Her Story
About Amanda
I originally went to school to teach and spent about four years in different classroom settings working in early childhood and special education. While my heart was drawn to that kind of work, something felt missing for me long term. When my now-husband got a job in Connecticut, we moved from New York, and I looked at it as an opportunity to reset and figure out what I wanted to do. I tried out some different roles in sales, but the place never really felt like it clicked. Living in an apartment complex, I spoke with the property management team on site about their line of work, and they said I seemed like I'd be a good fit in the industry. My dad had done real estate all my life, so I was familiar with that world, but I knew the broker side meant being on 24-7, which I wasn't sure would work if I wanted a family. When I discovered what property management really was, I started looking into it and found a position really quickly. I started at the bottom but was determined to climb my way up the ladder using my own skill set and work experience from other careers. I'm really thankful I did because knowing all of the roles under you makes you a stronger leader. In my most recent role before my current position, it was a lease-up, so the community was brand new, and it was kind of like my own small business starting from the ground up. I had a lot of support from the corporate office and was much more involved with the development side than most managers allow themselves to be, working through warranty processes and making sure the building was ready and running. One of the most influential people I worked with was a gentleman named Larry Work, who really pushed me to learn a lot in that part of the industry and even tried to influence me to switch to the development side. I recently changed jobs because I felt like I was responsible for everything and everyone 24-7 in my last role, and thinking of having a family in the near future, I wanted to make sure I was in a position where I could be successful but also challenged, while putting myself, my health, my relationships, and my mental and physical care in mind.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Amanda
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think probably remembering it's just a job, as ironic as that is. Property management is something you can easily get yourself lost in, and especially for myself, the last two years, I treated it as if it was my own small business. So, a lot of the times when I got wrapped up in things, Larry and a bunch of people would say, just remember, this is just a job, you have a life to live, and you can only control your controllables. Those were all just things that I think helped me stay grounded and allowed me to keep my mental health while still being successful.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Honestly, if I could go back, as thankful as I was financially and for the opportunities I had for the growth I had as quickly as I did, my advice would be to try to see every role and absorb as much as you can when you're in that role. Not to turn down opportunities if they present themselves, but make sure that you've conquered that role before transitioning, because it's only going to make you stronger in your next role. For myself, I had to kind of fill in a lot of the blanks by myself, and that could have been avoided if I had more time in each role, but it all worked out for myself. That's something I would maybe change if I could go back in time.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say, honestly, for women, it's more opportunities. I think as long as you put the work in and have a good personality for customer service, there's really nothing you can't do. I do think it is more women favored. Just like anything, we've got to show up and we've got to do it just as well as men, and honestly, I think most of the time, we do it much better than men, but again, it's not something that happens overnight, it's something that needs to be worked at and proven.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think you definitely nailed it with customer service and empathy. Those are definitely top of mind. I think just keeping things real, keeping a sense of reality. It's easy to get caught up in getting my work schedule done, but keeping my residents and my employees in mind, remembering that all of these people are human, and what impact my job has on them, I think is really important. Because at the end of the day, my job is essentially to make sure that my residents are happy, this is a home that they chose, while making sure that we are keeping our budget and financials in mind. I guess just keeping this process humanized is the best way to put it.
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