As of 2017, over 45% of California residents leased their living space and those numbers are predicted to rise over the coming years. Because of this steady demand, apartment leasing jobs in California are increasing and the career continues to be stable.
Are you wondering how to get a job in property management and/or real estate? The first step is putting together an organized resume. The second is acing your interview!
Applying for a new job, whether you’re entering a new field or simply changing employers, is always a little bit intimidating. Lewis Careers is here to help!
Read on to find out how to ace your interview and land a job in apartment leasing
Show your Interest in Apartment Leasing Jobs
From the get-go, your interviewer is going to want to know what brings you to the world of apartment leasing. To prepare yourself, think about what interests you about property management and real estate. Ask yourself how you hope to grow your career in real estate, and where you see yourself in three years.
Why is this important? Well, 87% of employers want to improve their employee retention. They want the people they hire to stay and potentially grow along with the company. Employee turnover is both expensive for employers and inconvenient for residents who want to see the same friendly faces and have consistency from their apartment community management team. If it appears to an employer that you’re looking to try on something new but may not stick around for long, they may choose to go with someone else, which is why it’s important to show your passion and eagerness for this type of work.
Show How Your Previous Experience Makes You a Good Fit
Some employers want their candidates to come in with years of field experience under their belt. However, at Lewis Careers, we understand that everyone has to start somewhere. That’s why we offer a funded training program for all of our new hires.
If you don’t have real estate experience, don’t sweat it. Instead, focus on how your previous sales or customer service experience will set you ahead of the pack.
Have you worked in customer service and know how to make a sale or address a customer complaint? Do you have strong financial literacy that you can use to help others understand numbers in a clear and comfortable way? Have you delivered successful, well-received presentations in the past? All these qualities (and more) make for a great apartment leasing consultant candidate!
Understand Your Soft Skills
Hard skills like computer skills and the ones you’ve gained throughout your education or previous work experience are important. Soft skills, such as the ability to communicate or apply emotional intelligence in the workplace, are just as important.
How can you start to understand your own soft skills? Think of the things that motivate you to work and qualities that make you successful. Let’s look at some of the soft skills apartment leasing employers want to see.
Motivation is important. What motivates you? Perhaps you feel motivated by the possibility of finalizing a leasing agreement or by the happiness you bring to new renters when you help them find their perfect home.
Caring and Patience are key. Demonstrate that you are an active listener during your interview and try to avoid interrupting your interviewer or rushing through your answers. Remember, renting a new home is both an exciting and challenging time. Show your customer that you’re here to help.
Finally, integrity is one of the best soft skills you could bring to a career in real estate. Having a hand in someone’s finances and housing is no small responsibility. Demonstrate that you are consistently honest and ethical in all your professional dealings. Characteristics like these are key to the Lewis family and Lewis company culture.
Understand Your Areas for Improvement
Nobody is perfect and there’s no use in pretending that you are an exception. Instead, analyze your areas where you could improve and how they affect your professional life. Take that analysis one step further and determine what you are willing and able to do to overcome those challenges. Maybe it’s a software you could learn, or maybe it’s just finding that spark to help you come out of your shell and show your sales side!
For example, you may find that you focus on perfecting one aspect of your job requirements at a time, leaving others in the dust. It’s okay to admit that! It’s also important to state that you’re willing to expand your focus and learn new skills.
Addressing these areas signals to your interviewer that you are coming into the position with an open mind. It shows that you can handle constructive criticism and actively want to learn new skills. When you’re applying for Lewis apartment jobs, honesty and openness will better prepare us for your training program and the areas that we can focus on together.
Demonstrate Your Ability to Work with People
Remember, apartment leasing jobs are customer-facing jobs. In other words, you are applying to become the go-between for future and current residents and the property management company they lease from. That means that more than anything, you need to be a people person!
There are a few ways to demonstrate your ability to work with people besides a strong track record in customer service. The simplest way is to through your personality, enthusiasm and smile. Treat your interviewer with kindness and respect. Basically, even though it’s an interview show the hiring manager how you would act each and every workday! Smile, make eye contact, ask good questions and express your enthusiasm! It’s simple advice, but it works.
Apartment Leasing Jobs in California
Do you think you’re ready to ace your interview for an apartment leasing job? We think you are!
Lewis Careers offers a variety of apartment leasing jobs as well as the training to prepare you for them. We pride ourselves in fostering a strong community and offering training opportunities and benefits that will keep our employees growing, safe, happy, and healthy.
Ready to see what we have in store for you? Take a look at our open positions and apply today.
David Draper is the Director of Talent Acquisition for the Lewis Group of Companies. David is proud to be a part of a successful, stable, and winning team dedicated to its projects, its people and its community. Follow David on Twitter @LewisRecruits.