Property Management 101: Getting a job as a resident manager. Installment #1

Finding a job as a resident manager seems to be more popular than ever. Every business day for the past several months I have received no less than 5, and as many as 15 unsolicited resume submissions or emails from individuals hoping to become a resident manager. Some are looking for a second income, others to reduce their rental expenses and some are looking for a career change. When we did advertise for a position the volume was even more astounding. We had over 130 people show up for a two hour, cattle call interview session in March 2009. What has surprised me most was not the volume of unsolicited inquiries or the volume of those responding to active recruiting, but the few people who actually properly prepared for the interview. Less than 15% of those looking for work satisfied some very fundamental requirements. It was amazing that people, looking for work, submitted poorly written resumes full of grammatical errors and typos, did not wear business attire to the interview, did not submit resumes with their initial inquiry, blatantly disregarded the requests of the potential employer and passed the burden on to the employer to track them down. I will elaborate a little on each of these points in hopes that those interested in obtaining jobs incorporate these fundamental ideas into their job search.

1. Resumes must be proof read and should never be typed in all capital letters.
2. Always bring the resume to the interview even if you have sent it electronically or mailed it previously.
3. Always dress better than is required for the job for which you are applying. In 20 years I have never dismissed a prospect because they were over dressed but have dismissed many because they failed to wear proper attire.
4. Don't send emails or letters looking for work without including a current resume. When you do this, the message you are sending is that you were too lazy to include the information or there is something you want to hide. Neither is a good scenario for the applicant.
5. Follow instructions. If an employment ad says, "Please don't call the office", DON'T CALL THE OFFICE. Respect the potential employer’s wishes. Kidding yourself that you are somehow getting a leg up on the other applicants by doing so is foolish. You are showing the employer that you have trouble following simple instructions. If an advertisement says you are to submit a resume, do so with your first submission, also submit references, don't wait to be asked a second time.

You may wonder why anyone would anyone waste their time writing this article because the concepts are so basic. Certainly people looking for work know to follow these rules. That is what I thought until recently as well. Some where these rules did not get passed on or were forgotten. There are many other pointers that should go onto this list but I wanted to cover the basics first. While doing these things will not ensure that you get hired, not doing them will certainly ensure you will continue to look for employment as a resident manager or whatever job offer you are seeking.