Employee Spotlight: McKenzie Swank

Employee Spotlight Mckenzie Swank

 

Our company is made up of a variety of wonderful, unique, talented, and resilient individuals. They each contribute different backgrounds and experiences to our company, which is one of the reasons we have been able to grow and consistently provide excellent service. We thought it might be time for us to give our many employees a little spotlight, so we will be featuring a different employee each month on our blog for our followers to get to know the team that makes up InterSolutions.

This month, we’d like to introduce you to McKenzie Swank, our Kansas City sales executive who joined us back in August and has since done an exceptional job building client relationships and matching talented individuals with equally great positions in Kansas City.

How did you get started in the Multifamily industry?

I started as a Leasing Consultant for Equity Residential when I was 19. I’ve been in the industry for some time now and it’s pretty much the only “grown-up” job I’ve ever had.

What drew you to InterSolutions?

The people. The people that were already here, their reputation, and the relationships I had with them. I worked at my previous company with a number of our current coworkers, and so I had amazing experiences with everyone that made the jump here. I left the company on good terms, then I went into a different part of multifamily and I was a vendor for a utility company. Within months I just knew it wasn’t for me. I had to do something that felt meaningful and that was not it.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Being able to help people realize their potential and their worth. I think the people that come to us are very qualified and very worthy even if they themselves sometimes don’t see it. It’s great to be able to help them feel valued and help them start their careers!

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I don’t really ever remember thinking about it… or having a plan as a kid. I knew where I wanted to go to college, and I would play MASH like all the other kids and decide what color my house was going to be or how many kids I was going to have but I don’t think I ever thought about it further than that.

What are your three favorite hobbies? When did you discover them?

I love reading–mostly fiction–and I really like watching documentaries and learning new things or watching crime documentaries. I’m also a single working mom with two young kids so I don’t have time for a third hobby. My third hobby is keeping track of everyone’s schedules, haha.

What have you learned since working at InterSolutions?

I’ve learned to have patience–I think that’s a big one and empathy. We are all learning together, including the employees that we hire. They don’t know what it’s like to work for us, they don’t know what our expectations are, and so I’ve just learned to be really patient with people and not get hypersensitive about anything that might go wrong. It will usually all workout.

Do you have any pets? If not, what kind of pet would you get if you had to choose?

I have three pets and I’m shocked that they’re being quiet right now because anytime that I need them to be they’re not. I have a Pitbull named Phoebe and I have a little old lady dog she’s a mutt and weighs like 10 pounds. Her name is Marley. I also have a cantankerous cat named Amelia.

What inspires and motivates you most?

I would say building relationships with the people that I hire and watching their success is my biggest motivator.

What do you think makes you great at your job?

It helps a lot that I’ve worked on-site because I have the advantage of having worked in both roles. I had worked on-site for 13 years and I had been a vendor for several years, so I think it was just a really easy fit for me. I also think that you have to love what you do. I’ll be 100% honest I was terrible at selling utility billing because I did not feel like I was helping anyone and that was not my goal in life.

What was your favorite subject in high school or college?

In college, I really loved philosophy and I really loved statistics.

If InterSolutions announced a last-minute day off for tomorrow, what would you do?

I’d probably do something festive with my kids because tomorrow is their first day of Christmas break.

What TV show, movie, or book are you currently hooked on?

I am watching “Ice Cold Blood.” You’ll have to give credit to Ashley Ward. She told me to watch it, it’s on Peacock and it’s a crime documentary, it’s kind of like “Snapped” or one of those shows but it’s hosted by Ice-T from “SVU.”

What are your top three tips for a productive workday?

I like to make lists so that I don’t forget anything so that would be my first tip, and my second tip would be to cross off or highlight tasks as you do them because that is a visual of your productivity and your success for the day. So, if you’re struggling with something you can still look down and see all of your day’s accomplishments and it kind of gives you that second wind to finish. The third tip would just be to work as a team. It helps so much to collaborate with other team members, and it can feel isolating working from home. Using your teammates for help and ideas or even just sending them a quick note, I think helps a lot.

What is your go-to morning drink?

Water! I drink a giant bottle of water throughout the day, and I have to have ice and water enhancers (like the flavor packets) with it. My favorite flavor right now is grape, but it changes.

Do you prefer the country or the city?

The city–100 percent.

Do you have a favorite meal?

Tacos. The answer to every food question is tacos.

Do you have a long-term career goal? What is it?

I am in my dream job. I don’t ever want to work anywhere else, so wherever InterSolutions takes me on my career path that’s where I’ll be. I would love to move up, but the company is still evolving and growing so I don’t know that I can look into the future and see what opportunities are there. I do know that I want to be here.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world next week, where would you go?

I would go to Manchester, England because my son is a United fan and I’d love to take him to a game or several.

While you’re working do you listen to music, a podcast, or do you need total silence?

I don’t need total silence, but I don’t ever turn music or a podcast on–maybe I should. Usually, I’m just yelling at the dogs, haha.

What is your advice for anyone who wants to land a role like yours?

I think you should have the right motives; you have to have a helping spirit. This job can be very frustrating if you don’t have the desire to help people succeed or to see people succeed because that’s what makes it all worth it. You have to be the kind of person who can focus on the success of the people you do help and the positives. Outside of that, I think anyone can do this job they just have to apply!

Thank you to McKenzie for sharing some of her background and insight into the industry with us. We deeply value the experiences that all of our employees bring to the table and hope that our readers will find these interviews worthwhile too. If you’re interested in launching your own career in the multifamily industry go browse our job board for positions in your local area!