My RPM Story: RPM Careers Ambassador Stephanie Anderson

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RPM Career AmbassadorHow did I get into residential property management? I was looking for an apartment — and found my new career.

When the property manager who was showing me a residential community asked if I wanted to be a leasing consultant, I didn’t know much about the industry. The more I learned, the more I realized that RPM was a great fit for me. The benefits were amazing: a flexible schedule that accommodated my college course load, plus commissions on top of my base salary. And of course the rental discount was a nice perk while I was a starving college student.

That’s why I decided to become an RPM Careers ambassador — to spread the word about the opportunities a career in our industry has to offer. RPM Careers ambassadors are key resources on RPMcareers.org. Interested candidates can go to our page on the website and ask us about our experience in the industry. If the program had existed when I was starting out, I definitely would have been the first to email an ambassador.

While the flexible schedule and great benefits initially drew me into the industry, the limitless amount of opportunity keeps me here. A career in RPM allows you to find the thing that you enjoy most about your job and develop it into a career path. Working in RPM, people build careers in marketing, maintenance, lease up, accounting, management … the list goes on.

My career path took me from a part-time leasing consultant to a regional property manager for Drucker & Falk in Richmond, Virginia. I now oversee six communities, 18 employees, and more than 1,200 units. I have several new construction projects in my pipeline. Some of my day-to-day functions are training and hiring, payroll, invoice processing, financial management, marketing, and so much more!  

Aside from being a multitasker, I’ve always been a people person — an asset that’s invaluable in our field. In college, I was a patient service representative at a local hospital. The experience gave me a keen understanding of how to help people feel secure and comfortable. Now that many of my responsibilities include hiring and training, I get to put those people skills to good use. 

I love the adrenaline rush I get when training a new team member, and the satisfaction of watching them grow in the industry. I also love the smile on a happy resident’s face. Whether mentoring an employee for his or her next promotion or finding someone a new home, I find this career truly rewarding. It’s about the people — and about working together to make things happen.