4 min read

Onboarding: Acquiring the Know-How You Need to Get Started

“Being able to leave one’s comfort zone is a fundamental skill for good salespeople. The Real Estate Agent profession is a beautiful one, but also one of the most difficult," says Barbora Kubíková, who is in charge of the training program for novice agents at Engel & Völkers: so-called ‘onboarding’.

What is onboarding?

For me, onboarding is the process of passing on our best know-how to colleagues beginning in the field, and familiarizing them to with Engel & Völkers’ values and culture, as well as its administrative side: providing novices a basic overview of what awaits them in their new role, as well as how to become the most successful real estate dealer they can be.

Bara, what role do you play in the company?

I have been with Engel & Völkers Prague since 2012. I started as an assistant for the Commercial Department, then I worked as a real estate consultant in the Residential Sales team for 1.5 years before personally leading the whole team for almost 5 years. Now that I am on maternity leave, I am in charge of onboarding and training new colleagues.

How often does onboarding take place and how extensive is it?

Onboarding usually takes place once or twice a month, the exact date of the event is always adapted to suit our new colleagues. Each new colleague first spends time with me learning our methods, then has the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge in practice directly in collaboration with the team leader. Then there is further training again with me, and then my new colleagues start working independently. Their first experiences with clients are then discussed under the supervision of their team leader until the new colleague gains confidence. As a rule, after the first or second client meeting, they start operating fully independently.

I am a newcomer, onboarding is awaiting me tomorrow, how should I prepare?

Above all, I recommend coming rested and 100% prepared to receive new information throughout the day. It's good to be prepared by having a little general knowledge of E&V as a company, and it definitely helps to be proficient at basic calculations and working with numbers.

What exactly does onboarding entail?

Onboarding includes everything a new colleague will need to know about the real estate business. Because of the complexity of the business and time constraints, new agents continue learning details and gaining specific knowledge in the course of their work. I am trying to make our onboarding training more and more interactive, so that each new agent can participate in role-playing, giving them the opportunity to show what they have learned from the training, and how they have integrated and understood it. I always say that the most important thing is simply to start; skills develop over time.

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New colleagues from various teams meet in the course of their onboarding training. How big is the group you work with?

Usually a new group consists of about five new colleagues, though it has happened in the past that I organized onboarding training for the only new agent starting at that time; I have also led a group of seven. Since the training is carried out for all teams at the same time, I always make a point of highlighting the differences between the work methods of agents in the various departments. Before onboarding begins, each new colleague has been assigned to a team; which exact team is determined after successful previous participation in Career Days.

Why is onboarding important?

Almost everyone who joins a new company feels confused and insecure. As part of onboarding, I am here for you. Imagine, at the beginning of your new career, the advantages of having a designated person with a lot of practical experience, who is 100% dedicated to you and happy to answer any and all of your questions. Onboarding also helps save time for team leaders, who have another 10 to 15 people in their teams; it is far more effective for them to be able to take the new colleague directly to a property viewing with a client without having to explain all the basic concepts; everybody saves time.

Are you good at recognizing who is a good fit for the position of a real estate agent? What qualities should such a person have?

An agent should be, quite simply, a smart person who knows how to think. We often deal with clients who are very good business people, to be taken seriously you have to prove to them that you are just as good as they are. The profession of real estate agent is a beautiful one, but it is also one of the most difficult. We real estate people must have a general awareness of the world, of legal and tax issues, we must have knowledge of the construction business as well as of human psychology. It is also important to have an ingrained moral and ethical code, and, last but not least, a desire and constant hunger for information.

Your first onboarding training must have been different from that of today. What has changed?

With each new colleague and new question, I wonder how to improve our onboarding training. Today, onboarding is far more interactive, often when I explain something, we play-out a scene demonstrating what a real-life situation could look like. I’ve also been asking questions more and more often. It doesn't matter at all if new colleagues don't know the answers, it's interesting to see how they think and develop their ideas further. New colleagues also receive support study materials from us, which will guide them through their first months.

What does onboarding bring to you personally?

Since I left as team leader due to maternity leave, I have missed the world of E&V and business. I grew and felt fulfilled in this environment; the company's philosophy met the my requirements and ideas of the dream job perfectly. I now see it as my mission to explain to new colleagues what to do, and how, in order to orient themselves quickly and be as successful as possible in our business. I feel bad about the general reputation of real estate brokers in the Czech Republic, so am grateful for the new real estate law, which to some extent will perhaps eliminate agents who are responsible for casting a dark shadow on this profession in the eyes of the public. I find it enriching to constantly see new people. At onboarding, I meet people from various fields with a diverse range of experience. It is rewarding to make it easier for someone to get started and participate in their vision, and continue to grow our company at the same time.

Contact your personal advisor

Engel & Völkers Czechia

Janáčkovo nábřeží 1101/23

150 00 Prague 5 - Smíchov, Czechia

Tel: +420 233 091 011