Recruitment Q&A

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Recruitment Q&A

Question #1

What is your number one tip for recruiting during this remote environment?

Holly Strange SVP Wholesale Operations

The biggest lesson I’ve learned during this year has been to make your time with candidates count. Do your homework ahead of time, ask direct questions, and listen. There is a lot to sell besides a competitive salary, so it’s important to be prepared. Take your time, don’t rush the process, and remember that this is a first impression call. Without the in-person interaction, it’s difficult to exude passion, trust, and care so it should be reflected through your voice and expression. Be present and interactive with the candidate to show you are interested and fully engaged. Recruiting remotely, I tend to ask more questions during the interview process, such as “What kind of work culture do you thrive in?”, to vet their experience level and work style. I try to open that communication door so that they feel comfortable talking to me. Right now, it’s more important than ever to develop the relationship with that first interaction, because there are so many other lenders reaching out to recruits that you’ve got to make a connection right off the bat. This is your chance to be the differentiator.

Question #2

What’s been the biggest recruiting advantage during this new normal?

Allyson Foley EVP National Fulfillment

Before the pandemic, we were limited to recruiting for our Utah and California regional operation centers and only had two office locations for our team members. This limited the ability to spread our wings and truly grow to our full potential. Once the work from home abilities were established, it opened so many new doors and allowed us to recruit nationwide. Now we have access to a vast array of skillsets and levels of experience that were previously off the radar. From a recruiting standpoint, it’s beneficial to expand our footprint and be present in new markets. Our underwriters used to be the only ones who had the ability to work remotely, but since that commodity has been expanded to every role, we’re now able to broaden our horizons and bring in a wider variety of great people to help our company grow.

Question #3

What has been the most rewarding aspect of recruiting in today’s virtual reality?

Tammy Silver Underwriting Manager

Being able to provide so many new positions in a struggling job market energizes our efforts and is a daily reminder of opportunity and growth. In addition, it’s fulfilling to see new recruits come on board, evolve in their roles and achieve their goals under these new remote work guidelines. Starting these new hires off in an industry that has faced uncertain market conditions throughout the year has brought many challenges, but by guiding and instilling in them the potential of this opportunity and the importance of their role lets them know that they have a career that is in high demand, which is extremely rewarding. We have a team here that will band together during tough times and find a way to come out even stronger and succeed. It’s been a huge reason why Stearns achieved so much growth this year despite the unfortunate circumstances. Our mission at Stearns Lending is to help get borrowers into their dream homes and to be able to successfully achieve this despite the economic turbulence we’ve faced this year helps make everything we do here worth it.

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