Job hunting can be frustrating. At HousingWire, we want to make the process easier for job seekers in the industry. Our new service, HousingJobs, lists the latest gigs in the housing industry for loan officers, underwriters, processors, loan servicers, and tech and marketing pros. Check out this weekly blog for the latest job postings along with some advice from employers, industry tips and more! 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate is at 3.8%, the lowest it’s been since 2000. In some cities, the unemployment rate is even lower than the national average. Charlotte, North Carolina, has an unemployment rate of 3.6%, Austin’s unemployment rate is 2.6%, and San Francisco is at a miniscule 2.1%. This leaves employers with a small pool of available job seekers, especially in more desirable cities, making the hiring process a difficult one.

The low unemployment rate isn’t the only difficulty employers face when finding potential hires. Across every industry, not just in mortgage finance, the shift toward technology means IT talent is at a premium. In the mortgage industry these jobs include IT, accounting, compliance, risk and finance positions. As the industry continues to innovate in the digital space, technical positions are in high demand, yet hard to fill.

Matt Hill, recruiting manager at Movement Mortgage, attests to the difficulty of filling in IT spots.

“Anytime we find an A-player in IT we have to make an offer that day,” Hill says. “We are at least competing against one other company.”

Recruiters across the industry are facing steep competition to fill these high-demand spots. In such a niche industry, what can you as the employer do to position your company above the rest?

Hill brings up an interesting concept he uses to recruit talent to Movement Mortgage: story-branding. Donald Miller, author, speaker and business owner of StoryBrand, created his business to help companies clarify their message and market themselves better. StoryBrand is a teaching platform with tools and workshops that can be utilized by all sorts of businesses.

Miller breaks up stories into seven essential storytelling steps that hook the “reader” in. Two of those elements are the hero in the story — the candidate — and the guide in the story, the one who leads the hero to victory. Hill uses these two elements during his recruiting process.

“Our company does a pretty good job at telling the story of our brand,” Hill says. “We don’t want to be the hero in the story, they are the hero. We want to be the guide in the story.”

Movement Mortgage positions itself as a guide through videos, campaigns, graphic content, testimonials and culture. The storytelling model speaks to a generation that wants to not only find a job, but find meaningful work.

Hill tells Movement’s story as a 10-year startup company that needs a player who can help build something new that will really change the course of not only this company, but the entire industry.

“Now what kind of young tech person doesn’t want a piece of that?” Hill asks.

Here are the latest postings on HousingJobs this week:

• Residential Mortgage Loan Officer at eCU Mortgage: eCU Mortgage is looking for a loan officer in Houston, Texas. The company serves credit unions across Texas since 1977.
• Experience Retail Mortgage Loan Officer at Premier Nationwide Lending: Premier Nationwide Lending has several job postings for a loan officer position in Texas, Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee and South Carolina. Currently, the company is licensed in 21 states and continues to expand across the country. The main office is located in Lewisville, Texas. Premier Nationwide Lending has 4.96 stars with 206 completed reviews on Zillow.