Natalie’s success story began this past fall when she decided to relocate from Destin, Florida to Austin, Texas. Nathalie, a licensed real estate agent in Florida, sought out leasing opportunities here in Texas because her real estate license was not valid here. “I wanted something that I could get into quickly with the skills that I was bringing from my previous real estate experience,” Nathalie explains.
Before she left Florida, she had inquired about one our ads and heard from us the next day about an interview. When Nathalie arrived here in Austin, we interviewed her and we began seeking the best opportunity for her. “After several properties, I finally found the perfect property at the Embrey Estates at Bee Cave through a temp-to-hire opportunity,” she says. Nathalie is still enjoying her position as a leasing associate and enjoys the people she works with.
Assistant Manager of the Embrey Estates praises her saying, “We love her! It’s been great to have her! She’s doing a great job and she’s very professional.” Nathalie’s story is a great example of how someone with similar field experience can be cross train into a new position.
We would like to congratulate Michael Hinojosa on his new position as a leasing professional with Steadfast Management, Austin! Michael came to Hire Priority looking for a new career- somewhere he could thrive. “Looking to be a new consultant, I heard Hire Priority was the place to start!”
Although he had a strong customer service background, Michael came to us looking for some direct apartment industry experience.
Despite his lack of experience, it was easy to see that Michael would make a great leasing professional! He came to his interview full of spunk and determination. He showed initiative and commitment- traits Hire Priority truly values in a person! Michael went on to prove his worth, crushing the learning curve, and blowing away managers on several assignments. We were proud to have him as a member of our team.
After really getting to know Michael, we thought he’d be a great fit for Steadfast, and the team at Meritage at Steiner Ranch. “I was placed at The Meritage and it ended up being the perfect place for me,” he said. After a brief trial period, Michael was hired on permanently. “If it wasn’t for Hire Priority, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Michael is doing a stellar job, and we wish him great success in his future endeavors in the apartment industry!
Sandy’s success story is one of the best examples of hard work and skill paying off. For the past 33 years Sandy has moved up her career ladder with jobs in leasing, real estate and property management.
Sandy recently got back into the field of leasing when she started looking for an apartment job in Austin. After a recommendation from a friend, she called Hire Priority, who lined up several assignments for her.
After a short two months of trying out different properties, Sandy had found the “right position and the right company” that she wanted to work for. “It was a good fit right from the get-go,” she says.
With so much experience in the industry, Sandy’s skills are highly valued at her new position. Her ability to do sales, real estate, and leasing, along with her hard work, have driven her career to where she is now. “I am very pleased with the way things have turned out,” says Sandy.
Three years ago Herman was job hunting with no success. He was looking online and applying to jobs but had an impossible time finding work. When an ad popped up in a Google search offering $10-12 per hour for Groundskeeping work, Herman hopefully applied and ended up in the Hire Priority office the next day for an interview. Herman’s job search was finally at an end—the very next day after he came into the Hire Priority office he was out working at a property as a porter. From Porter work Herman quickly accelerated his career, becoming a Make Ready and now Assistant Maintenance supervisor. “Hire Priority changed my whole life,” Herman says. “I don’t know what I would have done without them.” Today, Herman’s job search days are long gone and he has a job that he enjoys and feels challenged by every day. In the future, Herman sees himself opening up his own HVAC company, a dream that his maintenance career has prepared him well for.
“I love my new job at this Houston Family Practice! I think the people here appreciate me for the passion I have for the healthcare industry. Now, I wake up and think, ‘I’m so excited about going to work.'” Kenya works in a busy office. They take anywhere between 20 patients in the morning and 20+ in the afternoon. Kenya says, “The people at my last job were leaving the company left and right, and it concerned me. I called Ann, a recruiter at Hire Priority, and told her, ‘I’m tired of giving my best and not feeling appreciated.’ Within days, with the help of Hire Priority, I found a job at a Houston healthcare clinic that appreciated me.” Most days you’ll find Kenya taking vitals, giving injections, helping with exams, removing stitches, putting stitches on and much, much more. She loves being able to help patients. Kenya says, “Feeling the satisfaction of helping someone when they feel bad motivates me each morning.”
Matthew C. had been ready for a career change for six months. After graduating from the University of Idaho with a Finance degree, he was working as a tax accountant for over two years. “I was at a large company where 50 other people did the same exact job as me. I wasn’t being able to interact with people and needed something more stimulating,” Says Mathew. He had been searching for another job for months, but hadn’t found what he wanted. Matthew says, “I stumbled upon a friend who worked in apartment leasing and it sounded really intriguing. He suggested that I contact Hire Priority Apartment Staffing. They offered me a few temporary assignments to try out, and within a few short weeks, I had the full-time job that I loved!” Matthew runs marketing and leasing for an apartment community in Austin, TX. “I get to interact with an abundance of people every day. I feel like I’m needed here,” he says. Mathew is interested in growing in the industry. He says, “In a few years, I’d love to be a property manager. I really enjoy it here; it is nice doing something that matters. It’s encouraging to know that I’m helping people every single day I go to work. I’m happy to be at a place I love.”
Cody graduated from University of North Texas in 2009 where he learned about Real-estate Residential Property Management. He had a job lined up after graduation; a noteworthy accomplishment in this down economy. However, the job wasn’t what he had hoped for. He began his search to find an opportunity that fit; however, what he found was frustration. “I was diligently applying and never hearing anything back from hiring managers. It was extremely stressful and frustrating knowing I was very qualified for a job, but couldn’t receive a response,” says Cody. “Hire Priority took that stress and frustration out of the equation,” he says. “I was able to tell them exactly what I was looking for and they went out and found it for me, and I’m pretty picky!” Cody briefly tried other staffing agencies before working with Hire Priority. He says, “Hire Priority definitely took the cake on this one. Their service and the way they operate are very efficient!” “I’m extremely passionate about what I do now. It doesn’t feel like work anymore,” Cody says. “It’s the way the office is run and the style of management: it fits me perfectly.” He says with a laugh, “We cook each other breakfast a few days a week…we’re a team. As cliché as it sounds, we really are a team.”
On the first day Dana moved to Austin, Texas from her home state of North Carolina, it was well over 100 degrees: the overwhelming heat and homesickness, made her think twice about the change. Looking back at her decision, she smiles and is grateful for how things worked out. Dana has created an extraordinary life as an Austinite and a rewarding career as Regional Marketing Manager. After spending a period of time as an Austin apartment manager, she was recruited by Hire Priority Apartment Executive Search. They orchestrated her transition to a new marketing position with one of the leading property management companies in the country. Dana graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville with a Business Management degree, but marketing was not her focus.. She says “my new multi-family marketing career was challenging in the beginning, but the training and tutelage helped me progress quickly. My boss wanted me to succeed and that parallel encouraged me to push harder. Eventually, my knowledge of property management marketing and passion for people, enabled me to help my team members reach their potential.”
A few years ago, Shannon returned to Houston, Texas after pursuing a teaching career at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. She realized teaching wasn’t for her, changed careers and became an executive assistant for a surgeon.
Shannon said, “It seemed like the ideal job at first”. However, it didn’t take long to realize that she was in a negative, deflating environment full of fear and unreasonable expectations. She needed to get out! She said, “I spent a year searching for my next job, while maintaining my position at the doctor’s office. When I got home from work, I would send out an average of five resumes a day. Looking for a new career was an extremely disheartening process. I was discouraged when potential employers and staffing companies didn’t get back with me.”
Shannon heard about Hire Priority through a friend and was planning to call them. She said, “one day my boss started yelling at me again, so I just picked up the phone and made the call. I was surprised. Within fifteen minutes of our meeting, a recruiter from Hire Priority called me back and I had a job interview! Two weeks after meeting with Hire Priority and one year after starting my job search, what I had been longing for actually happened. I was offered a new job.” Shannon received another surprise that same day: “My boyfriend proposed to me. It was truly the best day of my life. In one day, I received both professional and personal transformations that would change my life forever.”
Throughout an almost decade-long career, Patricia V’s experience with multiple aspects of the apartment industry reflects the diversity of opportunities available through a career in apartment leasing. After holding positions in customer service, Patricia’s leasing career jump-started when she took her first leasing position with a small property and received requisite training. Throughout her many years in apartment leasing, Patricia has been placed successfully through Hire Priority twice. From temp work to her current position as leasing profession at Camden Living in Houston, Hire Priority has been a constant in Patricia’s professional journey. With so much industry experience, Patricia has seen the ins and outs of apartment leasing. Her favorite part? The people. Patricia unequivocally enjoys and thrives in the relational aspect of her job. She wisely recognizes the emotional needs of her clients and can respond with how best to counsel them. Patricia is not only a veteran in the apartment industry, with many years of experience under her belt; but she is also a sales expert-and has generated over a million dollars of revenue in sales. With such a seasoned perspective, Patricia’s advice to newcomers to the industry is to take advantage opportunities. Exploring your potential, getting good exposure, and ample opportunities for advancement are all perks of apartment leasing advocated by Patricia. Despite several changes in employers and location, Patricia has thrived in the apartment industry. Her personality, along with practical training, use of a temp agency, and ambition all characterize the success of her story.
Erica Berryman’s story is one of an optimistic break into the Austin apartment industry. With no previous experience in the industry, but good people skills, Erica speedily found her dream job with the help of Hire Priority Staffing. With a varied background-consisting of jobs in coaching as well as the service industry-Erica desired a position with more job security, “a nine to five,” she says. And after hearing good things about apartment leasing in Austin, Erica decided to give it a shot. While she was nervous about her lack of experience, Erica was reassured by Hire Priority and told that a lack of experience is not always a turn off for employers, as this gives the opportunity to mold new employees. To her relief, Erica got a call for a job interview the very next morning. For a little over a month Erica has been happily working for a luxury north austin apartment community as a leasing consultant and says that this position has given her the job security she needed. Erica has had no problems transitioning into the apartment industry, as she has received comprehensive training and her natural people skills have come in handy.
From hair-dresser to apartment-leaser, Holly Morris’ experience offers a fresh perspective on getting a job in the apartment industry. “I wanted a job with more job security,” remarks Holly when asked why she chose to look for a position as a leasing consultant. However, holding only experience as a hair stylist, finding work with greater consistency proved a challenge. Before she began the job search for her current position, Holly remembers chatting with some of her clients who were apartment-leasing consultants. “I always thought about it,” she said of wanting to pursue the same career. And finally, after looking at various jobs in different fields, Holly found success with Hire Priority’s apartment staffing division. Holly turned in her resume, and a few days later got a call with a temp-to-hire job offer. After such a positive experience, Holly’s advice to anyone looking to break into apartment leasing is to go through a staffing company who specializes in apartment industry placements. One of Holly’s greatest concerns was ending up in a position that didn’t fit with her people-person personality, but Holly says she was matched perfectly for her current position at an apartment community in North Austin. Getting to know her clients, learning about what they do or what grades their kids make in school-these are all parts of why Holly loves her job. Through Hire Priority Staffing, Holly found exactly what she was looking for-a job with greater security that allowed her personality to match with her environment.
