Is the Candidate a People Person?

Peter OBrien cropped

An article by Peter O'Brien.

What is one of the most important attributes you look for in a job candidate?

I look to see if they are a “people person”. Can the candidate “walk the walk” and “talk the talk”?

I have literally interviewed hundreds of candidates across Australia for placement in Property Management. When hiring new staff I often put immense pressure on myself to make the decision as to which candidate will be the right person for the job.

If the wrong candidate was chosen it can create a disastrous series of events. The incorrect placement could cause loss of clients, disruption to other staff members, hostility, stress, and upheaval in the office for everyone. It is also a very expensive exercise.

At the present time the pool of available candidates for property management positions is extremely low. We sometimes do not have any chose but to look outside of our industry and be prepared to train the new person from scratch! Is this a bad thing?

Within the first few minutes of the interview I look to see if the candidate possesses three important traits.

  1. I establish if the person can be trained. Do they have the ability and want to learn? Do they have common sense? The basics of Property Management is not difficult to teach people and with the right support and existing team in place on the job training works very efficiently.
  2. Does the candidate have strong communication and organizational skills? Can they multi-task easily and do they handle stressful situations well. This is of great benefit because it affects almost all of our day to day tasks.
  3. Finally, is the candidate a “people person”? Is the candidate a person who likes interacting with others? Is the candidate a sociable and compassionate person?

Mostly my decision as to who to hire is from answers I have been able to place next to the above 3 questions. And this is why these questions are important:

In property management, effective communication comes from being organized. It is knowing where to access information and being timely and accurate with your advice. It is also being able to transfer information professionally to avoid or reduce conflict.

A key element in leasing and managing property is to clearly express yourself. This includes talking in person, writing an email to landlords, speaking to tenants over the telephone or appearing at mediation or a Hearing of the Tribunal. The person receiving your information, advice or guidance must understand it in their terms and be able to make informed decisions.

An important part of communicating effectively is the ability to comprehend tenancy legislation and convey that interpretation to all parties in a tenancy, whether it is the landlord, tenant or other interested parties such as tradespeople. In some instances you will need to rely on advice from senior real estate professionals such as your Principal Agent or Officer in Effective Control. You must make sure your communication is accurate.

Regular communication is crucial throughout the life cycle of a tenancy. It is your role to coordinate and transfer information between all parties. Constantly keeping the landlord up-to-date on the tenancy, conducting inspections, making recommendations or addressing issues immediately will avoid bad tenancy scenarios. Take for example an urgent repair to replace a leaking hot water system. You will need to act fast, communicate with a number of parties and resolve the issue.