One reason to work with real estate recruiters is the frequent coming and going of agents amongst different brokers. Having a company or real estate head hunters that you work with regularly prevents you from having a shortage of sales agents during busy times. Another reason is that real estate recruitment firms relieve busy brokers from the responsibilities of checking references and reading multiple resumes.

When trying to fill real estate jobs in your office, a real estate recruiter can help match you with the best candidate. Check out the following policies when choosing a real estate recruiter:

1. The payment policy will either be a contingency plan or a retainer plan. Some recruiters offer both, while others prefer working with only one plan.

2. A performace review policy is helpful, since it means a recruiting company has your best interests in mind when hiring. See if the recruiting firm checks up on placements or has a standard follow-up period for employees placed by the agency.

3. A refund policy is important, since not all placements work out. A good recruitment firm will have a solid refun policy in place.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn more about real estate recruiting and retention

Getting the agents placed with the right office is the job of the real estate recruitement firm, but keeping the agent is the job of the broker. Brokers must understand that jobs in real estate are widely available. Once a broker has a top agent, he must work at re-recruiting that agent so she won't look at offers elsewhere. A broker can work with a real estate recruiter about how best to retain top agents.

I recommend: The National Association of Realtors has a list of questions employers should ask top employees to increase retention rates. The Real Estate Recruiters offer recruitment coaching for recruiters and brokers, including training CDs.

Get clear payment terms from real estate recruitment firms

Whether you're hiring for commercial real estate jobs or residential, get a clear payment policy from the recruitment agency. Agencies with a contingency plan don't accept payment until they actually place you with an agent. A retainer agency sets a fee that you pay before they place an agent.

I recommend: National Real Estate Recruiting has a contingency plan with fees that include 25% of an agent's salary, if the agency places an agent with you. They also offer a refund policy and 90-day guarantee. John Morrow & Associates utilize a retainer fee of 1/3 of an agent's salary. While they will work on a contingency basis for certain clients, this company prefers the retainer fees.

Hire a real estate recruiter that assists with websites

Most recruiters have their own website that explains the recruitment process and advertises vacancies. But most candidates are familiar with real estate company names and brokerage firms rather than a recruitment agency. That's why working with a recruiter that doesn't mind taking a look at your website and offering some tips is a good idea.

I recommend: Exceptional Websites offers real estate offices three different recruiting packages to get a website up and running. Zannee.com offers RE/MAX brokers the opportunity to build their own recruitment site for a relatively cheap price.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Tell the recruiter all the requirements of the real estate agent jobs available in your office. The recruiter will handle the initial interview, so all pertinent information is necessary to ensure you don't end up interviewing a person completely wrong for your office.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a real estate agent or a broker/owner of a real estate firm; you know that the highest commissions and thus income come from the marriage of the right agent and firm. What’s not simple is how to match open real estate jobs with the right agents. This is where real estate recruiting services can be beneficial to both sides.

Real estate head hunters understand that each open position requires a different combination of personality and skills. When filling open jobs in real estate, successful real estate recruiters can utilize their roster of real estate agents looking for a change to quickly and efficiently fill real estate agent jobs.

When considering whether you can benefit from partnering with real estate recruiting specialists, among the key points to consider are:

1. The level of specialization of the real estate recruiter;
2. The locations of real estate recruitment firms;
3. The overall goal of your working with real estate head hunters.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Work with real estate recruiters who understand your specialty

The world of real estate is vast and varied. There's no question that there are enormous differences between residential, multi-family residential, retail/office leasing and commercial real estate. By the same token, there are vast differences between successful agents in each segment of the market. Work with real estate head hunters who know your market. If you are a commercial real estate agent, you need to work with someone specializing in commercial real estate recruiting.

I recommend: Real estate development jobs are the specialty of Lucas Group, a construction and real estate recruitment firm. Highland and Associates focuses on jobs in commercial real estate.

Ignore the location of real estate recruitment firms

This is the one time in real estate sales that 'location' doesn't matter. Some of the most successful real estate recruiters work from a virtual office and never set foot in their clients' agencies. It's not likely that you will have a local specialist in real estate recruiting with whom you can speak face-to-face. It's more important that you find someone who knows real estate jobs inside and out.

I recommend: Recruit Tool is a firm that works with real estate brokers and sales professionals every day. This allows them to know the industry in a way that general local recruiters can’t.

Go into discussions with real estate head hunters knowing your end goal

Not everyone looking to change real estate jobs is looking for more money. Occasionally, you're looking for an office environment that's a better fit for your personality, or maybe you want to work in a city across the country where you have few networking contacts. By clearly communicating your goals to your real estate recruiter, you can increase your chances of finding the right job.

I recommend: S.R. Clarke knows that a successful real estate partnership is about more than dollars and cents and is known for its ability to meld personalities as well as commissions. Whether you’re a real estate broker looking to fill a position or a real estate agent ready to change jobs, S.R. Clarke can help.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Always ask for references from recently fulfilled positions when working with a real estate recruiter. The more recent the better, as the real estate industry is ever-changing.