#12 - Tony Sousa: The Employee Whisperer, Candidate Hacker
A unique approach to talent acquisition in multifamily
Tony Sousa, Regional Manager at Embrey Management Services, joins us on this week’s episode of Marketing Home, Marketing You...and you’re in for a real treat.
If you don’t know The Most Interesting Man in Property Management, you’re missing out. (Check out the video at the bottom of this page.)
Tony drops some serious knowledge on all things personal branding, handling feedback, and criticism (even during an interview), tips on how to interview and recruit high-quality candidates and how to be a stronger candidate to land the role of your dreams.
Tony’s unique way of going about operations and caring for his employees is one that proves effective, and we know you’ll grab tons of takeaways to implement at your own apartment community or in your real estate business. This isn’t an overhaul of your entire outlook or way of operating (If you’ve been around Sprout long enough, you know that’s not our thing. We’re all about those small steps, baby!). These small tweaks that Tony has perfected are things that you can start TODAY.
Tony Sousa: insights on hiring and recruiting the best candidates in Property management
When you think of interviews, you probably think of the interviewee as being the one that’s on the stage. After all, they’re the ones that have to answer all your pre-written questions. Wrong-o! Actually, that’s all wrong.
You (and your property management company) are on display too. Tony suggests to be willing to go off-script from those pre-written questions that you have sitting in front of you. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be prepared. Always be prepared with questions that need to be asked, but just as you can’t learn the real heart and personality of someone through rehearsed interview answers, they can’t get to know the real you through rehearsed interview questions.
As you’ll hear Tony allude to, some of the best interviews he’s ever had has been when he is willing to let the interviewee get a glimpse of what it would be like to work with him. His philosophy on interviews is to have radical candor that allows both you and the person you’re interviewing to relax, let the walls down, and see if it’s a good fit.
If you’re like me. your next question was probably similar to this…
Once you find that perfect fit, what’s the best employee retention strategy to keep them there?
Get ready for my favorite Tony quote of the whole interview: “give a care.” What a simple, but a heavy response, am I right?
Simply showing your employees (and potential employees) that you genuinely care about them, their life, their job, their family, their performance, all of it, will create a company culture that is one people value. When you show interest in them as a person and not just as an employee, they don’t feel like just a number; they feel appreciated and more connected to you and the company. When employees feel connected, their performance will positively reflect that, and they’ll be more apt to want to do what they can to add value to your team.
Not everyone will be those value-adding people, though, and when you have someone who isn’t, the firing process should never be easy. That’s not to say it can’t be done with grace.
Tony Sousa tells us his secrets on how to gracefully fire employees while still caring about them as a person. It’s okay to be nervous about it. Actually, the moment that you aren’t is when you should be scared. Never stop caring about the person as an individual.
What you should and shouldn’t do during an interview
To reverse the roles a little, I asked Tony two of the biggest questions that people have about being interviewed: What should I NOT do & how can I stand out?
Given the fact that Tony is someone who interviews TONS of people, I would jot these tips down if you’re planning on being interviewed any time soon.
The big no-no Tony mentioned was not to stay on script too much. We know, we’ve all done it. We rehearse our answers in the mirror the night before so that we’re prepared for the interview.
Rehearsed answers are not where the ‘true you’ lives. Be willing to show the real you and be honest about what you do and do not know. When you’re able to be authentic, connect, and stay connected to the person who’s interviewing you, THAT’S how you stand out!
Just be you, boo!
My favorite part about interviewing Tony was that at the heart of everything he said was basically this:
genuinely care about people every step of the way.
And THAT is something my Sprout team and I can get behind!
From today’s episode:
Connect with Tony Sousa on LinkedIn.
Learn more about the Sprout Marketing Membership that includes training on leasing, marketing, renewal negotiations and more. Sign up for our weekly LIVE Demo. Use code POD85 for $15 off your membership.
The Most Interesting Man in Property Management: Tony Sousa
Special thanks to Southline for letting us record our interview at your gorgeous community!
We are mean-muggin’ in this pic 😂