Hiring the right talent is essential for your real estate team or small business. But relying on interviews, resumes, or behavioral assessments alone often doesn’t reveal a candidate’s true abilities. For both administrative & operations roles (like directors of operations or executive assistants) and sales roles (like Realtors® or sales reps), adding a road test to your hiring process can ensure you’re choosing someone who can perform.
The Pitfalls of Traditional Hiring
Too often, business owners hire based on what candidates say they can do or what’s on their resume. This can lead to missteps, especially in specialized roles like listing coordinators or marketing managers, where the reality of the job might not align with their experience.
For example, I had a client who owns a transaction coordination company. She hired a candidate with years & years of real estate team TC experience, only to discover the pace and volume of work were too much for the new hire. In another case, a team hired multiple real estate agents who seemed perfect during interviews but lacked the motivation to do the actual work of lead generation.
These kinds of mis-hires drastically slow your team’s productivity and growth.
What Is a Road Test?
A road test is a hands-on exercise that lets potential hires prove their skills in a real-world scenario. Rather than relying solely on interviews, you get to see how they handle tasks they’ll be responsible for in the role.
Road Test Examples
- Listing Coordinator: Ask them to write an MLS description for their best friend’s house.
- Marketing Director: Have them create a social media post, an Instagram reel for a home, and a video introduction. This tests their creativity and comfort with social platforms and video.
- Director of Operations: Request an outline for an onboarding program for new agents or clients.
- Executive Assistant: Give them a list of 10 daily tasks and ask them to prioritize and explain their reasoning.
- Sales Roles (Realtors® or sales reps): Have them join your team for a morning of lead generation calls. This reveals any call reluctance and shows how comfortable they are with prospecting.
- Real Estate Agents: Ask for a spreadsheet of their top 100 sphere of influence contacts ready by Day 1. This shows their buy-in to your systems.
- Salespeople: Provide them with a lead and ask them to respond via voicemail. This lets you hear their phone manner and thought process.
The Benefits of Road Testing
Road tests allow you to assess:
- Problem-solving: Can they handle challenges creatively and efficiently?
- Communication: Are they clear and effective?
- Cultural fit: Do their values align with your company’s?
By road-testing candidates for both operations and sales roles, you significantly reduce the risk of hiring someone who can’t handle the demands of your growing business.
How to Incorporate Road Testing
Road tests don’t have to be complicated. Simple, relevant tasks can reveal whether a candidate has the experience, mindset, and skills to succeed. This step should be included at the point your are narrowing down your top candidates.
Final Thoughts: What If You Made a Mistake?
Sometimes, it’s not easy to tell if a hire is the wrong fit or if there are issues with training. You may ask yourself: “Is this the right hire, or is there a gap in my training process?” (Or maybe you’re like Taylor Swift: “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.“)
Leading a team isn’t easy—especially when you’re not sure if a team member is the right fit. If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t know if they are the right person for the role. I *thought* they were talented (maybe I still do), but they just aren’t keeping up with me,” consider joining our “Coach Them Up or Coach Them Out” workshop. This fast-paced, totally candid class is where we provide the tools, scripts, and strategies to help you lead with clarity and confidence. Whether you’re facing a current challenge or want to improve your leadership, this class will level up your decision-making skills.
Call to Action: Want to learn more about building an unstoppable team? At Ops Boss® Coaching, we offer expert coaching & classes for directors of operations, executive assistants, and a myriad of operations & administrative support roles for entrepreneurs. Schedule a call and let’s chat about how to boost your team’s performance.