Beyond real estate licensing: Case study analysis of behavioral assessment relationship applied to human performance

Real estate sales trainers operating under the leadership of a chief learning officer are unable to promise sales performance of new sales trainees in spite of extensive sales training. The specific problem this study addresses is that the relationship between high scores on the pre-licensing exams and sales predictive performance has not been examined in the literature. Although real estate students may score high on the real estate licensing exams, the exams results may not predict the students' sales ability. The purpose of this case study supported by adult learning theory, systems theory, and socio-technical theory is to establish organizational responsibility toward behavioral assessment analysis during the pre-employment phase of new sales personnel to address performance gaps beyond licensure. The most important element to human performance in real estate brokerage organizations is the acquisition of talented candidates who demonstrate behavioral readiness. The research questions focus on defining the relationship between licensing exam high achievers, their developmental profiles, and Hogan Assessment inventory assessments to determine the basis for predictive sale performance beyond licensure. Correlation analyses of pre-licensing exam scores of 47 participants in real estate licensing course and their student profiles, and their Hogan Assessment Inventory scores indicated that while high-licensing achievers as a group have higher predictive sales attributes, such qualities assessed individually are not guaranteed. Specific recommendations include that real estate organization ought to include in their hiring procedures an upfront pre-employment behavioral assessments analysis to improve talent acquisition. The results of this study define performance in licensing pre-employment.