The Offer:

You have identified a qualified candidate, checked references and now all you need is to bring them on board, but what about the counter offer? It is always best to discuss this with the candidate before giving them the offer.

Questions like: “What will your boss do when you put in your notice? What would it take for them to keep you? What have they done in the past when people have given their notices?” The answers to these questions will help you to formulate the offer.

Post-Interview Questionnaire:

After each interview, read through and answer a list of prepared questions to help you determine whether or not to pursue the candidate.

 1.  Did the candidate appear to have the specific skill sets required? If not, what was missing? Too strong, too weak?

 2.  Did the candidate have the depth of experience necessary? If not, what was missing?

 3.  Was it a good personality/style match?

 4.  Did you discuss the candidate’s background?

 5.  What did you like? What were your concerns?

 6.  How would you evaluate them against any other candidates?

 7.  Did you discuss money?

The entire interview process can be one of the most difficult and time-consuming parts of your own job description.

However, if the interview is well planned and you know the information that you need from the process ahead of time, you might find that you can actually enjoy interviewing. But more importantly, you will be able to pick out your company’s next super-star when you see him or her.

Micha Dearen is director for Action Executive Search, a national executive search firm specializing to the real estate industry .  Dearen is an active member of Houston Apartment Association, serving on several committees and authoring articles for Abode. She is a Certified Personnel Consultant and a past speaker for Houston Area Association of Personnel Consultants functions. 

National Management Company is seeking a Regional Maintenance Director.

Regional Maintenance Director for a well respected national management company. Candidates must have 3+ years as a Regional Maintenance Director. Needs to have vendor connections in the Houston area. Will be responsible for supervising the Lead Maintenance staff at the property level. Also responsible for training and hiring the maintenance teams, ordering supplies and getting bids from vendors and contractors.

Needs to have a strong understanding of maintenance issues on site and the ability to determine all that it entails to repair typical maintenance repairs as it relates to vendor timing and pricing. Base salary starting at 85,000.00 plus bonuses.

This position is very confidential and the company is looking for an immediate hire.

Please send resumes to micha@aesrecruit.com. Or contact Micha at 832-437-2060

The Interview:

With the right preparation an interview can flow smoothly and be very informal. The goal of an interview is to find out as much as you can about the candidate so you can determine if they are a fit for your company and the position you are trying to fill.

1.  Give the candidate your undivided attention. People don’t like to feel rushed or unimportant, especially during interviews. Create a comfortable atmosphere, free from distractions and interruptions.

2.  Have a copy of the candidate’s resume in front of you. It is also a good idea to have the candidate fill out an application. This will give you information that isn’t always included on the resume. An application can also help catch any discrepancies in the resume. Always ask for a long-term contact number so you can have multiple ways to contact the candidate.

3.  Have the candidate review his or her career history for you. It is usually best to start at the beginning of the career to present. This will allow you to gain an understanding of the candidate’s progression and accomplishments in the industry.

4.  Ask for the name, title and contact information for each of the candidate’s supervisors. This will help you understand the candidate’s position better as well as assist you in the reference checking.

5.  Describe the responsibilities and short and long term goals of the position for which the candidate is applying. This should elicit questions from the candidate, and the type, clarity and quality of the questions will help you eliminate weaker candidates.

6.  Sell yourself, your company and the opportunity. Even if the candidate you are interviewing isn’t right for your current opening, that candidate may be a fit for a future position. You are representing your company and you should take every opportunity to put your best foot forward.

7.  Explain to the candidate how the interview process works with your company. You should inform them of the next step, the time line for the position to be filled and when they should expect to hear from you. Be sure to contact the candidate when you say you will. Candidates appreciate timely follow up, even if it is to let them know they are not being considered.

Reference Checks:

This part of the hiring process can be time consuming and difficult. However it is very important. With the reluctance to give out references these day, you may have to ask for a personal reference. You can also go to vendors or former supervisors that are no longer their immediate supervisor. Many times it is beneficial to get references from people that reported to the candidate. This helps you get an idea of their management style and teamwork abilities.

It is the beginning of a new year and you have just been promoted to a managerial position.

You were given the responsibility of conducting your first interview and the hiring process is new to you.
Keep in mind that your goal as a manager is to find the best person for the position and for your company. You have collected a number of resumes, but the process of actually hiring someone seems overwhelming. Where do you start? What should you look for in a resume? How can you get the most out of an actual interview?

The Resume:

There are a number of items to look for when reviewing resumes to determine which candidates would be the most qualified for the position you are looking to fill.

1.  Are the candidates name, phone number and address given on the resume? Believe it or not, people actually forget to include contact information on their resumes.

2. Is the candidates career history complete? It should include the name of the companies they worked for, their dates of employment, their title, their responsibilities, accomplishments, education, designations and any additional skills or technology that would relate to the position.

3.  Are there gaps in employment? This could be a red flag unless the gaps are explainable (i.e. pregnancy, military duty, returning to school, etc.).
Look carefully at the candidates job tenure, especially their two most recent positions. Reliable applicants have held two or fewer jobs in the past five years. Job hoppers always have a reason why the position ended, but studies have found it is usually an employment trend rather than a run of bad luck.

4.  Review the candidates promotion history. Did they progress in a logical manner? The most attractive candidates were promoted up in a quick, but realistic amount of time. If a candidate held a number of positions within one company, be sure to find out how long each position was held.

5.  Review the candidate’s progression of responsibility. A quality candidate must not only be promoted in title, but also in responsibilities within those titles. As an example, when looking at a manager’s resume, if you see the individual started managing a 250-unit property, moved to a 400-unit property, and then was promoted to a 650-unit property, that person is typically your stronger candidate due to a progression of responsibilities.

6.  Did the resume give a good description of the candidate’s employment history? Some resumes are merely skeletons of past employment. You can’t determine what the person’s responsibilities were or how they relate to your company’s open position.

7.  Look for awards, designations, and specific accomplishments that are quantifiable. These are a big plus, as they can set apart one candidate from another when job and responsibility descriptions are similar.

Part 2 in writing a winning resume.

We have already looked at in an early post:  Personal information, top accomplishments that most interests employers and the resume check list.  Next for your resume lets look at:

Work History:

 Your work experience should be written in reverse chronological order – last or present position first. It should tell the employer what you have done and accomplished in your past employment. For each position previously or presently held, you should provide:

1. Month and year you were employed (Giving the years of employment is not enough – it leaves room for suspicion!).
2. The name of your employer.
3. Your title.
4. Your responsibilities – written in paragraph form, with all duties and responsibilities you held for that position. It should be around  6 sentences in length.
5. Your accomplishments. Don’t just say what you did:spell out the consequences and implications. Every single time you mention a duty or an accomplishment, pretend an interviewer is asking, “So What? Who cares? What does that mean to me?” This will enable you to write from the potential employer’s perspective. List your accomplishments in quantifiable terms.

Accomplishments include:

• Dollar amounts. Ways you made or saved your company money – be sure to include the exact dollar figures.
• Percentages. Examples of this would be increased in occupancy, increase in net operating expenses, a decrease in delinquency. Be sure to include an exact number.
• Awards, nominations, and scores on evaluations. Unless this is your first resume, do not include jobs you held during high school. The exception would be any job that directly relates to the position for which you are applying. There should be no unexplained gaps over 6 months on your resume. Acceptable gap fillers include: stay-at-home mom, temporary assignments, went back to school.

 Education:

The Education section of your resume is to show an employer that you have the necessary education to do the job. Education includes certificates, continuing education, higher education, degrees and seminars. This, too, should be listed in reverse chronological order – use the most recent first. Be sure to include degree(s) or certificate attained, the institution you attended, and the date you received your diploma. You may also include any academic honors you were awarded. We do not recommend including your GPA – unless it will help sell yourself to an employer.

Once you have prepared your resume your are ready to start looking for a new job. Remember, your resume is the first impression a potential employer gets of you. Make sure it is crisp, professional, factual, informative and easy to read.

Article by:  Micha Dearen is an associate director for Action Executive Search, in Houston Texas specializing to the Real Estate – Multifamily industry since 1999.

Michael Maynard, Certified Personnel Consultant, is an associate director for Liberty Executive  Search with over nine years experience.

Tips to writing a winning resume

A resume is one of the most important screening tools companies use to decide which potential candidates to interview.  Since most hiring authorities look at a resume for less than 40 seconds, the time you invest in its creation is very important; the information therein will determine whether you are considered for an interview.

Employers want to know about your skills and accomplishments and how these will benefit their company. It will be helpful to look at your resume from the Employer’s point of view. Ask yourself, “How do my skills and experience look to a potential employer?” In order to ensure your resume promotes your career in the most positive light, consider the following information.

Personal Information:

The first section should include your name, address, home phone number, mobile phone number, fax number and e-mail address. If you may be contacted at your current employer, you may include your work phone number and your fax number. Be sure to include all of this information so you can be easily contacted by the potential employer.

Top Accomplishments That Most Interest Employers:

• Increased revenue (by how much $?)
• Saved money (How much $?)
• Increased efficiency (By what percentage?)
• Cut overhead (By how much $?)
• Increased sales (By how much $?)
• Improved workplace safety (By doing what?)

Resume checklist:

1. Is all the important information included?
2. Is the information included important to the employer?
3. Have I used specific, quantifiable numbers in describing my accomplishments?
4. Is all the information included accurate?
5. Is the typeset/font clear, professional?

 Work History & Education are key.

In part 2 we will look at both of those aspects of your resume.

Extra Tip: As we look at your resume it is also a good time to look at your linkedin profile if you have one, or start one.

(photo credit: InterviewMastermind)

Construction Project Manager

If you are looking for a new opportunity as a construction manager in the Houston area, read on…

An owner/developer/ manager apartment management company based in Houston, Texas is seeking a construction project manager. All projects are very high end and very detailed. Candidate must have a proven record in apartment development/construction with minimum of 8 years experience in stick frame and epicore construction.   This position will direct and oversee the construction management in all phases of construction.

Candidate must have familiarity with current unit pricing of materials and sub contractor cost.

Requirements for a construction project manager:

• Bachelors Degree in Construction Management or related discipline (a plus but not mandatory);
• Must be experienced in all aspects of construction – Stick and epicore construction;
• Knowledge of all local and state building codes.

Superstar Bilingual Leasing Agent in Houston

Superstar bilingual Leasing Agent needed for  350+ unit properties in the Galleria,SW, and 1960 areas of Houston. Candidates must have at least one year experience and good tenure. Salary depends on experience and strengths. Leasing and renewal bonuses are included as well as a discount on property. Housing experience is a plus. Full benefits are included.

A+++ Leasing Agents needed for a number of garden style, mid and high-rise properties in the downtown, inner-loop, mid-town, Galleria, West U, and energy corridor. Candidates must have great customer service skills, have at least one year experience on an A+ property, maintains a strong closing record and creative marketing ideas. Salary is determined by experience, education and interviewing skills. Leasing and renewal bonuses are very strong. Full benefits and stock options.

Sorry the position is filled…

Property Management Opportunity

We are seeking a Property manager for an A++ property that is near the University of Delaware. Candidates must have 3+ years experience as a Property Manager, degreed preferred or if you are currently working on your degree that is fine. This property is a larger property so the opportunity for advancement is very  high.

Very few people ever leave this company. Please send your resume to vic@aesrecruit.com or call Vic at 281-593-2910. Compensation is not an issue, they want the best manager in the area.

Start the new year with a new job in property management.