When hiring a new maintenance technician for your property management company, what is the most important personality trait that you are looking for?

Most hiring managers would give you the same answer: motivation. This does not just apply to maintenance staff, but property managers and leasing staff as well. Competence is something that can be developed, but motivation is a trait you will be looking for when hiring. It is also a trait that needs to be nurtured.

It can be hard to identify a job seeker’s level of motivation during an interview, so calling a previous employer is a good idea for reference. Any job seeker can find someone to use for a reference, but the trick is so ask the right questions. An obvious question could be “What do you think motivated X to do a good job?” Another question could be about working hours: “Was X the kind of employee who would spend that extra hour at the office on a busy day?” or maybe you want the reference to talk: “Give me an example of a time when X exceeded your expectations by going above and beyond what was required.”

Another important factor when hiring a new employee is patience. Your property could be in desperate need of a new leasing agent, but rushing will not do you any good. The motivated job seeker that you are looking for, could be the last person to apply for the job. Don’t go with the first candidate who walks in the door.

Finally, does the candidate know how to handle a computer? There is no way around it these days; your employees will need to be able to handle your property management software and perform simple tasks on a computer.

The best employees are the ones who take initiative to improve the current structure, and show that they really want to be working at your company by coming to work with a positive attitude. However, this is something you will need to maintain by letting them know when something was a job well done. Positive critique is just as important as negative critique, and they should go hand in hand. Another motivating factor is leading by example – don’t expect your employees to show up at 8.55 am if you don’t.