The Perfect Hire for Community Management

Common interest communities are growing rapidly and as a result, management companies are too. But with this growth comes an increased demand for qualified HOA employees. Often community association management companies are required to recruit managers and other staff from other industries, and train them in the ways of community management.This demand for managers means that management companies must find individuals with the skills and qualities that make an excellent manager among candidates without specific experience. But identifying that talent can be tricky.

The Secret Sauce

When hiring, we look for skills in customer service, communication, and leadership (among other things). While these skills are great, and even essential for good HOA employees it seems that excellent staff possess something extra – But what is it? These 4 qualities of HOA employees may not always be obvious at first but are the key to to what makes an excellent employee especially community managers.

1. Diplomatic— A manager must be able to work with homeowners, board members and vendors even when competing opinions and interests are at play.
2. Trustworthy — Being trusted by the board is essential to being a good manager but excellent managers also earn the trust of homeowners. Being firm, fair, and honest seems simple, but not all managers can pull it off.
3. Problem Solver — Managers face problems every day, ranging from financial and legal issues to maintenance emergencies. An excellent manager knows how to solve many problems but they also build a team with the resources to solve any problem.
4. Proactive — Excellent managers see potential problems, they then plan and prepare for or resolving small issues before they become major problems.

Unfortunately, these skills are not always obvious when vetting a potential hire. There is no magic test or question you can ask that will reveal these qualities. Finding an excellent manager comes down to good old fashioned hiring basics (Methodical interview processes, checking references, and of course a little bit of luck). But when you find them treat them well, train them, and make sure they have the resources they need to be successful. In turn they will make their communities and your management company successful.