Homes.com Interview Questions
& Process

I first learned about CoStar Group and the Inside Sales Account Manager role at Homes.com via Handshake. A recruiter messaged me about the opportunity. The next day, I had a screening call and then got an email to complete the application. Following that, another call came in to set up time for interview preparation and the actual online interview through Microsoft Teams. I'm now waiting for a second in-person interview at their Richmond, VA office.

The interview process involved a 15-minute phone call, followed by an hour-long Microsoft Teams meeting with two managers. The final stage was an in-person interview. This in-person part started with a case study that lasted an hour, focusing on how to handle underperforming and unhappy employees with minimal information provided. Candidates had 20 minutes to analyze the case and present their assessment without much discussion or feedback, seeming to favor a 'just make more calls and close more business' approach over coaching. This was followed by a brief conversation about professional background with two recently promoted managers. Notably, there was no discussion about the Homes.com product. The last step was a one-on-one with the potential direct supervisor, who was new to the company and overseeing the region. This final interview had a strict time limit of less than 30 minutes, and the supervisor's main question was about what the candidate wished they had been asked earlier. Basic questions about the candidate's past role were also asked, but there wasn't enough time for questions from the candidate. Throughout the entire in-person interview, no details about the Homes.com product, its functions, go-to-market strategy, or competitive advantages were shared. The overall impression was that the company seeks managers who strictly enforce KPIs and don't focus on coaching, but rather on replacing underperformers.

I recently backed out of the running for the content writer position at homes.com because the interview process really put me off. It started with the hiring manager on our initial call. After I went over my background, she flat-out said that they verify everything on my resume and anything I say in the interview to make sure it's accurate. It was an odd comment to make, and I was pretty surprised. Then today, I was asked to explain why my undergrad took six years to finish instead of the usual four. I mean, why is that relevant? I can explain it, but how does it connect to the job duties they listed? I have 20 years of experience and a master's degree, so it feels a bit much. Homes.com could maybe adjust how they interview people so candidates don't feel like they're being interrogated about their honesty.

I had a phone chat with the recruiter, then a Teams meeting with a VO Manager, both of which went great and made me really keen on the job and moving to Richmond. After that, I was asked to interview with some main team folks and do a VO demo session, including editing it myself within a set time. I spent about a month practicing the demo and figuring out the editing software since that's part of the job. I looked into the backgrounds of the people I'd meet in Richmond and even booked an AirBnB to be sure I'd be on time. I got there early. The recruiter gave me a tour, which was nice. Just as interviews were about to start, I found out I wouldn't be meeting two of the three people I was supposed to. One had a family emergency, totally fine. But the other two managers were apparently too tired from the Super Bowl launch and took the day off. So, I ended up with two different people I didn't know anything about, their roles, or why they were interviewing me. One was new to the company. Mostly, they talked about themselves and the company. I barely got asked questions before being put in a VO booth. This booth was in a really busy area, super hot, no ventilation, nowhere to put my script, no room to move, and no mouse for the computer, but I had to deliver a polished, edited VO in 45 minutes. The second interviewer checked in twice. The second time I mentioned it was hard to breathe, and she sarcastically said, "Well, that's the job, so you'd have to be able to deal with it!" After the demo, the recruiter walked me out with a quick goodbye. It took months of me following up to get any kind of answer about whether I got the job.