In years past, the real estate industry developed a reputation of accommodating those individuals who wanted to work part-time. By contrast, it was common for traditional businesses to require employees to make a full-time commitment to the company.
The real estate industry also attracted many part-time
agents because some individuals wanted/needed to keep their “day jobs” that
provided medical benefits while working part-time as real estate agents on
nights and weekends.
Enough real estate companies allowed this behavior that the perception stuck and a defacto brand was established from the candidate perspective: The real estate industry is a viable place to work part-time.
This part-time/ full-time dynamic has long been a source of frustration for many high-performing real estate companies, because part-time agents are rarely successful. While the part-time status is now discouraged (and sometimes even forbidden) by many real estate hiring managers, the candidates often don’t know this until they get to the interview. Their perception is based on the defacto brand.
Wouldn’t it be great if the real estate industry employment brand could be changed so that serious, professional, and full-time candidates were the norm and those wanting part-time work focused on other industries?
That’s exactly what may start happening in the next few years.
How? This radical change in perception is being driven by some very powerful organic forces in the job market at-large, and real estate companies will have the opportunity to benefit from these changes.
The powerful change I’m referring to is the propensity that traditional companies have towards cutting employee hours and benefits to avoid upcoming healthcare reform requirements. A recent article in the Washington Times highlights the impact of these changes:
“Since January 2009 the country has added a net total of 270,000 full-time jobs, but it has added 1.9 million part-time jobs, according to the House Ways and Means Committee.
The numbers come as…businesses [are trying] to save money and push workers into shorter schedules to avoid the penalties that come from hiring more full-time workers, who under the law will be required to be covered with health care insurance.”
Think about what’s happening. Our economy now has millions of people who are working part-time with no medical or other traditional employee benefits. Most of these people would rather be working full-time, but their employers don’t offer this option.
To become more gainfully employed, some people are choosing to work two or more part-time jobs. While this may work for some individuals, it’s often difficult to coordinate work schedules and make this option a viable long-term solution. So, many individuals hang-on to the best part-time job they can find, lower their personal expenses, and wish they had a full-time job.
As we discussed a few weeks ago, many of these workers are languishing and would be open considering options outside the traditional job market. To a person in this situation, a real estate agent position may look surprisingly attractive—it’s full-time and has an opportunity for growth that corporate America cannot match.
As you shape your employment brand in the future, I recommend the following:
1. Don’t hire part-time agents. Offering full-time work is now your competitive advantage.
2. Learn to compete against those offering part-time jobs. Craft your recruiting messaging and your interview tactics around the concept that your main competitors are non-real estate companies offering part-time jobs. Find out these competitors’ weaknesses and exploit them during the recruiting process.
There are lots of talented people in the workforce who are not fully utilizing their talents. For the first time ever, the real estate industry may be in the best position engage these talents and put them to work in full-time positions.
Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)
Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network. Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?
By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust. Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes). To get started, click here.
Already of a member of TMOC? If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage. Questions? Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.
Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.
Comments