• Interpreting Reports
• Interviewing with reports
• Interview Questions

1. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed something from someone who was not easy to approach or appeared to be in a bad mood?  What did you do?
   
   What to listen for in candidate’s response:
1. Ability to build rapport no matter what the situation.
2. Ability to read cues.
3.  Knowing when to leave the situation and/or when to return.

1. How do you know if someone has understood what you’ve said?
   
   What to listen for in candidate’s response:
   
1. Asking follow up questions.
2. Asking questions or providing information in different ways.
3. Looking for cues indicating comprehension i.e. verbal and physical cues.
4. Pausing in the conversation to allow for questions.
5. Confirming that they’ve understood.

1. Let’s say someone was considering choosing you to be their listing agent. At the same time, a competing agent offered your prospective client a lower commission fee for their services. What would you do?
   
   What to listen for in candidate’s response:
1. Ability to demonstrate that the candidate is valuable to the client.
2. Ability to demonstrate that the candidate is better equipped to fill the client’s needs.
3. Match the other agent’s rate.

1. As a sales professional, you will be required to make presentations to groups of people. What experiences do you have in making formal presentations? For example, what size groups have you presented to, what was the purpose of your presentation, and what type of preparation was required?

1. Tell me about a time when someone spoke to you in an insulting manner. How did you deal with the situation?
   
   What to listen for in candidate’s response:
1. Ability to maintain composure and focus.

1. Tell me about a goal that you set and how you achieved it.

1. Let’s say you haven’t sold a house in months. You have a listing presentation at 7pm which has been prearranged for over a week. You receive a call from an agent at another brokerage stating that they have an offer from one of your listings and they would like to come by at 6:45pm to discuss the final details with you. What do you do?

1. Describe a time when you wanted or needed something from someone and they refused to give it to you. What did you do?

Education History

1. “I’d like to know more about you, so please put your modesty away for a while and starting with High School, tell me about some of your accomplishments in school that you are most proud of.”
2. “What did you like most and least about your education?”
3. “How have you applied your education to your career at all?”
4. “Why did (or didn’t) you go to college?
5. “What were some of your extracurricular activities in school?”

Employment History

1. “Tell me a little about your present (or most recent) job?”
2. “Why did you (or plan to) leave this job?”
3. “What skills or knowledge do you develop on that job that you think are applicable to this position?’
4. “How do you feel about your present/most previous company? Why?”
5. “How do you feel about your present/most previous boss?”
6. “What do (or did) you enjoy most/least about that job?
7. “What accomplishments are you most proud of with that job?”

Perceptions of the Real Estate Profession

1. “Why do you want a career in real estate?”
2. “What are your perceptions of the real estate business?”
3. “What do you think it takes to succeed?”
4. “What would be your major barrier to success in real estate?”
5. “Do you know anyone in the real estate industry? (If Yes) What have they told you about a real estate career?”
6. “What is your income goal in this business?
7. “What do you think will be the most important factors in determining whether or not you reach your income goals?”
8. “Where do you think most of your business will be generated?”
9. “How do you think you will generate some of your initial sales?”

Causes for Concern

If a candidate has any of the following qualities or characteristics, you should gather more detailed information to confirm whether this candidate will work well within your firm:

• Unwilling to accept training
• Too frequent change of jobs or addresses
• Recent failure in own business
• Deeply in debt
• Abnormal fear of selling
• Poor attitude toward selling as a profession
• Retired, with a retiring attitude
• Inability to explain discrepancies in application
• Heavy family responsibilities
• Family members unsupportive of a real estate career
• Limited goals
• Poor self-esteem
• Poor communications skills., i.e.- not listening, constantly interrupting, someone who talks too much or too little, uses off-color remarks, or conveys poor body language like slumping down in their chair
• Little tolerance for stress
• Little energy shown in the interview