every business owner understands the misery of hiring the wrong person. I certainly do.
As the owner and CEO of three separate companies, I’ve faced my share of hiring failures. A lot of people have had to come and go over the years, but I’ve also learned a great deal from my mistakes, and my companies have flourished thanks to the terrific people I’ve brought on board.
I’ve found that the trick to effective hiring is simple: Focus on “who” rather than “what” during the interview process. When you’re looking to fill a role within your real estate company, evaluate candidates based on three different criteria: their values, their vision and their versatility.
What Values Will You Bring?
Look for employees who have strong values — that is, tough moral and aesthetic standards that safeguard the quality of their work. Every employer wants to hire people with integrity, character and a strong work ethic. So how do you do it?
Keep your eyes peeled. People say that getting a job is about who you know, and though I’m not sure if that is true, I certainly think that giving a job is about who you know. When recruiting for a position at your company, you should always consider your personal network; doing so allows you to vet candidates based on shared personal experiences rather than purely impersonal interview questions.
MORE FOR YOU
Choosing someone with whom I am familiar also allows me to judge the values of the candidate and the people in their network. Put simply, inside my companies I don’t want to work with people who are off-the-charts unreasonable in their expectations, under-performers in their work ethic and unaware of how to appropriately work with people in a professional manner. I know it sounds harsh, but ignoring red flags like these can lead to unpleasant surprises down the road. Better to avoid these types of workers altogether.
Are You Driven By A Vision Of Your Own?
Once you’ve found someone with strong values, move on to questioning their vision. Many recruiters ask some form of the question, “Are you driven?” I feel that this is far too vague, and it gives candidates an easy out. (Spoiler alert, they will answer yes).
Instead, ask candidates to explain their vision. Sometimes I’ll say: “Are you driven by a vision of your own? If so, please elaborate.” The best employees won’t struggle with this question. They’ll spend the next several minutes filling me with curiosity about their passion for quality architecture, their fundraising for nonprofits or their customer-centered management approach at a high-end auto dealership.
I might be hiring them to sell houses, but if they demonstrate creativity and passion and drive, then I can transfer their talents to a different project at a later time. In addition, people with their own vision tend to be creative and passionate. These kinds of people will invent new revenue streams for your company today, tomorrow and well into the future.
Can You Do Similar Work?
Finally, you want to know if a potential employee is versatile. I move people around a lot at my companies, and if you do or plan to do the same, instead of asking if they can do a certain type of work, give future employees several sample jobs to complete.
This tactic has the added benefit of onboarding the chosen employees sooner, and with less fuss, as they will already have a good idea of what their projects look like. Often, I’ll hire people provisionally in a “sink or swim” capacity — always making sure to be upfront about my expectations.
In the end, hiring is a challenge, but like all skills, it can be practiced and perfected. If you stick with pointed questions, you’ll find employees who do far more than plug existing holes — you’ll find people who are capable of piloting the ship.
Forbes Real Estate Council is an invitation-only community for executives in the real estate industry. Do I qualify?