First Home Mortgage Interview Questions
& Process

They have a detailed and organized interview process with not too many questions. The people are very personable and down to earth. They really just want to know if you know anything and if you are willing to learn to get places.

I was referred by a friend in the industry to First Home. Over 2 months, I went through 4 in-person interviews and a phone interview. About two weeks before I graduated, I met with a loan officer who then introduced me to the branch manager. It was a very general chat about the different jobs in the industry and what it takes to succeed in them. Then, I was sent to another branch that was opening a new office. I met with both branch managers there on separate occasions. These interviews were also pretty casual and laid-back, mostly asking about my personality and work ethic, nothing too intense. Since they both seemed to like me, they passed my info to a recruiter at the corporate office, and I had a 20-minute phone interview with her, which was more general questions. After that, I met with the company president, Steve Lagana, at the corporate office. This interview was a bit more formal and had some tougher questions about the industry, my personality, and work ethic. You really need to be motivated to work to make it in this industry, so it's good to know that going in. I followed up with the corporate recruiter and branch manager after my interview with the president, and got an offer about 2 weeks later.

The whole thing took about two and a half weeks. I applied online through my university's job board. It started with a phone interview with an HR person from corporate. It was pretty standard, asking about my resume and what my future goals are. After that, I had to find a local office that had an opening. Once I found one, I met with a loan officer and the branch manager. Honestly, they did most of the talking. But each branch is pretty independent, so I bet the interviews are different everywhere.

I put in my application through the school job site and attached my resume and cover letter around the holidays, so it took a bit longer. I then emailed the 3 branch managers directly with a polite note and my resume again. They got back to me quickly and we scheduled an in-person interview with all of them. It was pretty laid back; since I had sales experience, they mostly just wanted to confirm I knew what success in sales looks like. After that, the corporate sales recruiter called me for a phone interview. It was super basic, asking about my current salary, my motivation for sales, and my personality. Next, I had an in-person chat with Steve Lagana, the company president, who's a big deal in the industry. I made sure to research him beforehand. This interview was also casual, focusing on personality to see if I'd be a good fit. Understanding the demanding hours, frequent rejection, and commitment needed for these roles was helpful, and I was ready to show I could handle it. About a week later, I got the offer and started the paperwork.