Here are a few common questions that should not be answered during a first interview with a new-to-real-estate recruiting prospect:

How much money does a real estate agent make in your company?

How does a real estate agent get paid?

How does “full-commission” differ from a salary or hourly wage?

Don’t get me wrong. These are all legitimate questions that need to be addressed. 

They just don’t need to be answered by you—especially during the first interview.

Why? Because these questions are so common an experienced interviewer can easily anticipate them. 

Answers to common questions can be prepared (in written form) and handed to the candidate when the question is asked.

Answering the same common questions interview after interview is not the best use of your time. This is especially true if the answer requires you to take 15 minutes on a white board mapping out how commission splits work!

Great hiring managers know that successful interviews happen when the candidate does most of the talking. 

Getting an individual to express their unique pain and seeing how working as an agent will solve his/her problem is what causes people to engage. 

By contrast, long-winded answers to common questions will wreck your interviews.