Shifting to an entirely new industry is rarely a straightforward feat. Throw in a global pandemic and a consequential increase in unemployment and the move is made even trickier. But our new purchase concierge, Paul Tabac, is proof that the switch can be done – and executed incredibly well.
Paul’s background is a little unconventional: he’s a domestic pilot for Qantas who’s worked in aviation for almost 20 years. But Paul’s also well acquainted with real estate; he’s married to an auctioneer and possesses a real estate licence, a qualification bred from a desire to help his friends reach their property goals.
Earlier this year, as the pandemic devastated Australia’s aviation industry, Paul was stood down from his job at Qantas. He’s still working for the airline part-time as a safety investigator, but until flying resumes, he’s taken up a second post here at Milk Chocolate. While somewhat left of field, recruiting Paul has turned out to be a stellar decision.
Paul’s history as a commercial pilot and his new appointment as a purchase concierge might seem a little at odds, but there’s actually a lot of overlap in expertise between the two roles. When we employ purchase concierge’s at Milk Chocolate, we look for prospective hires with excellent negotiation and decision-making skills, an exceptional ability to communicate confidently with clients, and an entrepreneurial and flexible approach (and, naturally, an interest in property). We also want candidates who are insightful, passionate, authentic, purposeful and willing to challenge the status quo, and who are adept at critical thinking, problem-solving and being analytical.
As a qualified pilot and safety investigator, Paul possesses each and every one of these traits in spades. He agrees that his background has offered him a number of transferable skills that have helped him succeed in his new role.
“[As a safety investigator], being able to prioritise and decide what is relevant is a very important skill. In the same way, it’s vital to understand the client, their priorities, their goals, what’s most important to least important in purchasing property and then researching to find the best property that matches their criteria,” he says.
“My history as a pilot definitely assists me as a purchase concierge as there are times when decisions have to be made in a timely manner. The ability to communicate clearly and be task-focused will assist a buyer to make an informed, data-driven choice without emotive bias clouding the process.”
“As pilots, we must have a knowledge of human factors, which essentially means anticipating how a person may react from a psychological point of view in different situations and how they interact with the tools they are given to work with. This is also true of purchasing property: an investor buyer is going to behave differently to an owner-occupier when tasked with purchasing property, so being able to anticipate those needs and reactions and then interpret them is a skill that is formed from piloting and transferable to being a purchase concierge.”
Since starting with us only a few months ago, Paul has really excelled. But we genuinely knew he would, thanks to his real estate qualifications, mentoring from our National Head of Acquisitions, Brad Purcell, and, importantly, his gamut of transferable skills. If the pandemic has cemented anything for us, it’s that employers need to be open to having conversations with potential candidates from outside their industry to see what they can offer the business and the job. This experience has really proven that someone with not necessarily identical, but instead equivalent, qualities should always be considered.
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