How do I hire a rockstar?

[Caleb Bryant]

It occurred to me that I have no idea how to find good people to hire and I figured I'd hop on here and see who has advice! I am a real estate entrepreneur that's been investing since 2015, but until 2018 I wasn't concerned with hiring anyone to take over my job in the company which is essentially a disposition manager. We are in the relatively small market of Huntsville, Alabama, so I'm worried there aren't a ton of people who would both have the skills and also be willing to take this type of position. There are a lot of good jobs in this area being the tech and government hub that it is here. While we work in Birmingham too, I really want someone that is local and can come to the office so we can continue to build a culture. The approach we've taken so far to attempt hiring is using indeed to post the job. When a candidate applies, it then sends them to an assessment to see how proficient they are in certain skills. If they do both the app and the assessment, we reach out and ask for a 1 minute video of what they can bring to the company and why they'd like ti work with us. Only like 5 people out of probably 250+ apps have done these three steps. Of those, we only got 2 to come in for an interview. Because I'm new to this, I feel like I should get one feedback and see what other successful real estate business owners have done to get good talent in their company. I'll add that this is a wholesaling business specifically, if that matters. Thanks for any and all feedback and advice!

[Spencer Sutton]

Hey Caleb, 

We have interviewed thousands of people over the past six years and have just over 100 on our team.

We based our main approach on a book called Who by Geoff Smart. It is great for the phone interview (just four questions), the face to face, and then we add a cultural interview b/c culture is as important as a person's skill set. 

Before they get to the phone interview though, they take a Culture Index test to see if they have the natural wiring we are looking for in the role. So it helps for you to know exactly what you're looking for in the position. Our salesperson profile is vastly different than our property manager profile. You don't have to use Culture Index...possibly a free version of Myers Briggs or another personality profile would work. 

Those three main pieces - culture index, Who questions, and our own culture interview - have allowed us to hire incredible talent for a pretty tough industry (property management). 

Hope that helps! 

Spencer