One of the most challenging things in the world of recruitment is finding senior-level employees. Them fulfilling (or not fulfilling) their roles have a greater impact on the company, which is why making the right choice is all the more crucial. This is especially true in the field of real estate, where experienced agents often fill the role of mentors.
In addition, there are also fewer qualified candidates the higher up you go on the organizational chart. As such, recruiters and brokerages need to exercise extra care when looking for candidates to fill senior-level positions. Here are some tips to help you make the best choice:
Create a Candidate Profile
Ideally, you should have a candidate profile no matter the experience level but it can be argued that this is most important for top-level employees. If you’re a third-party recruiter, make sure to work with the brokerage’s management so that you’re on the same page about what they want in a candidate.
Meanwhile, for in-house hiring teams, don’t make assumptions based on previous hires or settle for half-hearted acknowledgments. Get everyone to agree down to the smallest detail so there aren’t any disappointments later on.
Target Passive Candidates
The fact of the matter is that senior-level agents and other real estate professionals are almost always already employed. They’re good at what they do, which means they’re in high demand and won’t stay without a job for long. Thus, you need to widen your search and include not just active but also passive candidates. With enough incentive, they might be convinced to join your company instead.
Of course, it’s important to build a pool of passive candidates even before you need to make senior hires. Getbrokerkit to help with various facets of real estate recruitment and retention, including CRM, lead generation, and email marketing. With the right tools, it will be a little easier to manage your contacts list and find the best candidates.
Compensation Doesn’t Always Mean Money
When a young professional is first starting out, compensation is usually about money. For new real estate agents, this means higher commission splits and other benefits with direct monetary value.
On the other hand, more senior agents and brokers have different priorities. They will still want to be compensated well for their talents, of course, but this isn’t their sole focus. Many top-level professionals are looking for a challenge, in a place where they feel they can make a difference. Think beyond perks such as travel opportunities (although these are nice to have); rather, consider giving them autonomy in their role and further career advancement opportunities.
Consider Promoting Someone From Within
When hiring someone for a senior position, no matter the industry, you’ll want someone that can build rapport with your current team. This can be rather tricky, especially if you have a lot of long-term employees. By promoting someone rather than hiring from the outside, you’re already guaranteed of having someone that gets along with others.
Of course, you still need to apply the same level of scrutiny that you would for “standard” hiring. After all, being in a senior-level or even an executive position means fulfilling bigger responsibilities. Conduct a careful evaluation of potential employees for promotion. Take a look at their work, how motivated they are, and if they’re well-liked and respected by others in the company. You should also ask them if they’re willing to take on the role.
Find Someone You Like
For those who decide to hire from the outside, then you really have to find someone you like. You can go for someone who fits well with the company culture or someone who complements it. If you’re working with a third-party recruiter, don’t make a decision until you’ve met the candidates personally.
You should also choose someone whose values align with yours. Having someone with a different point of view is great to broaden horizons, but it can be detrimental if the differences cause frequent arguments.
Age Doesn’t Matter
Hiring senior real estate professionals doesn’t automatically mean hiring someone older. Time and again, young talents have shown that they can also do a good job in bigger roles. Simply put, don’t hesitate to hire or promote younger employees to senior positions. As long as they have the necessary skills and meet all of your requirements, then there’s no issue with young people taking on the job.
Look for Someone Loyal
Hiring a senior-level employee takes a lot of time and resources, so you really want someone who will stay with your brokerage for as long as possible. Being in such a position also means having one or more people working under them but at least this will save your company from frauds like flood checks guaranteed for 20 years. It can be a source of stress to these subordinates to adjust to a new boss if you cycle through managers and other senior-level employees often.
Recruiting more real estate agents is one way to help push your brokerage towards the height of success. However, hiring senior-level employees is just as important; perhaps it’s even more so considering their level of influence. Keep these tips in mind and good luck on your search for managers and executives for your brokerage.
