Winning the Talent War

Property Management Association members relate that finding and retaining best-in-class talent is one of their greatest challenges. With unemployment rates dipping below 4% nationally, that challenge is becoming increasingly more difficult.

Hiring the wrong person is often worse than not hiring anyone at all. Part of the challenge in hiring is determining how well a candidate will fit with the existing culture. Here are several questions to gain insights into a candidate’s motivation, entrepreneurial thinking and teamwork. 

Motivation (not including compensation) 

• What areas would you focus on in this position to solve existing problems or those you might encounter in the future?
• If you elected to join our team, what are the reasons you would tell friends and family why you selected us?
• What are you passionate about? 

Entrepreneurial Thinking 

• If you have great ideas for improving our operations but you worry about stepping on others’ toes, what would you do? 
• What would you do on your first day on the job? 

Teamwork 

• Describe a situation where you disagreed with a coworker. What was the nature of the disagreement and how was it resolved?
• What types of feedback have you received in your previous positions on how you can improve your performance?
• Describe your most trusted mentors. What did you learn from them that has helped you work with others? 

Asking these types of questions will help you determine if a prospect will fit into your corporate culture and has comparable core values.