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A top selling director claims hiring experienced staff can create more problems than hiring someone new to the industry.
Marcus Chiminello from Marshall White & Co. told Real Estate Business that after hiring one of each, he prefers the industry new-bloods.
“I prefer people who are fresh to the industry,” he says. “I’ve brought on two people, one from a very experienced background and one who was relatively new.”
The main problem with experienced staff, according to Mr Chiminello, is that their initial training can be sub-standard.
“[new recruits] learn and follow your traits and the way you run your business, rather than potentially bringing in bad habits,” he said.
But Adrian Foster, director at hockingstuart Frankston, said experience grants candidates skills that can’t be overlooked in favour of youth.
“When I am recruiting for staff I look for life experience rather than youth,” he said.
“[They] are able to use their past experiences to create solutions. Often I will hear them telling clients on the phone that 'I understand how you feel...; I too have felt the same way... and what I found was...'. This life experience is priceless for my business.”
Mr Chiminello concedes that a small amount of experience doesn’t hurt, so long as the candidate is still relatively new to the industry.
“The perfect person would be someone who has a good grounding and sound knowledge in real estate, but also a lot of untapped talent," he said.
“I’d like to tap into that talent and grow that person into what my business needs rather than someone who has their own traits and habits, which can be hard to break.
“If you’ve got enthusiasm, tenacity and you’re a disciplined person, provided you can teach them the skillset, they’re destined for success.”
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