In my career, I’ve conducted hundreds of interviews for Property Managers, and I’ve also been seated on the side-lines as an observer a fair few times.

Along the way I’ve picked up some tips that have worked consistently well for me, so perhaps they’ll help you too. This is, of course, from a property point of view, but I think the recommendations apply to business interviews in general.

1) Take it slow

The first point to remember is to take it slowly and try your best to put the candidate at ease. It can be very detrimental to the success of your interview if you don’t. Not only will the candidate feel very nervous and not perform well, they will also talk from a script. What do I mean by this, well before coming to meet you they will have prepared answers to questions they think you want to hear. These often don’t give you a real insight to who the person is. During a more relaxed conversation the candidate will open up and show you their true selves. A good interview should be 30% you and 70% candidate when it comes to conversation. Let them talk and try some neutral openers like ‘So how was your journey here today?’ or ‘Do you know the area well?’. If you can find some common ground as an opener you’ll be amazed at where the conversation takes you and how the candidate relaxes when they’re on familiar ground. My colleagues find my interview style amusing - I can come out of an interview knowing how many animals a candidate has, where they went on holiday last year, and what career path their children have chosen. The reason being that the more I know about someone, the better chance I have of making a good match for a position.

2)  Skill set

Whether somebody has the necessary skills to do the job can feel like the most important aspect of any interview. So how do you assess if a Property Manager has the skills that you’re looking for? I’d recommend giving the candidate scenarios of some typical problems that they might face. For example:

You start managing a new property and notice that the H&S/Fire Risk Assessments are out of date. You take action and get them instructed. What do you do when you receive the report(s) back?

Answer:

1. Review the report and identify any key concerns and required actions.

2. Instruct the necessary immediate works and ensure that the contractor is made aware of the identifications on the report so they know exactly what the issues are.

3. Chase the appointed contractor to get a completion date ASAP.

4. Once the works are completed file the works order and record of works completion with the H&S/ Fire Risk Assessment.

5. Make a structured plan (based on financials of the development and requirements of the client) for all other non-urgent but identified risks/issues in the property.

(Question provided by Emma Blaney, Productive Property People)

BUT don’t be fooled into thinking that just because a candidate can do the job, they’ll be right for your company.

3) Motivation

Ah the age-old interview question of ‘So, what motivates you?’. It’s right up there with ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?’ and provokes a stock answer, usually straight from 101 Ways to Win At Interviewing. Angela Duckworth, psychologist and author of New York Times bestseller Grit: The Power and Passion of Perseverance talks about three categories that people fall under when it comes to work. Those that see their work as a “job” (a means to an end, it brings in the money each month) a “career” (it’s about self-achievement, needing lots of room to grow and progress) or a “calling” (believing that what they do improves people’s lives, and most likely having the passion or grit to go the extra mile).

I believe that you need a combination of all three in a company to make it work.

People that class work as a job are your steady people: they’ll be content to tick over in the same position and if you keep them happy and don’t over load them they’ll deliver. You also need the career-minded person: they’ll work hard and bring in ideas and valuable information. They may not stay for five years but they’ll willingly add value because standing out and doing a good job is what makes them tick. So, the third person. The one that sees their job as a calling? That person is me. We’re typically hard to find. But if you do find us, we’re a keeper. We’ll demonstrate the most “grit” meaning we’ll stay with your firm long term. We’re the most likely to sacrifice unpaid hours because we believe that what we’re doing makes a difference. We also tend to be the most satisfied in our roles. Studies show that ‘calling’ employees took a third less absence days. Studs Terkel’s Working found that there are only a small minority of workers that class their work as a “calling”. Not for the lack of wanting, because most of us yearn for a higher purpose but some just haven’t found it yet.

So, my question to you is...What do you want from this candidate? And which motivation best fits this role?

4) Personality

I think it’s essential to have a combination of personalities in the workplace so as to appeal to a no doubt varied client base. It’s also important to consider how these personalities will work together. For example, two very dominant personalities may clash, causing the knock-on effect of a negative office environment, an unstable team and staff leakage.

Matching people’s values and interests is a great way to construct the right team for you.

5) Cultural fit

What’s your company culture? Do you have a very corporate feel or are you more of a family? Some people lend themselves better to one or the other and with careful probing this can be ascertained at interview. Knowing exactly what your company culture is will help you determine if the candidate will be happy with you long term.

6) Blowing your own trumpet

It’s very un-British to self-promote. So at interview this step can often be missed out entirely or underplayed. If you’ve read any of my other blogs you will have heard me talk about the candidate driven market meaning the ratios of jobs to candidates is far higher. This means as hiring managers we must work hard at selling the company. It’s also important to give the candidate an idea of company values, progression and where they will sit within the company infrastructure. This should be a true reflection, there’s nothing worse than being promised the world and being delivered something quite different.

At Block Recruit this formula underpins our work and enables us to match the right candidates to companies. But the best person to define these areas is you, the hiring manager. If you’d like us to help you put this into practice, please contact me for further information.