One of the biggest issues facing brokers and teams today is the ability to find, attract and hire talent. To keep any office humming along efficiently, it’s critical to get the right people in key positions.

There are many different positions an office or team might hire, including:

• Listing and selling agents (general agents)
• Buyers agents or sales partners
• Listing partners
• Client care coordinators
• Receptionists
• Inside sales (ISA)
• Office managers
• Bookkeepers

In my opinion, the most important position to hire first is an assistant. Regardless of what you call this position (admin, client care, executive assistant), their role is to take the pressure off the leader so they can focus on money-making activities. A great admin saves a leader an enormous amount of time by handling all the clerical duties, reducing stress and allowing the leader to provide a higher level of service.

Our goal as a company has been to hire “A” players. That means we’re looking for individuals who are exceptional in attitude, experience and ability.

In reading Patrick Lencioni’s “The Ideal Team Player,” he states in a series of examples and lessons that we should look for people who are hungry, humble and smart. I couldn’t agree more.

Attracting millennials to our company has been critical to our success. Millennials are not so much an age group; they represent an attitude, a desire to be part of a team. In addition to being tech-savvy, they’re passionate about activities outside of work.

To find these people, we follow a proven formula that includes the following steps:

• Create a clear job description with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
• Put together a clear compensation plan; sometimes variable, other times salary or hourly.
• Run ads on Indeed, Craigslist, Monster, etc.
• Require applicants to send a PDF of their resume to our hiring email address.
• Require applicants to call a Google Voice number and leave a message as to why they would be a good fit for the position.
• Review applicants’ resumes and messages.
• Require DISC assessment of those worth pursuing.
• Conduct initial phone interview.
• Schedule first face-to-face interview.
• Bring them in for a team interview.
• Schedule a second face-to-face interview.
• Conduct a final interview with their coach if they’re a WSS coaching client.
• Go three-deep on checking references and verifying information.
• Provide an offer letter and invite them to join the team.
• Put together a clear on-boarding process and appropriate training schedule.
• Set up a 60 – 90-day review period.

Finding talent isn’t easy, and establishing a hiring process requires thought. However, we’ve learned that if we hire slowly and make sure we have a good fit for the position, we have fewer issues. When you’re clear about your expectations and you create an environment that allows for excellence, people will love working with you or they’ll self-eliminate.

Building a successful team or business must be intentional. I focus on what I like to call “Top Grading,” always looking for people that improve where you are today and are as good (or better) than your current team.

With some solid thought on building your hiring processes, creating a culture of success and providing clear job descriptions/expectations, you’ll be able to more effectively find your next best hire.

Verl Workman is the founder and CEO of Workman Success Systems (385-282-7112), an international speaking, consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and building successful power agents and teams.

For more information, visit www.verlworkman.com.