ERA TopRecruiterSM Interview Questions and Techniques

The most common misjudgment made among real estate brokers and managers who are attempting to recruit productive agents is an over-emphasis on the value proposition of the brokerage prior to the development of a relationship based on trust and integrity. A large contributor to this occurrence is the lack of a professional interview in the recruitment process.

Generally speaking the content for most recruiting meetings is either rapport building or the presentation of features, benefits and advantages of the brokerage that will impact the agent’s decision. Unfortunately without supporting those elements with the proper interview, much is left out of the process that will assist in a successful conclusion.

There is every reason to professionally interview eachproductive agent that you might consider bringing into your office. A well completed interview allows for the candidate to understand the seriousness with which you make hiring decisions and at the same time share important, if not critical, information and detail with you. The transition from a normal rapport building discussion to a properly conducted interview starts by asking some easy questions that the candidate does not mind answering and are part of normal conversation. From there the questions become a bit more pointed and offer an opportunity to start to really access the details of the person with whom you are meeting as it relates to the recruiting process.

Below we have listed a series of professionally designed interviewing questions for productive real estate agents and have put the questions in progressively more challenging order. Based on a judgment of the recruiting manager, some or all of these questions can become part of a professionally conducted,productive agent interview.

  1. So Mary, tell me again how long have you been in the real estate business?
  2. Now, can you tell me why did you decide to become a real estate agent?
  3. Can you tell me a little bit about the training that you have received as an agent and any certifications or specializations that you have that I might not know about?
  4. What would you say has been the most important part of the real estate business for you?Is it the flexibility? The independence? Or the earnings potential that it affords you?
  5. As you look towards your future in the real estate industry, describe for me what you see 2 or 3 years out.
  6. Would you mind explaining to me a little more about how you feel you will specifically progress as a real estate agent in the next few years?
  7. Can you describe for me the working relationship that you think is ideal between yourself and your broker?
  8. Is being held accountable for developing business and staying on plan to achieve your goals important to you?
  9. If you were to describe yourself as a real estate professional, what few words would you use?
  10. How will you know if the relationship between you and I is strong enough for you to seriously consider working together?

Selecting some or all of these questions will assist in a properly conducted agent interview. It is important to note that questions like these can cause significant feedback, and as a result you should be prepared to take specific notes as this is the beginning of a professional relationship and the development of this agent’s file within your office. They will take your interest in them sincerely and see this as a significant step in the beginning of the relationship between you both.

The conversion from the interview to the presentation of features, benefits and agent transition materials occurs when the relationship between you and the candidate is comfortable.

Additional Interview Question Ideas:

Manager: As I stated on our call, my purpose for meeting you today is to ask you some more questions about your business, focus on the areas you need support, and coach you to increase your business.

  1. What did you do before real estate and what made you decide to get into real estate?
  2. What do you like to do when you’re not selling real estate?
  3. What would you attribute your success to?
  4. What areas of your business would you like to increase your skill-sets?
  5. What is your buyer to seller ratio?
  6. Do you have a written business plan?
  7. Do you currently have a marketing strategy?
  8. Do you currently have a farming strategy?
  9. Do you source what activities generate your results?
  10. Do you source the dollars you are investing in your business to measure their effectiveness?
  11. Are you tracking the number of incoming calls you get from your signs, advertising, and mailings?
  12. Are you measuring your call conversion ratio?
  13. Do you have a database management system that you are using on a daily basis?
  14. How often are you contacting your sphere of influence?
  15. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your listing presentation?
  16. What is your conversion rate for listing appointments?
  17. Do you have a pricing strategy that you use at every listing presentation?
  18. Do you have a strategy to service your listings?
  19. What prospecting methods are you using on a consistent basis?
  20. Would you like to spend more time away from real estate while maintaining or increasing your current production?
  21. Do you currently have a team?
  22. Who’s coaching your team?