Turning Misery into Productive New Agents

by | Feb 27, 2019

by Ben Hess, Managing Director, ThirdPool Recruiting

Some of the highest-performing individuals in the workforce are the most miserable.

In an insightful article in the Atlantic, Derek Thompson recently surmised that for the college-educated in the last decade, work has morphed into somewhat of a religious identity.

It promises identity, transcendence, and community, but for many individuals it’s failing to deliver.

There is no question that an elite obsession with meaningful work will produce a handful of winners who hit the workist lottery: busy, rich, and deeply fulfilled.

But a culture that funnels its dreams of self-actualization into salaried jobs is setting itself up for collective anxiety, mass disappointment, and inevitable burnout.

This workforce trend is a gold mine for the real estate industry.

We know most agents enter the real estate industry as second or third career professionals (i.e. very few people start their work life in real estate).

We also know, the sweet spot for hiring new agents is probably in a prospect’s ‘30s or early ‘40s.

To have access to a large group of highly-educated individuals who are dismayed with their current jobs is like walking into an orchard at harvest time.

The pickings are good.

• • •

Search for other Recruiting Insight Postings


LIKE TO LEARN MORE?

The Simple Psychology of Real Estate Recruiting [2nd Edition]

Unlock the secrets of effective real estate recruiting. Revised to include actionable frameworks for sharper execution and to help you turn psychological theory into a repeatable recruiting system.

Agent Migration: Q1 Had Some Big Surprises

Agent Migration: Q1 Had Some Big Surprises

While there’s a lot to digest, it’s critical to apply these insights to your recruiting strategy in the months ahead. That’s one of the reasons we’ve partnered with Lone Wolf to host a live webinar covering the Q1 Agent Migration trends you need to understand to compete effectively. Industry veterans Mark Johnson and Kyle Hunter will lead the session, simplifying the data, prioritizing what matters most, and outlining clear, actionable steps you can take.

How to Get it Right by Being Wrong

How to Get it Right by Being Wrong

There are several well-documented strategies researchers have discovered, but the easiest one to implement quickly is using a structured interview process. Develop a common set of questions for your interviews and record the answers candidates provide (take notes). And then try to hold back judgment until after the interview and when you’ve had time to review your notes.

Doing Only the Things You Like Doing

Doing Only the Things You Like Doing

For most recruiters and hiring managers, recruiting is a complex, end-to-end process containing a bunch of the individual tasks all of which they’re not going to enjoy. Those who push through unpleasant tasks not only find success but also find more satisfaction in the parts of the recruiting process they do enjoy.