One of the biggest factors that influence a real estate agent’s decision to join a brokerage is company culture. In fact, some candidates may even accept a lower compensation split in favor of a positive working environment where they know they can thrive.
This is why company culture should be one of the things you should include in your real estate recruiting letter. It’s a simple yet effective method for reaching out to and attracting potential candidates, so using it to showcase your company culture can help your brokerage stand out.
You can read this real estate agent recruiting letter article for some help on how to craft an effective one. That said, here are some tips on how to discuss company culture in your letter to achieve the best results:
Try to Focus on a Couple of Words
When you write a real estate agent recruiting letter, remember that you’re writing just that: a letter. As such, make it a point to be thorough while still being concise. You can do this by choosing one or two words that best describe your company culture.
Many companies, both in and out of the real estate industry, often use the word “collaborative.” It tells the candidate that the organization is composed of people who work together in order to achieve goals, and that everyone is invested in everyone’s success. It may be a little too commonplace, but it definitely illustrates that your brokerage is a place for growth.
Some other words you can use include “challenging” to highlight the fact that your brokerage encourages the exploration and development of skills; as well as “friendly” to let candidates know that you’re a real estate company that cares.
Do note that there are some words like “competitive” that can be taken in a bad light. You can use alternative terms such as “passionate” or “driven” to better illustrate your brokerage’s go-getter mentality.
Highlight Your Mission and Values
When mentioning company culture in your real estate recruiting letter, it’s a good idea to highlight your mission and values. There are hundreds, even thousands of job seekers—including real estate agents—who look for employers whose goals align with theirs. This type of compatibility will positively affect not only the work experience, but also the person’s growth in the company.
Keep your mission statement short as much as possible. It can be two to three sentences long, perhaps a paragraph at most. For your company values, choose up to five to highlight. Some good examples include:
- Teamwork
- Diversity and inclusion
- Work-life balance
- Results-oriented
- Positive global and environmental impact
- Trust and integrity
- Ethical pursuit of success
You can add more, of course, but it can make your letter a little too long. It will also make you sound pretentious even if you do, in fact, value many things in your company.
Relate Certain Workplace Benefits to Culture
To better showcase your company culture, it’s a good idea to associate a few workplace benefits with it. If your brokerage’s company culture promotes a healthy work-life balance, for example, mention how you have a generous vacation package. This makes your values and company culture more concrete and relatable, which can further increase the appeal of your brokerage.
Mention the Environment
The workplace itself is a reflection of the company culture. Thus, make sure to mention in your real estate agent recruiting letter how your office looks and how it makes people feel. Even better, include links or attachments for visual proof. It’s easier for someone to picture themselves working in your brokerage if they have photos or videos as references.
Of course, make sure that you walk the talk. You can’t say that your brokerage puts an emphasis on playfulness and creativity if your office is an austere mass of cubicles. You can’t put a premium on health and wellness if you have a dark, gloomy space. Not everything has to be Google-esque, obviously, but do make an effort to make your office a good representation of what you value and uphold.
Be Authentic
Last but certainly not least, discuss your company culture in your recruiting letter in an authentic manner. This is particularly crucial, simply because your reputation and integrity as a real estate brokerage are at stake. Moreover, no one wants to work for untrustworthy, pompous organizations that over-promise but don’t deliver.
Set the right expectations from the very beginning and again, be honest. Try your best to sound as fair as possible, while still highlighting what’s best about your brokerage’s culture. If you want, you can test your real estate agent recruiting letters first on your own employees. Have them look at a few samples and ask them which one would appeal best if they were an applicant to your brokerage.
One of the biggest challenges in real estate recruitment is differentiation. A good way to stand out is to cultivate your company culture and then highlight it in your recruitment materials such as a recruiting letter. Hopefully, the above-mentioned tips can help you with this endeavor.
