The Block auctioneer Tom Panos ends job interview after 12 minutes
A top coach and auctioneer in the real estate industry called off an interview with a young man after just 12 minutes, telling the applicant, ‘this isn’t for you’.
Tom Panos, the founder of the Real Estate Gym, explained why he canceled the interview with the young man in a video shared on social media earlier this month.
“So I wasted 15 minutes today on an interview, interviewing an employee to join one of the real estate teams,” said Mr Panos.
“The man has never worked in real estate, early twenties, asked me what commissions he would get, asked me what hours he expects to be there, asked me what days he would have off during the week.
He went on to say – this is it, this is the question – ‘give me three reasons why I should choose this employer over someone else’.
Mr. Panos continued, “I just said to the man, ‘I can’t think of any.
‘ I said, ‘mate, let’s just finish this – this isn’t for you, this isn’t for me, this isn’t for us.’
The veteran auctioneer, who sold the winning home on The Block’s 2022 season, captioned the video, “Get in line. Stay in line. Get sick of these punks. I just finished the meeting after 12 minutes.”
However, many Aussies on social media argued that the applicant’s questions were justified.
“Yes, you did well to get rid of him. He sounds like he has integrity!
‘ said one.
“As an employer, if you can’t even give ONE reason why you’re a good company to work for, you seriously need to step back and reassess,” wrote a second.
These are all very good questions to ask in an interview. Smart boy,’ agreed a third.
“It sounds like he dodged a bullet. Good for him. I hope he finds the job he deserves and a non-toxic boss,” a fourth added.
Another said: ‘Old cats are used to being worked to the bone, they can’t fathom why younger people [are] only want to work for what they were essentially hired to do.’
Only a small number defended Mr. Panos.
“It’s like he has to sell his business to get an unskilled worker.” Usually it is the employee who says what he has to offer the company,” said another.
‘An employee must have diplomas to prove that he has value. This kid sounds like he had demands,” said a third.
In response to the backlash, Mr Panos told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday: ‘I fully respect that people have to ask these questions’.
The veteran auctioneer, pictured with The Block winners Omar and Oz, said the applicant asked what hours he would work and “what days he would have off during the week”
“But it can be disheartening to see people quit steady jobs and get into real estate and make the biggest mistake of their lives.”
The broker, who has been in the industry for 37 years, said people don’t realize that real estate agents usually make less than $100,000 a year.
“It’s the highest paid hard work and the lowest paid easy work,” he said.
Mr Panos explained that he would rather let people know in advance that the job may not be for them than waste six months of their lives trying.
“Everyone thinks they’re going to be a superstar. They see cops driving luxury cars and are attracted to them. But it’s not a Million Dollar Listing,” he said.
“They have to serve their time. You must be willing to work nights and weekends. You need 24-hour high levels, there are big highs and big lows.”
Tom Panos is the founder of the Real Estate Gym, where he teaches emerging agents, and the co-host of the Million Dollar Agent podcast