Building a real estate dream team that allows you to achieve a healthy balance between work and your personal life is no easy task. While finding and connecting with these "cream of the crop" candidates who can handle a high level of teamwork is definitely a big step in the right direction, it's only half the battle.

In our first article in this series, we highlighted 4 tips for recruiting top talent that Linda McKissack shared during her Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar, "Leverage Your Business Through Systems, Tools and People."

Once you've piqued their interest about joining your team, it's important that you get to know these potential team members in order to determine if they complement the values and goals that you have set for your business. To do this, there are a few steps that McKissack stresses are of the utmost importance during the interview process. Here are the final 4 tips for building your very own real estate dream team!

5. Get A Background Story

According to McKissack, interviews should be used to uncover a person's background story, rather than asking what they can do for your company.

She says this can be done in three steps. The first is to have them tell you a little about themselves. Get an explanation of what motivates them, what their career goals are, and have them highlight any skills they are particularly proud of. Remember that "talent knows what it wants or is searching to know," so the next step is to explain your story. Share information like how you have worked your way to becoming a business owner, or your ideas for the future of the business. If they like what you have to say, it may inspire them to join your team with the hopes of reaching the same success in their own careers. The final step is to explain the story of your company and give a tour in order to give them a better understanding of what it's like to be a part of your team.

6. Ask Yourself If They Are a Good Fit for Your Team

After getting to know your candidates, you'll need to take some time to evaluate what exactly it is they are bringing to the table, and whether or not it's enough to drive your business down the road to success. Evaluate the conversations that you've shared, and think about anything that stuck out to you the most.

McKissack makes the recommendation to use the "red light, green light" approach, and to ask yourself whether you can see them moving the business forward. If you find that are a lot of "red lights," you may want to reconsider offering them a position on your team.

7. 10 Key Indicators Prior to Making a Decision

With all the factors that weigh in on the decision to bring a new person onto your team, it's helpful to evaluate each step of the recruitment process to ensure they live up to your expectations.

To guarantee that you are selecting the right person, McKissack shared a checklist that helps identify key areas you should thoroughly examine again before making a final verdict:

1. Initial Interview
2. References
3. Behavior Assessment
4. Review References
5. Review Behavior Assessment
6. Ask Comprehensive Questions
7. Future Self (Ask Where they Want to Go in the Future)
8. Take a last look over
9. Weigh Your Options
10. Close the deal

8. Making the Final Decision

Now that you have all the interviews, phone calls, and emails under your belt, it's finally time to make the decision of whether or not a candidate is a good fit for your business. Do they seem to complement the long-term objectives that you have set out for your team? Will it be a beneficial relationship for the both of you? Do you share the same underlying values? These are all questions that you will need to ask yourself before making a final decision.

If you're confident in the fact that you've found the right person, be sure to jump on it. You never know how long someone with true talent will be available. If not, keep your eyes and ears open until the next opportunity to grow your team presents itself, and repeat this process. On the off-chance they deny your offer, keep them on your radar in case another opportunity to recruit them comes up in the future.

Looking for even more valuable ways to grow your business? Then be sure to checkout the next exciting Secrets of Top Selling Webinar, "Grow Your Real Estate Business with Help, Not Hype," featuring New York Times best selling author Jay Baer and Homes.com's very own marketing guru Erica Campbell Byrum!

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.