HFF Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online and HFF got in touch fast to set up a first interview. The first interview was with the office manager and the person I'd be reporting to. They called me within a week to schedule a second interview to meet the head of the Portland office and the rest of the team there. The interviews weren't super hard, and I felt like I got along with most people (they kept saying how important it was that new hires "fit in"). I left feeling a little weird about the cliquey vibe, but sure I'd move forward. In a couple days, the office manager asked me to do a personality test and send over a past project file (an InDesign file). She hinted it was the last step. I was a bit hesitant to share editable work, but I did it. After I sent it, I heard nothing back, not even after a follow-up email. It felt really unprofessional and disrespectful.

My interview process was pretty involved. I met an HFF person at a CRE recruiting event at my school and gave them my resume. About a week later, they reached out for an interview. Over the next few months, I ended up talking to about 20 HFF team members across 3 major offices. I eventually got an offer and took the job. It was a lot about personality. The technical questions weren't usually too hard. They really focused on whether you'd fit in culturally. It definitely took work to get ready for each chat.

I applied online and heard back from someone in the office about a week later. Over the course of a month, I had interviews each week with people of increasing seniority. Then, I traveled to their office for final interviews with Directors I hadn't spoken with yet. Everyone was really nice and helpful. Since I have about 2.5 years of finance experience, the interviews focused a lot on fit, and I also had to do an Excel test during my visit. The Excel test was pretty straightforward if you're comfortable with intermediate financial modeling. They also asked some questions about CRE valuation and performance.

Applied through University Recruiting. Had a phone interview with an associate and an analyst. The final round was an on-site interview in Atlanta with three different teams, each having 3-4 people. The intern recruiting process didn't seem very organized. I had to arrange and pay for my own travel and accommodation to Atlanta. When I got there, they weren't quite ready for me, and I was the only candidate. There wasn't a recruiter to manage things, making the arrival and departure a bit awkward. After waiting over a month, I got a standard email saying I didn't get an offer. I was hoping for a more personal rejection, especially since I traveled for over 12 hours round trip and paid for a hotel.