Why is Good Help Hard to Find?...Is there something in our teeth?

"Oh, we see your resume and you have good experience. Why are you seeking this position?"

"Name 3 words to describe yourself."

"Given your past experiences, what do you look for in a manager?"

"What is your experience with Accounts Receivable, and Recovery Billing? Tenant Disputes?"


"Ok, thanks for coming in. It was a pleasure to meet you. We will take a moment to discuss and we'll be in contact with you" [shaking hands].

Recently my company has been looking for 2 experienced folks seeking a position for Lease Administrator. It is a good retail real estate company, publically traded on the NYSE, based in NY and growing! Currently, our regional office supports the accounting, leasing, redevelopment and management of over 77 regional shopping centers, in 8 states. We are growing fast. And we need more good people to work!!

Already in this short work week, we have interviewed 3 people. Results: 3 up, 3 down. For the past 2 months, it has been something like about 6 candidates. None. What the hell? Do we smell? Did I accidentally pick my teeth? Did my boss scare them away with the daunting job description? Did we, the interviewers not communicate well? Did I chew my gum too noticably? Shoot! [banging head], I always do that!

Not really. I was just kidding. C'mon, I'm a professional, kinda. Ok, I'm a hard worker. I claim that in the name of the Lord!!

Before this job, I have never participated on the side of the interviewer, and it is quite a learning experience. There is no science to it; and there is no real formula. One of the things I've observed is that you have to make it clear what position you are offering and what the expectations are for that position. And by expectations, for our team (I work on the Accounting/Finance side) it is breadth of technical experience, work style, commitment to learning, outside life (our goal is that everyone should have a life beyond work), clear expectations of the employer, and overall vibe (is the candidate easy to talk to; is the candidate engaging; has the candidate clearly communicated his/her expectations; will they be a good lunch buddy?...c'mon, you know it's relevant!!...and we all know that the real "bizness" gets done over lunch!!"). Our office is pretty diverse, so we are far from being legally discriminatory in any way. (I am forever thankful for the diverse work place; for where it exists and is managed well...it's a great learning experience).

Our team has discovered that our culture is serious about work and serious about fun. We enjoy each other's company in and outside the office. We put in the long hours when needed and are committed to becoming a solid regional office in the company. Another commitment we have is good training for new hires. With each of us having gone through rigorous training and constant trial-and-error, we make it a point to mention to candidates that when hired, they will have full support during their training from us. Why the slim pickins? Here are a few things I've observed:

-candidates not fully understanding their own intentions
-lack of certain outlined experience (i.e. lease abstraction, recovery billing, a/r, tenant disputes)
-hard to communicate with (our job requires dealing with difficult tenants and difficult
personalities within the company; the quiet ones just don't fly)
-needs to be totally flexible
-at this point, we don't need someone that will "grow" into a role, we just need someone already
there and ready to hit the ground running
-we have better results with relationships thru networking, including temp agencies that we
have a favorable track record with

I do hope that the search will be short, cuz we be bizzeee!!! Maybe we can make it a reality show...um, ok, maybe not.

I wonder if anyone has any hiring wisdom to share.