Apartment Industry Interviewing Etiquette
by, Loa McManus, CTS
Growing Pains: Transition Into a New Job
by, Seth McCain, Marketing Specialist
Ready, Set….Grow! ! If you’re a current apartment professional or just starting your first position in the industry, finding your groove can be daunting. You’ve been given a new and exciting opportunity to showcase your skills and experience, but getting there can take more time and effort than you think. Don’t sweat the small stuff though.
Here are Five Tips that will help you find your groove and transition smoothly:
1. Be Positive: Every new job comes with a lot of new emotions. You may be thrilled to take on this new employment endeavor, but do not be surprised by the obstacles you will encounter as you transition. Whether you’re not catching on as quickly as you’d hoped or your typical work speed is not yet up to par, keep your chin up. Whatever the obstacle is that you may be facing, it’s important to continue to grind it out with a positive attitude. Highlighting your positive enthusiasm around your co-workers will make your transition that much smoother
2. Find Your Routine: If you’ve just taken on a new apartment job, it can be difficult to jump into the swing of things. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average duration of unemployment is about 8 months. With that in mind, actively build and manage a routine that will allow you to increase your work progress and effectiveness. What does that look like? Develop an exercise routine, get more sleep, make to do lists at work, and be ready to embrace any task thrown your way.
3. Embrace Company Culture: When you first interviewed for this position, you most likely expressed some values that coincide with the apartment community you now work for. As a new employee, openly embrace the work culture there by making the office norms your new habits.
4. Set Goals: Within the first week on the job, try to make it a priority to establish some quantitative goals. Ask your manager and even yourself what they want to accomplish in the near future and how you can plan accordingly to reach these goals. Goal setting is a great technique that is often not implemented and easily overlooked. Set some goals and watch yourself grow and develop in your career.
5. Be a Team Player: As you continue to try to nail down your own responsibilities as a new employee, it’s also important to be a team player on the property. If you know your co-worker could use your help tying up a few loose ends on a lease or project, offer your help to them. This will give you the opportunity to work with someone new, as well highlight your willingness and ability to work on a team.
How to Cultivate a Healthy Community
Creating a sense of community is key to cultivating happy residents. Even the most isolated resident cares about the sense of community on their property. Community translates to comfort and safety. Happy residents increase retention rates and create the strongest marketing tool you can get- word-of-mouth marketing. Here are some ideas that may help you create that sense of community:
- Decorate- Decorate the office, and even the property for the holidays. Don’t just decorate for Christmas. Be festive, and decorate for ALL of the holidays! Celebrate a little bit of everything.
- Bird Houses- Does your property have a lot of trees? Why not adorn them with unique bird houses from your local thrift store, and simple bird feeders. Make your property have a nice backyard feel (read more).
How to Write a Raise Request Letter for Property Managers
Here is a step by step guide on how to write a raise request letter:
Paragraph #1: This paragraph should leave your employer wondering where you are going with this. It’s best if you can leave them hoping you aren’t going to quit. It’s a good frame of mind for them to be in while they read the rest of your letter!
Paragraph #2: Point out the ways you have gone above and beyond the duties of your job. Claim responsibility for the progress and down falls of your team. (This doesn’t mean stealing the credit of someone else’s work. Your message should come across as you accepting responsibility for your role as a leader).
Bullet Points: Highlight all of your major accomplishments since your last raise and review. Be specific. Use numbers and percentages when you can. Point out times when you have worked long hours to meet deadlines and accomplishments that show you’re a team player (read more).
Loa McManus, CTS
Time to Go New-School on Your Job Search!
In a world full of change, it comes as no surprise that the world of job search is changing too. Having the right resumeand approach are just as important as having the right skills. Let’s take a look at a few of the important changes the job search world has seen in the past few years.
1. Short Summaries of your job descriptions are a must! As a leasing professional, you likely did the same things at many of your leasing jobs. Property managers know the job description of a leasing consultant. Do not put your daily tasks on your resume. Highlight accomplishments, “Won Leasing Professional of the Year with ABC company in 2014,” or “Raised occupancy from 82% to 96% in two months.” The average property manager or recruiter spends 30 seconds or less reviewing a resumes. Make sure yours stands out (read more).
Loa McManus, CTS
5 Ways To The Handle Weakness Question
by Seth McCain, Marketing Specialist
Your interview couldn’t be going better. You talk about your attributes and strengths as a medical assistant with confidence. But just when you think you’ve got it in the bag, the interviewer asks the question everyone dreads: What’s your biggest weakness?
Andrew G. Rosen, founder and editor of a popular career advice blog jobacle.com describes this question as, “the Hail Mary of the interview; a final last-ditch attempt to trip you up and send you in the other direction.”
To no surprise, this is one of the hardest questions for people to answer in an interview. Your response to the question holds a lot of weight and tells the interviewer a lot about your character, so make it good (read more).
Seth McCain, Marketing Specialist
5 Ways to be Indispensable
If you know anything about the apartment industry, you know that apartment communities have a high turnover rate of onsite staff. How can you gain some stability in your apartment industry career? By becoming an indispensable employee, that’s how! How do you become indispensable? Implement these tips, and you’ll be on your way to ultimate job security (and career advancement)!
HAVE INTEGRITY!
Integrity is a strange word – most people hear it and think “honest”. While that might be true, it’s a lot deeper than that. The best definition of integrity that I’ve ever heard is, “Doing what you say you’re going to do.” While that sounds so simple, think of how few people you have in your own life that actually live that way. As a leasing consultant or a maintenance Technician, have integrity and you’ll instantly differentiate yourself from 99% of everyone else. Earn trust by telling it straight. Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it (read more).
Loa McManus, CTS
Serving up Competent Employees to the Apartment Industry
Finding competent apartment industry job candidates can be difficult. Here are five key
questions to ask yourself prior to interviewing anyone for an apartment industry job.
1. Are they capable? Will these apartment professionals, such as a leasing consultant, have the necessary skills, experience, and education to successfully get the job done?
2. Will they grow? Does this potential property management employee have the enthusiasm and knowledge to make the extra effort and complete difficult tasks? Do they have a “teachable attitude”? Are they easy to teach and eager to learn? If this candidate is enthusiastic, knowledgeable and has a “teachable attitude”, then this is a sure sign of being competent (read more).
James Lenhardt, CPC, CTS
Turn a Temporary Leasing Position into a Permanent Job!
Are your temp-to-hire assignments ending after a day or two? Are you interested in getting a permanent job? These six tips will help you land your next job as an Apartment Leasing Professional.
Do Your Research.
You should treat every assignment like a working interview, because that’s exactly what it is! Before you go on a traditional interview, you should always do some research on the company you will be interviewing with. This goes the same for temp and temp-to-hire assignments.
What to find out prior to your assignment:
- Property Name and Address
- Management Company and how many properties they have in their portfolio
- Number of units
- Occupancy
- Web address- visit their website. Check out their floor plans and amenities. (read more).
Loa McManus, CTS
The Top 7 Things Not to Say in a Job Interview
Job interviews are nerve-wracking. Even the most prepared of candidates can find themselves rambling or stuttering once they are face to face with an interviewer.
But no matter how nervous you get, there are many things that you should never say in a job interview. These phrases are automatic red flags to an employer, signals that they should move on to the next candidate as quickly as possible.
Especially in the case of apartment jobs, acing your interview is crucial. Leasing positions require candidates who are outgoing and able to communicate well. If you are committing the following faux pas in your interview, an employer is likely to assume you will make similar mistakes while on the job. Make sure to steer clear of the phrases:
- “I don’t like my job.”
Bad mouthing an employer or job will make you look unprofessional. If possible, try to maintain a positive attitude and avoid discussing situations where you may sound negative during your interview (read more).
How to Find a Job While You Are Still Employed
Job-hunting while still employed gives you a chance to explore new opportunities while keeping a steady paycheck. In fact, a high number (73%) of the workforce keeps their current job while searching for their next.
But, if you are caught applying for a new job at your present position your plans could backfire. You don’t want to leave a job you have worked hard at under sketchy circumstances, or to be let go because your employer has discovered your plan to leave.
To avoid job-hunting disaster while still employed, don’t fall into the following traps:
1. Don’t Job Search While at Work
Any job searching you do, should be on your own time. If you send emails, faxes, or make phone calls from work there is a very high chance of getting caught—no matter how sneaky you are (read more).
7 Hiring Secrets Employers Won’t Tell You
In Texas’ big cities, Houston and Austin in particular, there is a high demand and high number of candidates for apartment jobs. Now more than ever, employers must sift through large numbers of applicants as quickly as possible.
For job seekers, this means that first impressions are crucial. If you only have a few seconds to capture an employer’s attention, then you can’t get caught making any mistakes that will raise a red flag.
Often, you may not know that you are committing these mistakes that are so obvious to an employer—and they won’t let you know that you’re doing them either. Here 7 mistakes a recruiting employer wont’ tell you that you’re making:
1. Employers spend 5-10 seconds looking at each resume
5-10 seconds to scan a resume may not seem like a long time; however, it is usually enough determine if a candidate has the required skills and experience to excel at a particular apartment job. Make the most of these seconds by creating a resume that is error-free and clearly states your previous job titles and dates of employment (read more).
Why You Should Be on LinkedIn (And How to Do It)
With 92% of employers checking out potential employees online, creating and maintaining a LinkedIn profile is a necessity if you are trying to find a job in the apartment industry. But the benefits go both ways: just as employers may be checking you out, you can likewise research them before applying for a job to get a leg up on the competition.
Why Should You Be on LinkedIn?
There’s really 3 main reasons to join the site:
1.) Employers will be looking for you on LinkedIn
If the 92% of employers who are researching candidates on LinkedIn look for you online but can’t find you, this may be a disadvantage in your job search. Compared with candidates who have complete profiles highlighting their skills, if you are absent from the site you will lose a chance to make a good impression (read more).
Does Your Job Search Seem Never-Ending?
Drawn-out job searches take a heavy toll, both emotionally and financially. The median time it takes to find a job today is 16.3 weeks, which is relatively high compared to a decade ago. What’s more, if you are unemployed for more than 6 months, studies have shown that employers are much less likely to consider your resume.
If your job search feels like it’s never ending, perhaps you are making one of these 3 common mistakes. Here’s what not to do and how to bring your job searching days to an end:
Mistake #1: You Don’t Know What You Want
Some applicants approach the job search process by applying to a wide range of jobs all at once, hoping that they will get lucky with one. This idea usually backfires, with the applicant not getting any responses (read more).
3 Ways to Avoid the Resume Black Hole
So many resumes end up overlooked by hiring managers, disqualified at first glance. What makes an employer reject a resume after a quick skim? One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is not tailoring their resume to a job posting. Sending out your resume to multiple job openings without altering it is one of the quickest ways for your resume to get sucked into the resume black hole, never to be considered by a hiring manager.
The average recruiter only looks at a resume for 6 seconds. With so little time, here are 3 strategies to make sure your resume isn’t overlooked:
1.) Have someone proof read your resume.
Grammatical errors or typos are a sure way to turn off an employer. Some apartment listing jobs rake in multitudes of applicants, and the smallest error could put you behind your competition. No matter how many times you look over your resume, another pair of eyes will be the best way to make sure it’s flawless (read more).
Job Hunting 101: Don’t Put All of Your Eggs in One Basket
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket: Job Hunting for Success
Many people are elated when they get a call for an interview—or, even better, when they walk out of an interview confident they’ve nailed it. While these are both causes for celebration (I don’t mean to be acomplete downer), you shouldn’t slow your job search just because you think you have a strong lead. Otherwise, you could miss a perfect opportunity and wind up with no job offers at all.
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket! Until you’re officially hired, don’t do these 3 things that will hurt your job hunt:
1. Don’t Assume You’ve Got the Job
“We’ll be in touch.” – Famous last works from many an interviewer. Whether an interviewer says they will ‘be in touch’ or that they want you to start tomorrow—a job offer isn’t final until the paperwork is signed.
Especially in growing industries, such as the healthcare job market in Houston, a job is not a sure thing until it is official. With so many candidates, you never know when someone more talented or qualified could come in and sweep an employer off their feet (read more).
5 Ways a Job in Healthcare Wins the Career Lottery
Healthcare jobs are some of the most sought-after in the nation, and for good reason. The perks of healthcare are unlike any other:
Perk #1: Job Growth
Healthcare jobs are booming at the moment–especially in Houston. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 of the top 20 fastest growing professions are in the healthcare industry. And the industry in total has over 13 million jobs. With the U.S.’s aging population and advances in medicine, these numbers will only keep rising. Job growth, job security, and being needed at your job are all perks of a job in healthcare.
Perk #2: Make a Difference in People’s Lives
In healthcare you will be able to make a difference in people’s lives unlike with any other career path. From helping save lives to bringing new life into the world—you can make an unforgettable difference in patients’ lives daily. A healthcare job offers you the unique opportunity to help people and get paid well (read more).
What’s Your Superpower: Finding Your Competitive Advantage
In today’s competitive job market, standing out is essential to getting hired. One single open job can bring in countless applicants, piling up on a hiring manager’s desk and all looking the same. How can you stand out? If you learn how to work your competitive advantage you can be a manager’s pick over someone who has even more skills or experience. Here’s how:
Pick Your Strengths & Highlight Them
What’s your competitive advantage? Maybe you aren’t sure yet, or maybe you are new to the job search process—and that’s okay! Think of your strengths as the skills that have most allowed you to succeed.
Perhaps you are a persistent person, seeing projects through until the end when others have lost interest. Or maybe your strength is that you are detail oriented–always able to see the little things that others overlook (read more).
The Future Looks Bright: Why You Should Be a Medical Assistant
Not only is Medical Assistant a popular career choice – it’s also a smart one. In our current economy, Medical Assistants are experiencing job growth almost twice as high as the average job. Especially in high-population states like Texas, Medical Assistant jobs are both plentiful and profitable.
Considering becoming a Medical Assistant? Read on for our top 6 reasons why doing so is a smart move:
1. Job Security
As the U.S.’s population grows and ages, its demands on the healthcare system are increasing. This will translate to a greater need for medical professionals in the coming years, Medical Assistants included. With a 34% projected growth in the coming decade, Medical Assistants will experience job prospects far outranking that of most jobs.
2. Career Advancement
If you have your sights set on a career in healthcare, becoming a Medical Assistant is a the ideal place to start. The exposure and connections you make in the field will put you on the track to success farther up the career ladder if you choose to climb. The option to specialize in a particular medical field is also available to Assistants, which can equip you with a skill set that employers are willing to pay more for (read more).
