Her Story
About Jawana
I've been in property management for about 10 years. I started when I was living in an apartment and going through tough times. The assistant at the property I was staying at spoke to their regional manager for the maintenance department, and they ended up creating a role for me doing housekeeping, cleaning apartments and getting them ready when people were moving in or out. From there, I slowly moved up in the field. I signed up with BG Staffing and started doing leasing temp work, then got hired on permanently with Royal American as a leasing agent, and eventually got promoted to assistant manager. As an assistant property manager, my typical day involves following up with calls and leads for anyone moving in, walking apartments, doing move-outs, and ensuring that the proper information gets to our property manager. I'm that support and bridge to the entire team. I file evictions, call residents to set up payment arrangements, and help them find ways to secure or pay their rent by getting resources in the community or pointing them to payment platforms like Flex. I work closely with attorneys on files that have gone to eviction. On the affordable housing side, I do recertifications and make sure all the paperwork is aligned so the company doesn't get any issues when audited. The most challenging part of my role is managing time and meeting the satisfaction of residents when you can't make everyone happy. You have to follow the procedures and policies of the company, and articulating that to individuals and getting them to understand that it's not me making the decisions, but rather the rules and policies according to the lease agreement, can be difficult.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jawana
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of my previous managers shared something with me that really stuck: don't allow a fear of making a mistake hold you back from doing it anyway. How would you know if you're doing it right or you're doing it wrong? Because sometimes you won't be able to get that answer immediately. So it's better to do it to the best of your ability and send it out to your upper management or your colleague that you can count on being able to give you the information that you need. Just don't allow that to be a barrier.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would definitely say don't quit or give up. It's a very rewarding field to be in. Don't allow a fear of making a mistake hold you back from doing it anyway, because how would you know if you're doing it right or wrong? Sometimes you won't be able to get that answer immediately, so it's better to do it to the best of your ability and reach out to your upper management or your colleague that you can count on to give you the information that you need. Just don't allow that to be a barrier. Also, be as positive as possible, because the industry, property management, can be a little taxing at times. However, count on just being positive and not focused on the negative.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
If I was to say what would be challenging in this current moment, it's when I returned back to work and juggling going back to work and being a breastfeeding mom, knowing I have to go and pump. Feeling like you're not participating or being that support to your team because you have to go away to make sure that you have milk for your baby. That would be the most challenging part, I would say, for any expecting moms or moms that can definitely relate.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My value for my work life would be basically being that person that your team can count on whenever they need that support, whether it's personal support or us reaching a goal together as a team, and not just individually. That's what I would say.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.