From the typical first-time homebuyer to technology innovations, the mortgage industry looks drastically different than it did 10, 15 or even 20 years ago. And yet, Phil Treadwell, vice president of development and regional manager with Mason-McDuffie Mortgage, explained that this same type of modern thinking isn’t being applied to the recruiting process.
Treadwell is slated to speak at engage.talent on Feb. 6 in Dallas to shed more light on how businesses are missing the mark when it comes to hiring the best of the best. In the session “The Battle for Talent,” Treadwell, along with Tom Middleton, founder and managing partner of The Middleton Group, and AIME Chairman Anthony Casa, will share war stories from the front lines of mortgage recruiting.
“The problem is that so many companies are still very romantic about the way the industry has been for a long time. They’re taking old tactics for recruiting talent and trying to use those same value propositions to hire new faces,” Treadwell said.
The real estate market is feeling the impact of the large portion of young first-time buyers, who also are experiencing technology advancements in other industries. To Treadwell, this new kind of homebuyer requires a new kind of loan officer to attract those consumers and to work with referral partners.
“The type of people who are going to be effective in today’s mortgage and real estate markets are going to value different things from a company than they did five or 10 or 20 years ago,” he explained. “Companies that don’t fully understand or grasp that are going to have a higher turnover than those that understand what those originators need.”
As a 15-year veteran in the industry with experience as a top producing mortgage banker and independent mortgage broker, Treadwell has seen firsthand the positive impact that reinventing outdated recruiting methods can have on a company. Instead of operating in the traditional mindset of “what can the company offer the referral partner and consumer,” Treadwell emphasized that companies have to help the individual loan officer build their brand.
“The companies that are saying we want to come alongside the originator, help them build their brand and expand their value proposition in their local communities are the ones that are going to win,” he said.
With the next decade comes a fresh opportunity for companies to finally make a change in how they recruit. Treadwell said the recruiting process comes down to relevance and reputation, noting that a personal brand is really just someone’s reputation – not their name in lights.
“If you brand reputation, that becomes very relevant in the marketplace, and that’s what companies need to be better about helping their originators develop that whole persona,” he said.
At engage.talent, Treadwell will dive deeper into actionable ways companies can start transforming their recruiting tactics to a process that showcases the talent not just the company. Don’t miss this chance to level up your recruiting tactics at engage.talent. Register here.
