Property Interview Questions & Answers

Having completed the online assessment form, I was invited to an assessment centre at the London head office. The assessment centre comprised a presentation by Savills about the graduate scheme and the company, an individual presentation (prepared in advance of the day), a group exercise and a written exercise consisting of a numerical test (a calculator is provided) and a task to write an email to your manager. The day concluded with a networking session with senior employees (although this is supposed to be informal, you are definitely still being assessed at this point!).

You were given a fairly free choice for your presentation topic. You should pick something in which you can show yourself in the best light but also maintain you audience's interest (the audience comprised a group of around 5 other candidates and 3 assessors).

It is important to have a thorough knowledge of the property industry before the assessment centre, as unlike group exercises with some other graduate employers, Savills' requires you to demonstrate your knowledge of the industry to make informed decisions during the group exercise.

Prepare some questions in advance of the networking session, to ensure you can have interesting and relevant conversations with senior management at the close of the day.

Company presentation
Group exercise
Individual presentation
Written and numerical tests
Networking session

My interview with Foxtons was an overall pleasant and professional experience. Prior to the interview, I received an automatic confirmation email which gave in detail the interview information. The interview process was different for my role which I fortunately found through Graduate Jobs, compared to the normal estate agent roles. There were no tasks performed for this interview - however, I went through 3 interview stages. My first interview was one on one with the Senior Recruiter who handled the whole process. My second interview was with my line managers, the Social Media Manager and Head of Brand and Content. My last interview was with the Marketing Director.
The key questions asked were:
• Why do I want to apply for Foxtons?
• What do I understand about the role I am applying for in Foxtons?
• Talk me through your CV, What do you do in your current role

What is your greatest achievement to date? This can be personal or professional.

My number 1 advice is to subscribe to graduate job mail list before anything! I was fortunate enough to find this opportunity from an email sent by graduate jobs. I remember on the training week people were surprise by the role I had in the company and asked where I had applied or where did I find out about the role. Honestly, I would not have known either if I hadn't received the email. Which brings me on to another point, I was already in a job and wasn't necessarily looking, but I still received emails from Graduate Jobs and when I saw this, I thought this it an amazing opportunity and great career step. So if you are a new graduate in a job you are not to sure of, having email notifications still comes through allows you to still see whats out there and take a decision to find the right job for you.
My key practical advice however, if you really want the job do you research of the company and really know why you want to apply.

The overall process was a month long, which consisted of phone calls with the Senior Recruiter and 3 interviews. I had my first call with Foxtons on the 31st March and was offered the job April 28th. The first conversation with Foxtons was for HR to know more about me and my current role in relation to my CV and if I was suitable for the role I was applying for. After this, an interview was scheduled for the following week where I met with the Senior Recruiter and had the opportunity to know more about Foxtons as a company and more about the role before I met the hiring managers. After this I was scheduled for an interview with my line manager and team – the Head of Brand and Content and Social Media Manager. This interview was very detailed, both explained where they were at as a company from a marketing perspective and where they wanted to go with Social Media and Digital and were keen to know if I had the understanding of this channel and the role. After this interview, the Senior Recruiter contacted me to see how I felt post the interview with my line managers. After this I was told I was successfully through to have my last interview with the Marketing Director. After this I was offered the role the following week.

After applying to the role of Property Manager at Foxtons, I recieved a response after three weeks inviting me to attend a video interview. I was tasked to read various questions and was given approximately one minute to respond and demonstrate my skills and personality for each question. You have the ability to re record each video responce if you do not feel you answered well enough, which was a good addition, as you may find yourself often running out of time trying to fit as much as possible into your responce. You can also see the questions before hand, which can allow you to practice your response before hand. However, I if you try to retake your video response a number of times the website may take you right to the beginning of the set up, which was quick annoying and made the process longer. All in all the questions were not difficult, although the time limit will force you to make your answers consice and to the point. Initially I believed the one way video interview would take me half an hour. In the end it took me an hour and a half, although this would vary for every individual, depending on preparation.

The questions were not necessarily difficult, however I would advise writing down your answer and quickly revising it before hand, to ensure for a confident responce free from stuttering and pauses.

Practice responces before hand.
Do not ramble on, answer each point as best as possible, you may find yourself often running out of time mid speech so it is important to focus on the key aspects about yourself that you want to relay back to the interviewers.

As the interview was a one way video interview, I had not yet attended an assessment centre.

A group of about 10 of us, were taken into a room where one of the employees showed us a presentation about the company. After that was done, we were left to network with other employees of the company as well as the other interviewees. Then individually, we were taken away to do a one-to-one interview. That was the end of the first stage.

I got a call back the next day to say I had been selected for the second stage, which consisted meeting with the operations director/director of managed properties and another senior manager.

Second interview was much less informal in comparison to the first stage. Typical interview questions and a lot on wanting to know more about my career aspirations and personal goals.

What is your plan if you don't get the role?
Explain a time you dealt with conflict well?

Research the company beforehand Be confident but humble
Smile and be approachable
Ask questions to show your interest in the company
Be early, show your enthusiasm
Dress smart
Remember to listen carefully to what you're being asked

No assessment