Ask a Hiring Manager Featuring Diane Shoff of Honey Bar Media

In the December installment of Virtual Vocations “Ask a Hiring Manager” series, we chat with Diane Shoff, Operations Manager of Honey Bar Media (dba Community Influencer). Based out of Rancho Cucamonga, California, Honey Bar Media is a 100% remote company and a Virtual Vocations Employer Partner that provides coaching for real estate agents around the country, allowing people to succeed in an in-person or work from home real estate job.

With the largest online learning community for realtors and listing agents in the world, Honey Bar Media has a business model all its own. However, the company has plenty of moving parts that require a spectrum of qualified individuals. In a dynamic virtual world, Shoff weighs in as a hiring manager and how candidates can stand out in a seemingly endless pool of knowledgeable candidates. By following her advice, aspiring individuals seeking a work from home real estate job or another type of remote profession can learn how to shape a quality resume, ace the interview, and let their personality and expertise glow.

Is There a Particular Aspect of Resumes and Cover Letters That Make a Candidate Stand Out?

When it comes to resumes, Honey Bar Media looks for experience that directly relates to the role we’re hiring for. We love to see resumes that are one or two pages and are presented in an easy-to-read format. While large fonts, complex layouts, and images may look appealing, they take up valuable space. We would much rather see the skills and experience a candidate can bring to the table, and how they can make an impact on our company goals.

How Do You Classify the Seniority Level of a Job? For Example, Do You Agree With Hiring Practices Such as an Entry-Level Position Requiring 1-3 Years of Experience?

There’s no talk of a corporate ladder. We’re different. We value our employees and our top goal is to ensure we hire the right candidate for the right role. Internally, you’ll often hear us say that we need to have the right people in the right seats. When we do, we’re accomplishing the most as a team. It’s all about rowing in the same direction. And that’s why we spend so much time getting all the things in place for our job descriptions. That’s so that anyone
applying for a role with us will know—without question—if they have the skills to own that role.

How Important Is It That Applicants Have All of the Job Requirements? Would You Still Encourage People to Apply That Have Only 50% or 75% of the Required Job Experience or Skills?

Sure, we’d love to see every applicant meet all the job requirements. But we know that unicorns are hard to come by. This is why it’s so important for us to have an amazing applicant that is willing and passionate about mastering their craft through lifelong learning. If you love logging in for work every single day and come ready to tackle your weekly commitments, then we are willing to give our employees access to amazing courses and training opportunities to grow in
their role.

Experts Say That You Only Have Six Seconds to Impress a Hiring Manager on a Cover Letter. What Are Things You See on a Cover Letter That Are Grounds for Immediate Rejection or Strong Consideration for the Position?

For all of us at Honey Bar Media, it’s not about the cover letter. It’s about following the application process perfectly. It’s what we value: that they take the time to truly read and fill out an application completely. If a candidate is spending more time privately reaching out to other team members to show interest in a role but not going through the entire application process—that’s a red flag. And for us, that qualifies a candidate for immediate rejection. When (and if) we do receive a cover letter, we look
for the applicant’s goals to align with the goals of the company and the role itself.

What Are Some of the Best and Worst Answers You’ve Heard in an Interview?

Oh, this one is a big one for us. One of the questions we ask at Honey Bar Media is “ Have you had a chance to research our company?” You would be shocked to find out how many applicants don’t take the time to even look us up online. We always appreciate (and actually expect it) when a candidate takes the time to see what our company does and who we serve before they even attend the first interview.

To us, it helps highlight that the candidate is resourceful and truly interested in the role they applied for. This also allows us to utilize the first interview to get to know the candidate better instead of answering general questions about the company. Things that can most definitely be answered from a quick visit to our website.

How Important Are Soft Skills in Your Hiring Process? Is a Good Fit With Company Culture High on Your Priority List?

Even the best candidate with all the qualifications might not be the right candidate for our company. So, yes, this is extremely important to us as a team, and as a company. Our entire final interview ensures that candidates are a good culture fit. We have a set of core values that we stand behind. And we want all of our team members (and future team members) to take pride in those values. It’s equally important that we are a good culture fit for the prospective employee as well, and that our values align with their values.

Although cover letters and resumes are important to land a job, cultural fit, passion, and personality are the ultimate trifecta that hiring managers are searching for in a work from home real estate job, as well as other roles. As Shoff mentions, preparedness and adopting a set of core values is every bit as integral as credentials themselves. Whether you’re already a real estate agent or you’re searching for a new remote opportunity in the real estate industry, buying into Shoff’s ideals of the perfect candidate just might help you reach your goals.

Are you a hiring manager who’s interested in appearing in our “Ask a Hiring Manager” monthly segment? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to set something up with the team. We’d love to hear from you!