Is Your Hiring Process Costing You Good Candidates?

In a tight real estate talent market, the agencies securing the best people are not always the ones offering the highest salary. More often than not, they are simply the ones moving the fastest.

It sounds straightforward, but slow and overly complicated hiring processes are one of the most consistent reasons Melbourne real estate agencies lose good candidates — and most of the time, they do not even realise it is happening.

The market has shifted

The real estate job market in Melbourne right now is genuinely candidate-short in a number of key areas. Experienced commercial property managers, senior trust accountants, leasing consultants with real depth, and strong Owners Corporation managers are not sitting on SEEK waiting for the right role to appear. They are usually employed, reasonably settled, and only open to a move if the opportunity is clearly better than where they are now.

That means the window to engage, impress and secure a strong candidate is much shorter than most agencies expect. And every unnecessary delay in the process is a risk.

Where the process tends to fall apart

From working across real estate recruitment in Melbourne, a few patterns come up repeatedly when a hire falls through or a great candidate moves on:

Too many interview rounds.A two-stage process — an initial conversation followed by a formal interview with the decision-maker — is generally sufficient for most real estate roles. When a third or fourth round is added without clear purpose, it sends a signal to the candidate that the business is indecisive. Senior candidates in particular notice this and begin to question whether it reflects the broader culture.

Delays between stages.A week between the first and second interview might not feel significant from inside the business, but from the candidate's side it can feel like a lack of interest — especially if they have other conversations progressing. Agencies that aim to move from first interview to offer within five to seven business days are consistently better placed to secure the people they want.

Feedback that takes too long.Candidates remember how they were treated during a process. Slow or absent feedback — even when the outcome is a decline — damages an agency's reputation in the market over time. Recruiters talk to candidates constantly. Word travels.

Too many decision-makers involved.When a hire requires sign-off from multiple people across different schedules, the process slows significantly. For most real estate roles, the hiring decision should sit with one or two people at most. Consensus is valuable, but it should not come at the cost of pace.

Lowball offers after a long process.Nothing ends a process faster than a candidate investing three weeks of their time, then receiving an offer that is noticeably below what was discussed at the outset. In a candidate-short market, salary conversations need to happen early and honestly — not saved for the final stage.

What a strong hiring process looks like

The agencies that consistently attract and secure quality real estate talent tend to follow a similar approach:

• They brief their recruiter thoroughly upfront, so the shortlist is tight and relevant from the start.

• They commit to a two-stage interview process with a clear timeline.

• They make a decision within a week of the final interview.

• They back their offer with a genuine package — salary, flexibility, support structure and growth opportunity — not just a number.

• They stay in contact with the candidate throughout, treating them like a professional rather than an applicant.

It is not complicated. But it requires the business owner or hiring manager to treat the process as a priority, not an afterthought alongside an already full workload.

The cost of getting it wrong

Beyond losing a specific candidate, a slow or disorganised process has a broader cost. It keeps a vacancy open longer, places pressure on the existing team, risks losing revenue or client relationships, and can damage the agency's standing in the recruitment market over time.

In Melbourne's current real estate environment, where the best candidates have genuine options, agencies simply cannot afford to be anything other than decisive.

At Spire Recruitment, we work exclusively within the real estate sector across Melbourne. If you are preparing to hire and want to make sure your process is set up to succeed, we would love to have a conversation before you start.

Get in touch with the team at Spire Recruitment today.