Recruitment is one of the most essential parts of running a business. It’s even more crucial in real estate brokerages, since talented real estate agents contribute a huge chunk of income.
The problem is that real estate agent recruitment isn’t a simple process. That’s because it can be affected by various internal and external factors, such as the size of your brokerage and the condition of the economy. No matter how polished your programs are, there may be times when your recruitment may not be as effective.
Here are just some of the things that can affect the results of your brokerage’s real estate agent recruiting, along with some ways you can adjust.
Your Data and Tools
To be able to hire the best of the best real estate professionals, you have to account for a variety of data. These include the latest market trends, where the most qualified agents are, and the most popular application method, among others. Being informed about these matters can help you make better decisions.
That’s why it’s important to use software and a variety of technological tools to gather data and accelerate your recruiting. This way, not only do you have access to data but also the capability to process them for easier analysis. You can even predict trends with the help of data, which will then allow you to develop preemptive tactics.
One of the best tools to invest in to gather and analyze data is real estate software. To give you a clearer picture as to why and how, you can visit this link: https://getbrokerkit.com/home/use-broker-metrics-to-accelerate-your-agent-recruiting/
The Recruiting Budget
The fact of the matter is that recruiting costs a lot of money. What’s more, the cost of recruitment doesn’t stop at the point when you’ve hired the candidate but rather continues well into the employee’s training period. The more budget you have, the faster you are able to recruit and vice versa.
For smaller brokerages who are working with a smaller recruiting budget, it’s a good idea to first calculate your ROI in two scenarios. The first is doing the recruiting on your own, and the other is hiring a recruiter. There are times when it’s more effective to outsource recruitment, since this can help ease the decision-making process and improve the quality of hires.
Your Recruitment Policy or Program
Sometimes, what makes the recruitment process complicated or ineffective is the policy itself. There may be redundant steps or too-stringent requirements that discourage applicants or aren’t relevant. Make it a habit to evaluate your recruitment policy to make sure that it’s as efficient as possible.
Some of the things that you should consider including are:
- guidelines against discrimination and biases
- merit-based selection
- clear approval flow
- manpower alignment
- clear terms and conditions of employment.
The Compensation Package
The real estate industry is highly competitive, which is why you have to make every effort to stand out to potential candidates. One of the ways you can do this is by offering a stellar salary and benefits package. However, this might not be as easy to do if you don’t have as big a budget as your competitors.
If this is indeed your scenario, you might want to add non-monetary benefits to sweeten the pot. These include work-from-home arrangements or flexible hours. You can also give the best performers the chance to become stakeholders in the future.
The Brokerage’s Reputation
There are a lot of reasons why a candidate doesn’t apply or turn down an offer. Maybe they feel as if the compensation is not equal to the value they can give to the company. Maybe they prefer to work somewhere closer to home. Maybe the recruitment process was a little slow for them.
Another big reason that potential hires don’t push through with their application? Your company’s reputation. People simply don’t want to be associated with a business whose values don’t align with theirs. A mishandled crisis can also affect an applicant’s perception of a company, as do the negative reputation of the current employees.
Make sure to keep your brokerage’s reputation in a positive light. If you have to work with public relations companies to revamp your image, do so. You should also enjoin your current employees to always espouse your company’s values.
The Competition
Sometimes, your competition is a bigger brokerage with a bigger budget. Sometimes, it’s a company with a much better reputation and a wider network. Whoever your competition may be, if they have better recruitment and retention programs in place, then you’ll likely lose superstar candidates to them.
The key to overcoming this hurdle in real estate recruiting is to study these companies that seem to be doing better than you. Pay attention to their tactics and what they seem to be doing right. Then, evaluate your own recruiting programs and make the necessary changes.
As you can see, there are several factors that can make or break your real estate recruiting. Some of them are easier to deal with than others. Nevertheless, it’s worth the effort to straighten out everything. The reward—high-quality hires who stay for years—will be more than worth the time, money, and effort you invest.
