As an ex Police Officer, you may think I am an advocate of hard and fast grilling during an interview, see if you can trip them up. I am not, quite the opposite. We need to remember there are two objectives within an interview. Firstly, the interviewer has to ascertain if they have found the right person for the job, makes sense, right? Secondly and most importantly do not forget to sell the opportunity so the interviewee wants the job. There is zero point in finding your perfect candidate to find out they thought the interview was one sided and they did not really gel with you.
People are more relaxed and open when you set an environment to encourage this. In most cases the person you are interviewing will be working closely with you, so your first impressions count just as much. If you greet them hurriedly and proceed right into the questions are you really creating the best impression of your management style? This candidate may or may not be the right person but no matter what they have had an experience with you and will be talking about the company they have interviewed with- make the impression a good one.
The market out there is a competitive one, before diving into the questions it may be a good idea to talk about the opportunity and the prospects you can offer. This gives the interviewee a chance to acclimatise to the setting and really communicates the opportunity. During the interview please show an interest in the person sat with you. We often have feedback from candidates stating the interviewer was looking at their watch and phone etc during interview, resulting in them declining subsequent offers of employment.
So you have greeted your interviewee and they are eagerly listening to the opportunity in front of them. Now it is over to the questioning and looking beyond the obvious. Here are my top interview questions/tips during interview.
- Go through the CV and highlight any gaps or further explanation needed in terms of duties/experience etc.
- Body language/eye contact- Keep a note of this. Not only at the beginning but also during the interview, if they are uncomfortable with a question does their body language/eye contact change from the start of the interview?
- Motivations- Why are they here and how has their career been aligned to their motivations thus far? Why have the made each more? This should offer an insight into how they think.
- What type of management style do they respond to? This will help you make judgement on how well they will fit within your setting and allow you see what style they respond best to.
- How can I get the best out of you? Similar to motivations, this will allow you an insight to their thought processes.
- What did you dislike in your previous roles? This question helps gauge previous frustrations and reasons for leaving previous employers.
- If you are interviewing for a management role, really get to grips with their leadership style. How do they lead, motivate, train teams etc. Why are you a good leader? How do you interact with your team? How do you ensure you get the best from people? Why do you manage people? What is the best advice you would give to someone aspiring towards management?
- What advice would you give yourself 5 years ago? This is a good question based on reflection/personality.
- How do you build effective relationships with people?
- Finally, do not be afraid to ask questions outside of the box. I am sure you have better examples than me. Tell me about a lightbulb moment you had? Why this career of choice? How would your best friend describe you? Do you have an example of a book that influenced you? Who is your hero?
For more advice on interviews, interview structure and any other recruitment needs please contact One Property Recruitment.
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From our very first conversation Andrew knew exactly the kind of role I was looking for, I didn’t have to go through job role after job role asking him to go back to the drawing board, there was an immediate understanding. During the recruitment process, Andrew was supportive and gave me all the tips and confidence I needed to sell myself during the interview stages. Once I was offered the job, the contract was explained to me in full and the process of negotiation and finalising was very easy thanks to Andrews reactive working and Client relationship management. A big thank you to Andrew for placing me in a role I am able to be excited about again, I now love my job finally.
- Sarah Fitzpatrick, Senior Estates Manager
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Andrew is an extremely dedicated and hard-working recruiter. He’s friendly, listens to what you want and knows how important it is to match you up with the right role for you.
- Dorrie O’Brien, Customer Experience Manager
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Zoe possesses a deep knowledge of the residential property management sector and works with a wide network of organisations ranging from developers and managing agents. What I value the most is that she always listens and was available to talk, recruiters have a tendency to treat property managers/estate managers as a commodity and this was not the case with Zoe. She is supported by like minded colleagues Andrew and Lucy who are great people also. Making the decision to look for another job is always daunting and Zoe was there to guide me and offer career advise. Thank you so much Zoe for finding me the next step in my working career, I will forever be grateful.
- Aki Spyrou, Estate Manager
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I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Lucy for your help in placing me in my current role. You were so easy to deal with and your communication was amazing! In the past when I've had contact with agencies they have failed to chase back up on leads or arrange interviews that they had promised. From start to finish you were so efficient and quick at what you do and I'm very happy in my new role. It was exactly what I was looking for and you kept in constant contact with me throughout the whole process. You're a star!
- Faye Davies, Assistant Estate Manager
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I have worked with Zoe for a number of years and can happily say that she is one of the most professional and diligent recruiters I have ever worked with. Zoe has always ensured that every candidate has been properly vetted prior to passing me any CV’s for review. For those I progress to the interview stage, Zoe will always make sure they come properly prepared which shows her diligence for understanding the needs of the client, as well as understanding of the position being advertised. I am also thankful to Zoe for acting as my recruiter for my most recent appointment as Head of Operations. I have to say she is proactive in ensuring I was kept up to date every step of the way through the interview process and has regularly kept in touch with me since to see how I am developing into the position.
- Ben Belcher, Head of Operations
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I cannot recommend Zoe enough! My client was having difficulties securing a maintenance operative given their specific requirements, and had interviewed 8 candidates from two alternative agencies, but to no avail. Zoe was attentive in understanding the business needs, and the client swiftly secured a prime candidate at a competitive market rate. Her market advice and professionalism meant that the process was efficient and effective
- Tom Young, Senior Property Manager
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Lucy was professional and genuinely wanted to find the best job to fit my needs. She was able to land me a progressive role within days, helping me throughout the whole process. I was extremely impressed with the dedication to regularly check in to see how I was doing after starting the new position. Thank you!
- Anthony Bryan – Concierge
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Lucy helped me find my new job. She is an absolute pleasure to work with. Very attentive, she communicated very efficiently at every stage of the process giving me enough notice to prepare along with very useful tips. She never failed to wish me luck before every important juncture be it a telephone interview or the final interview with the Directors. I cannot recommend Lucy enough!
- Jigar Savla – Property Manager
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Lucy is a fantastic recruiter, she really took her time to listen and find out my needs and requests. She is very proactive, attentive, friendly and very easy to communicate with. She helped me secure my dream job and I would highly recommend her to all my friends in the property industry.
- Funmi Akinwande – Property Manager
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I cannot recommend Lucy enough. Her professionalism & organisation are second to none and her knowledge and efficiency meant that the entire process of finding me a new role was stress-free and made simple. Lucy’s communication was brilliant and she was always available to answer any of my many questions. She is infinitely patient and nothing was too much trouble and I can’t thank her enough for that. If you are looking for a genuine and honest consultant to deal with, look no further than Lucy - she’s a superstar!
- Sampson Burrows, AIRPM – Block Manager
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Inspired Property Management have been working closely with Zoe to find candidates to fill vacancies within our workforce. Zoe and her team have demonstrated high levels of professionalism and courtesy when sourcing candidates. They are always prompt to respond and honest and understanding of our needs. We would not hesitate to recommend them for recruitment services.
- Chris Peters – Head of Property Management, Inspired
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Zoe consistently provides us with quality candidates and exemplary standards of practice. Zoe is there for market advice when needed and without hesitation I would highly recommend her for your recruitment needs.
- Dean Clarke – Director Lee Baron
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Zoe has been absolutely amazing throughout the entire recruitment process. I have never met such an honest and dedicated recruiter. Zoe listens to you and advises based on her strong knowledge of the sector and your career/client objectives. I found Zoe to be supportive, motivating and highly professional during my job search and felt nothing but confident during every part of the process. I cannot thank her enough for believing in me- Zoe you are brilliant at what you do!
- Alannah Cairns, Operations Support Manager