Inside Imagine Homes: Why People Come to Work for Us

Finding great employees is challenging for any business and in any industry. At Imagine Homes, we’re always on the lookout for people who are interested in helping us grow as a company. We sat down with Talent Acquisition Manager, Auggie Negele, to get his thoughts on why he feels people choose to join Imagine Homes and how a great workplace culture plays a part in that.

My experience in the Navy actually led me to real estate.

To give you a bit of background: I was a Nuclear Submarine Officer from 1999 to about 2005, an Associate Professor of Naval Science at the Merchant Marine Academy after that, and then a Recruitment Officer for about five years until 2013.

Moving around the country, living in different places, and going through the buying and selling process of properties—that ignited my interest in real estate. So when I retired, my focus shifted to real estate. This also allowed me to continue pursuing my career in recruitment.

I was working as a recruiter and business coach when I met Jordan [Wilson], our Director of Operations. He was the one who introduced me to Imagine Homes Management, what the company was doing, their values, and how they were growing.

Having worked in real estate as a home inspector and then a recruiter and trainer, I was very interested when he told me that Imagine Homes needed a full-time recruiter.

The idea of working for Imagine Homes brought excitement—it’s a company that’s not entirely on the ground floor which means there’s a lot of opportunity for growth.

Entering a start-up means that you’re working in a company that is still kind of small but has a proven and consistent track record. It also means that there’s room for me to contribute and take part in the journey towards immense business growth as we move forward.

As the Talent Acquisition Manager for Imagine Homes Management, it’s my responsibility to look at our current job openings and search for quality candidates who are fit for the job.

Like all other businesses in the US, I’m trying to get qualified people to fill all of the positions that we have. We have a country-wide labor shortage at the moment, so like many businesses, our demand for workers is probably greater than the supply of people looking to work.

And as you already know, we’re still buying and renovating and opening up new markets. We have that pressure to grow in terms of our bottom line. And while being in this industry is not rocket science, I have to dive into our culture so I can better assist everyone. That means taking extra effort to learn about different jobs and positions and the kinds of people that would suit the company.

Outside of the usual recruitment responsibilities, I’m currently looking at how I can evolve all aspects of the company’s hiring process. Part of that means incorporating technology like applicant tracking systems with the traditional recruitment process. This will help us drop the more manual aspect of phone calls, emails, and excel sheets to improve overall efficiency.

My goal is to increase the efficiency of our hiring process and to standardize our hiring model. I’m personally interested in establishing a process that can live on and grow and evolve with the company.

When I look for people who fit what Imagine Homes is looking for, it’s all about people who share the same vision.

This might sound cliché, but one of the qualities that I look for in a candidate is someone with a positive attitude. We keep a lighthearted and comfortable culture in the company, so someone who could reflect those traits goes to the top of my pile.

Communication is also essential—that’s why I prefer someone who’s proactive and can communicate well. For example, I really like people who not only follow instructions precisely, but people who are proactive enough to follow up during the hiring process.

We screen hundreds of applications—so it’s easy for applicants to get lost in the shuffle. Following up not only helps them stand out from the rest, but it also shows their keenness to work with us.

Many people choose to work with Imagine Homes Management for several reasons.

I think that people join us because they like the idea of joining a company that has a track record of growth, success and further opportunities.

We’re consistently opening new markets and acquiring more homes. That opens up more job roles—particularly, senior job roles.

As for retention, I feel that the company culture plays a big part in that. We take care of our people and we’re out to compensate people fairly. Even though Imagine Homes just made 50 employees, we have great benefits in terms of health care and retirement. For a young company to have a benefits package that’s similar to that of a larger corporation, that’s very appealing.

Having been at Imagine Homes for around two months, I’ve also seen that the company culture stems from the senior leadership. I’ve always felt like they would rather say yes than no and they’re open to hearing ideas.

People want to be listened to and heard. And at Imagine Homes, while an idea might not always get implemented, there are always people willing to listen and hear you out.

That naturally leads into one of the things I feel we do really well: communication. While we’re spread across different markets and are far apart from one another, people feel connected. That’s important to people and what I feel is a big reason why people not only enjoy coming to work for us, but why they choose to stay.

At Imagine Homes, we’re invested in and passionate about success.

There’s a genuine drive and belief in the company and the people who work at Imagine Homes. Again, it’s very clear when you interact with the senior management: they care not only about the company’s success but the individual success of their people.

It’s rare to have that kind of authenticity and genuine investment not only in company-wide success, but also in the success of individuals.

For those folks interested in working at Imagine Homes, I feel that you should consider us because we’ve got a great track record of success and growth. We’re also a great place to work and we value our employees.

There are a lot of opportunities to not only grow with the company, but the possibility to directly influence the direction of your department and possibly the company as a whole.

Interested in working with us? Let’s talk.

We’re looking for passionate individuals to join our team and help us deliver best-in-class service, homes, and overall experience in 2022. If you think you fit the bill, let us know! We’d love to have you on board.

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