Interview preparation for housing roles

Housing interviews are rarely abstract. Hiring managers want to know whether you have handled their specific problem before: a stalled planning application, a section 106 renegotiation, a build cost overrun, a damp and mould backlog, a slow sales rate on a difficult site.

Do the homework that others skip

• Read the last set of results or the annual report. Know completions, average selling price, margin, or stock numbers and regulatory judgement.
• Look at two or three of their live developments or schemes. Have an opinion on one.
• Understand their tenure mix, their land strategy or their asset management priorities.
• Know who you are meeting and their background before you walk in.

Structure your answers

Situation, action, result — and always finish on the number. "The site was 14 weeks behind. I resequenced the plots, moved two subcontractors and renegotiated the groundworks package. We recovered 11 weeks and came in £180k under the revised budget."

Questions worth asking

• What does success look like in this role in the first twelve months?
• Why is this role open — growth, replacement, or restructure?
• How are decisions made between region and group?
• What is the biggest constraint on the team right now?

Never leave without knowing the next step and the timescale. Then follow up the same day, briefly.