“Keystone Spotlight” is an ongoing series introducing our top-performing staff who continue to go out of their way to provide exceptional service.
“Finding the right fit” is a task we take seriously at Keystone. Not only as it applies to our Community Managers, but for all the positions we fill. Our process for selecting stand-out candidates involves more than just evaluating qualifications–it’s about understanding a candidate’s strengths and ensuring their placement will support a long and rewarding career in HOA management.
“A ray of sunshine”
Keystone Corporate Recruiter Kyla Borst has a special talent for evaluating candidates and determining whether they would be a great fit. Though she just joined the Keystone team in October 2020, she quickly proved to be a valuable resource in our hiring process.
“Kyla has shown a great deal of ownership over the position, even in the short time she’s been with us,” explains Charlene Cooley, Keystone’s Marketing Communications Manager. “Her consistently warm, friendly attitude is like a ray of sunshine.”
Figuring out what makes people tick
Kyla’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in industrial organizational psychology, prepared her to hit the ground running in a career in human resources. “I love working with people,” she shares. “Everyone has a unique personality, and I like to use my knowledge of psychology to get to the core of what makes a candidate unique. During interviews, or just in general conversation, people send signals about who they are. It’s interesting to use these observations to determine if someone will ultimately be the right fit for an open position.”
A shared philosophy
Kyla found her own natural fit at Keystone largely due to values she shares with our organization, including friendliness, openness, and helpfulness. She explains, “Keystone is a great fit for me professionally because it’s an environment where people want to work. As a recruiter, I also see this as a sign of a healthy work environment, which is important for hiring.”
HOA management jobs have a reputation for attracting proactive problem-solvers, which is exactly the type of personality Kyla is looking for when interviewing. “There’s a lot of truth when people say, ‘no two days are alike’ in HOA management,” she explains. “The people who are the best fit for Keystone–in any position–are highly motivated go-getters who like to be challenged on a daily and weekly basis.”
Kyla understands the importance of our company philosophy of treating every community as if it is our own. She takes this seriously, even when staffing internal, corporate positions that indirectly serve our HOA clients. She explains, “Keystone Team Members have an innate drive to offer the best customer service possible to our HOA clients as well as our fellow team members. That’s definitely something I’m looking for when I submit my hiring recommendations.”
Challenges of pandemic recruiting
When Kyla joined the team, many COVID restrictions were still in place throughout Southern California, and many organizations were operating under new working models to ensure business was uninterrupted. “Because Keystone proactively adopts new technologies designed to streamline processes and provides state-of-the-art communication tools to re-connect community associations, we pivoted quickly to remote work at the outset of the pandemic,” Kyla explains, “which made it easier to continue hiring with minimal disruption.”
Though many of the restrictions have since been lifted, Keystone continues to utilize technology tools to streamline and improve HOA management. “It’s fantastic that we live in an age where modern technology enables us to stay connected and do our jobs while working remotely, out in the field, or at our desks in the office,” she says. “Even though Keystone has returned to a hybrid work model, we still use video conferencing to conduct interviews. This enables us to quickly get a sense of a candidate’s personality, even when we’re not all in the same room.”
The formula for success
In addition to finding the perfect fit for our corporate culture, Keystone pays careful attention to aligning the right community management teams with our board member clients. Part of our success formula is to ensure we pair the right personalities and skillsets with the communities we serve. Hiring people who have a deep desire to learn, grow, and deliver exceptional service– and then pairing them with clients with similar communication styles and positive chemistry–is of integral to our customer experience efforts.
Kyla emphasizes that while accreditation is important (especially for community managers), HOA management jobs aren’t just about obtaining certifications in an academic environment. Instead, lasting success is created by the combination of education and practical experience. “For people considering a career in HOA management, my advice is to learn all you can, then get started as soon as possible putting it into practice.”
Ultimately, the most rewarding part of Kyla’s job is finding the perfect fit for an open position. “Every time we onboard a new person, it feels like we’re bringing on a new family member,” she says. “And that’s a huge part of why I love what I do.”
From the whole team, we say: Welcome aboard, Kyla. We’re happy to have you in the Keystone family.
Looking for a rewarding career with colleagues who care? Browse HOA management jobs at Keystone and submit your resume today.