Libby Hollan Career Background
What is your biggest career achievement?
- To date, I consider being selected as a speaker for Washington Multifamily Housing Association’s (WMFHA) APTConnect Conference in 2021 to be my biggest career achievement.
Being selected as speaker was no accident; it was the culmination of hard work, establishing myself in the industry, becoming a content expert, focusing on continuous learning, and creating connections.
The presentation topic was Incorporating DEI into Sourcing, Interviewing, and Hiring. This speaking opportunity enabled me to expand my presentation skills and conduct additional research on DEI in the workplace. Prior to this presentation, I primarily facilitated training sessions for a smaller, internal, audience. This was an excellent opportunity for me to present to a large group of multifamily professionals in Washington State while practicing my public speaking skills in a virtual platform.
Once selected, Human Resources leaders collaborated to ensure the presentation was clear, informative, and accurate. We spent a few months researching, learning, asking questions, drafting, revising, and practicing the presentation. Marketing leaders assisted with designing the visual content. I provided information about recruiting processes including sourcing diverse talent, developing competency-based interview questions, employment law, awareness of unconscious bias, and fostering an inclusive candidate experience.
Through this experience, I learned more about how to convey the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to audiences with varied experiences. This pushed me to think outside of the box, challenge my own bias, and adjust the way I approach conversations with hiring leaders surrounding DEI.
Given your past experiences, what event/ project or moment would you revisit and how would you go about it differently based on your current frame of mind?
- I, like many others, have grown so much during my twenties. Given the opportunity, I would revisit how I handled a situation involving a hiring manager who was not interviewing candidates the way I wanted them to.
Years ago, I partnered with a hiring manager to fill a difficult role within the supported living industry. This role was a caregiving position, supporting a disabled client with high support needs and specific triggers. It was important for us to find someone who had caregiving experience, was comfortable administering multiple medications, could be firm, and did not have certain traits that would illicit a trigger response from the client.
We began the hiring process and I noticed that the manager was scrutinizing certain candidates more harshly than others. Their bias was creeping into the interview process, which was creating unfair interview outcomes. I found myself being reactive and harboring frustration towards this manager. This frustration prevented me from having a direct, caring, conversation to address the issue.
Based on my current frame of mind, I would have documented specific examples of bias in the interview process and scheduled a meeting to discuss. Additionally, I would have scheduled an interview training refresher as I know that finding a candidate within such specific parameters could bring up bias. It is important that the hiring manager is well trained, receives an interview guide that aligns with the needs of the role, attends recurring recruiting check-ins, is held accountable for providing detailed interview feedback, and is encouraged to continue learning.
I would also approach this situation with more patience, empathy, and a willingness to understand different perspectives. My personal growth has allowed me to proactively navigate frustrating situations with greater tact.
From your perspective, what is the industry lacking to support the modern renter and how do you plan to help supply that need?
- As a corporate Human Resources professional within the property management industry, my customers are typically candidates, employees, and hiring managers. It is interesting to think about customer service through the lens of renters.
From my perspective, I believe that the industry is lacking the needed flexibility within pet policies to support modern renters. Modern renters are often choosing to have pets in the home, rather than children, which means that it is important for the industry to prioritize the needs of pet parents. In my city, Seattle, 29.5% of residents have cats, 25.2% have dogs, and 19.7% have children (source: The Seattle Times). Flexible pet policies would give residents the ability to foster pets, support loved ones in need, or have more than two pets in their home.
Renters who are fostering pets likely fluctuate between having no pets to multiple pets within a short time frame. A foster pet parent may also have various types of pets throughout the lease term – e.g., multiple cats, two dogs and a cat, a pregnant cat who gives birth to 8 kittens, or a senior dog with low mobility. This flexibility would empower residents to give back to their community and assist animals in need.
We know that a lot of life happens within our communities, so why not help residents during their time of need? Renters might have situations that require them to temporarily vacate their apartment home and find care for pets. These situations could include hospitalization, family/chosen family emergency, or natural disaster. During these times of need, the resident could potentially ask a friend with a flexible pet policy to temporarily house their pet(s).
I would plan to supply this need by asking leaders to review their current pet policies, unit sizes, pet-friendly amenities, and nearby parks. If the offerings are determined to be accommodating of multiple pets per unit, I encourage leaders to adapt their policies to allow for flexible pet options to support modern renters. This could include slightly larger pet deposits to accommodate for the potential of multiple pets in the home; expansion of the policies to welcome breeds that are often banned, and connections to a local animal clinic who can assist with emergencies.