Several months of research, several hundreds of profile views, several dozens of resumes, 32 phone screens, 14 first interviews and three-second interviews all came down to two questions. Our real estate firm was two questions away from landing our top candidates. These were their questions, though, not ours. And they were consistently asked, in different forms, by most of our millennial candidates. The interview table had been turned. We needed to be on point.

The information about us as an agency was a clear commodity through the process: Candidates had nothing to learn about the people in the room or the company’s data. They knew all of that from our digital footprints long before they sat down with us. These millennials wanted to know two things: What’s the culture like within our company? What connection does our company have to our community?

Culture

It’s funny — a bit counter-intuitive, really. As disconnected some claim our digital transformation has made us, we were being asked about connectivity — the human kind. Not a question about remote work environment, virtual meetings, augmented reality or AI, but many about our values and how they play out in our physical environment: the one we work in together. Our two best candidates asked this question to the team, physically turning the attention away from me and onto them. They knew who to ask. And that simple action told me a story about them.

My advice here is simple:

• For leaders: We talk about who we are a lot. Our values are clear, and before launching a hiring effort, yours should be, too. As the leader, many candidates looked at me when they asked the question about culture. I’d always defer to our team because they have the goods: They live it, they feel it, they get it. What culture feels like for a leader of an organization isn’t so much a feeling as it is a concept.

• For candidates: As someone interviewing for a position, this is a great question to ask, and the answer should move something inside you. The words and the conversation should align with values and beliefs you have. It should “feel” like a place you’d want to work.

• For interviewers: This is something your team should be prepared to answer openly and honestly. The first time it was asked, I didn’t know how it would be answered, but I understood we had to defer to the people who knew. We have great people, and they inspired me with their answers. Our team handled that question wonderfully throughout the weeks of the process. They talked about our specific values and how they play out for our clients and our teams. I learned a lot listening to their answers. Be prepared to identify your company’s values and how they play out inside your spaces.

Community

The question about community is a multifaceted one. It’s not simply, “How do you give back?” It’s a question, again, of connectivity — again, the human kind. It’s why this community you’re sitting in, having this interview in, matters. It’s a question about how you help build the community, how you contribute, how you help. So the answer needs to match the depth of the ask.

• For leaders: These are not answers you can fake your way through. What you’ve done as a company to establish its interactions with your community has either already been established or needs to be started. It matters deeply to this interview crop. Do you have a giving program? Are you volunteers? Do you join nonprofit boards? Do your values specifically relate to your community? Does your benefits program speak to it? Was your company founded on community improvement ideas?

• For millennial candidates: Asking this question provides insight into you and your desire to be connected beyond your J-O-B. Think about ways you’ll align with the community and what actions are important to you and the company as you grow together.

If these two questions define millennial hires in the real estate sector, our industry has an exciting future. As fast as digital will change us over the next decade, human connectivity will continue to matter. Our greatest investment is in our people, and thankfully our millennials care about the words “culture” and “community.” Aligning yourself with these questions means success will be your byproduct.