Speed Hiring! 8 Tips for Finding the Right People Fast!

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A recent tweet from GraceHill said that our industry is slow to hire.  It reminded me of why I try to be PASSIONATE about hiring.  When you have a vacant or about-to-be-vacant position, nothing is really more important.  If you’re a “MAN DOWN”:

  • You can’t get your work done as well, working to see the other person’s job is done.
  • Everyone else has to work harder too.
  • You are torn between time to recruit, interview, vet and hire, and time to do what’s not being done by the “missing person”

And that doesn’t even consider the impact of the learning curve on co-workers’ time and keeping results up.  The best solution: REHIRE FAST!

Here are 8 Tips to Speed Hiring:

1. Post ads before the ink dries on your outgoing employee’s notice!  Post the position on any site you think will draw qualified industry professionals: Apartment Association job sites, Craigslist, LinkedIn, MultifamilyInsiders, Indeed, and more!

2. Call your “Employment Pool.”  Think of people who have “WOWed” you, or who have sent you a resume in the past.  Call them now!  If they aren’t interested, ask if they know anyone else. 

3. Network!  I was excited to get 2 great referrals from a business friend I messaged on LinkedIn!  Call your network and let them know what you’re looking for, and contact everyone they suggest.  Even if that person isn’t “the one,” they may give you a name! 

4. Call any resume that meets your criteria FAST!  In fact, set an alarm so your email dings every time a resume comes in!   A lot of you know, a good maintenance resume has a shelf life of about 15 minutes.  Whatever the role, set up interviews fast. Don’t “save up” the resumes and call everyone at once.

5. Give everyone who interviews an application, and get it back before they leave the interview.  That way, if they make it to the next step you won’t waste time trying to track them down, get the application filled in.  You’ll already have references and more to keep the ball rolling. 

6. Make your offer fast!  Keep a draft offer letter handy that you can edit and get in your candidate’s hands fast.  Make sure it includes ALL your benefits, and if possible, the dollar value your benefits add to the offer.  If there is a bonus program, education benefits, PTO, vacation schedule, holidays, apartment discounts, vendor-partnerships that give discounts, any other “perks,” name them in the letter. 

7. Check references as soon as you can.  Call, stalk, email, and get them checked.  If you have trouble reaching one, enlist the candidate to help you.  Sometimes they can “guilt” a reference to respond.  Whatever you do, don’t skip this step!

8. Start any additional processes immediately. Credit, criminal, drug screenings – all these take time. We typically schedule the drug screening with the candidate when he or she accepts the offer, making a quick call while everyone is right there. 

No matter how fast you hire, there is down time, so keep it to the minimum by Speed Hiring!  If you have more tips on filling employee vacancies faster, please share them!

Mary Gwyn, CPM
Making the World a Better Place One Lease at a Time