14/05/2026
Pleased to see more PBSA and BTR operators talking about ‘customer focused’ teams, but to be fair that phrase on its own doesn’t help candidates understand what employers actually want to hear in an interview.
Here are a few of the most common lines from job ads, and what hiring managers really mean when they say them:
𝟭. ‘𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱’
They want specific examples of when you went beyond the basic job description to solve a resident issue, kept them updated, calmed a situation and protected the relationship. Even if the answer is as simple as how you handled a maintenance delay or noise complaint, the detail of what you did and said is what lands.
𝟮. ‘𝗔𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀’
Think real conflict on site, not theory. Talk about a time someone was angry or upset, how you listened, stayed calm, set clear expectations and followed through. Hiring managers always ask themselves “would I trust this person on reception at 5pm on a Friday when everyone’s stressed”.
𝟯. ‘𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀’
This is about how you communicate across channels, not just being chatty. They want to hear how you’ve used email, portal updates, notices and face to face conversations to keep residents informed, avoid surprises and join the dots between residents, contractors and head office.
𝟰. ‘𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿’
In PBSA and BTR this usually means helping colleagues even when it’s “not my job”, covering reception, jumping on check-ins, supporting night teams or helping maintenance access flats. The best examples show you understand that a smooth resident experience relies on the whole team pulling together.
If you work in PBSA or BTR and you’re not sure how to turn your day-to-day into strong interview examples, drop one of your typical “customer moments” in the comments. Happy to give a bit of light-touch feedback on how to frame it so hiring managers really see the value. Often it’s small tweaks to how you tell the story that make the difference.
