Interview Preparation Guide

Understanding how to prepare for an interview in real estate is key. Today, you can have multiple rounds of interviews that can take place in different formats, such as in-person, over the phone, and via video call.

An interview in the real estate industry for a specialist role, whether it’s for an investor, developer, property company or operator, adds a layer of complexity as your technical knowledge and soft-skills will be thoroughly assessed.

To help you best prepare for your interview, our consultants have put together this comprehensive guide to give you a head start.

Arriving

Try to arrive a little early; it gives you a chance to collect your thoughts and, perhaps, pay a visit to the WC before the interview begins (also useful for checking hair and tie knots). Remember to turn off your phone before entering the building, and under no circumstances make calls from a potential employer’s reception.

This advice also applies to a video call on Zoom and other platforms. Join the online meeting minutes earlier after checking that your Wi-Fi connection is stable. Make sure your background noise is quiet or kept to a minimum and that your speaker, microphone and/or earphones are working optimally. Check that the background view from the camera is clear and tidy and that you are in good lighting. The best practice is to have the light source from a window or lamp facing your direction, directly in front of you rather than positioned behind you.

It could be handy to have a glass of water set beside in case you need to take a few sips, but don’t let this be a distraction in the middle of the interview.

If you find you are running late, try to call your recruitment consultant or the client directly. Always apologise upon a late arrival. Remember that the person who greets you, including reception and security, are employees of your prospective employer, so always be polite and friendly. You will be surprised how many interviewers seek the opinions of their front of house staff!

The interview

The first rule is, relax! The person on the other side of the desk is usually a human being. Most interviewers will try to put you at ease and use a more informal style; ‘Mr Nasty’ interviews are out of date and discredited. However, remain alert – the less socially skilled interviewer may still be a little formal.

Sit comfortably – do not slouch or lean forward or fidget, and be careful with your body language. Maintain eye contact as much as possible without uncomfortably staring. Listen carefully to the questions and give concise (not necessarily brief) answers. If you suspect the interviewer wants more information, offer it: “would you like me to go on?”. If you have prepared your answers, you should not have any nasty surprises.

Finally, be yourself. If you have to put on a performance to get the job, it probably is not right for you anyway. Always thank the interviewer for their time, give them a positive close, “I’m very interested in the job”, and ask them what the next stage will be and when.

Questions you can ask at an interview

Remember that an interview is also your opportunity to learn more about the role, the team and the company. If you are to spend a great amount of time with this organisation, it’s in your interest to discover if they are a good fit for your career and day-to-day life. Here are some questions you can ask your interviewer:

• How will I fit into the team?
• What is the team structure?
• Who would I be reporting to?
• What plans or targets do the team have this year?
• What are the current challenges facing your company?
• Does the company have a record of promoting from within?
• What practices or policies are in place for performance reviews, career development and promotions?
• How do you encourage and support those in their studies?
• Why has this position become vacant?
• Do you offer flexible working? What are your policies on this?

Competency based questions

Competency based questions are those which ask you to demonstrate, through your own experience, your skills or attributes which match those defined for the new role. Some, although few, companies use formal structured competency based interviews in which you are asked a question and given time to consider your answer. There may even be two interviewers; one conducting the questions and one making notes. Most commonly though, competency based questions will be introduced as part of a conventional biographical interview.

Examples of competency based questions include:

• Can you give us an example of when you have had to work to tight deadlines in your current role and how you dealt with it?
• Give an example of a project you have undertaken and how you managed it.
• This role always includes some routine and mundane elements that require attention to detail. Can you demonstrate, through experience in your working career, your ability to cope with these important elements of the job?
• Like most busy departments, we sometimes face stressful situations. Can you give an example of when you have had to cope with stress, in a working or social context, and how you dealt with it?
• One of the key aspects of this role is managing people. Please give us an example of where you have had to deal with a problem with a member of your team and how you solved it.
• Everybody has to deal with disappointment, or even failure, occasionally in his or her career. Can you give an example and tell us how you dealt with and what you learnt from it?

Important soft skills in demand

Social interviews

Social interviews are now a relatively common occurrence, usually meeting your prospective new team over a glass of wine. Be careful about how much you drink; potential colleagues will delight in keeping your glass full to witness the consequences. Talk to as many people as possible and take the opportunity to ask them questions; this can be a revealing exercise.

Other preparations

A good recruitment consultancy will provide you with as much information as it has on the company; make sure you note it down and absorb the key points. Most companies have a website and social media channels, such as LinkedIn, so spend some time reviewing it.

Make a note in your diary of the date and time of your interview. Check the address and plan your route, making allowances for traffic jams or delayed trains. A ‘just-in-time’ journey is destined for disaster and no one wants to arrive for an interview already flustered trying to make it on time. Have relevant phone numbers saved just in case you have any problems.

Re-read your CV (resume).  There is nothing worse than appearing vague or completely misquoting its contents.

Initiative and gamesmanship

Interviews are formal, unnatural and complex social interactions. They can be strained and unsatisfying for both parties. Nevertheless, they are still the best available method for evaluating candidates and are an opportunity for you to assess a potential employer.

A clever interviewer challenges you to a game of wits. Although they may not be trying to trap you exactly, they will often try to catch you off guard to see how you respond.

Interview strategy

Most interviews follow a fairly standard format. First, the interviewer will make a general statement about the vacancy and the firm. Then they will ask you questions and, finally, answer yours.

During the first part of the interview allow the inteviewer to make the introductions and have their say, while staying alert and interested. What the interviewer tells you now can give you clues about what you should ask when it is your turn.

The interviewer will then try to find out more about you than is shown on your CV; your experiences, attitudes, and whether you will be satisfied with the position. Avoid ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers – they do not give you a chance to sell yourself. Watch for opportunities to turn a negative answer into a positive one. If you go off on a tangent, watch the interviewer to be sure they are still interested and responding positively.

It is a good idea to watch for the unexpressed motive behind a question. Some employers may ask questions they know you cannot answer. They want to see how you respond to the difficulties of the situation and look for a positive approach. So, try to determine what the interviewer really wants to know.

When it is your turn, your questions should reflect a genuine interest in the firm and the position. Although it is not unreasonable for you to want to know about salary at this point, it is not a good idea to ask direct questions too quickly. When the interviewer is ready, they will bring up the topic of salary, which can be negotiated with a job offer and with guidance from your recruiter.

Before you leave the interview, you should ask about the remaining interviewing process and when the employer intends to make a decision. That focuses both your attentions on the competition; yours on the fact that there will be other candidates and theirs on the possibility that you are considering other employment opportunities. It also gives you an opportunity for some well-timed follow-up.

Follow-up

Collect your thoughts, make notes and call your recruitment consultant to give feedback. Within a day or two of the interview, send the interviewer a message by email or LinkedIn to thank them for meeting, and if there was a subject of the discussion or an aspect of the company that impressed you, mention it briefly. Your follow-up is another low-key opportunity to make a lasting impression.

Getting a job offer (or not)

In real estate, it is common to have multiple rounds of interviews before the hiring manager makes their final decision. If you asked about the hiring process, you will already be prepared for the number of follow-up interviews.

If you get the job offer, congratulations! Now is the time to lean on the advice of your recruiter to negotiate salary and the employment package.

If you aren’t successful, try not to take it to heart. Competition can be fierce, and it could come down to another candidate having more experience aligned with the company’s plans or their workplace culture, rather than anything to do with your abilities.

Kindly ask the interviewer or recruiter for feedback and use it to improve for next time. Keep in touch with your recruiter and keep an eye on other vacancies that come up.

If you still need some guidance or have specific questions about your upcoming interview, feel free to reach out to your recruiter or contact your nearest office.