While a building’s facade might draw the eye initially, it’s usually the first employee a visitor encounters that forms a lasting  impression. And for many condominiums in New York City, the resident doorman  holds this coveted, all-important role. Good impressions are important—but what makes a good doorman or doorwoman?  

 Characteristics of a good doorperson are “honesty, dependability, courtesy, graciousness and the ability to communicate  well,” according to Rosemary Paparo, director of management at Buchbiner & Warren. Consideration of residents' privacy and alertness are also traits held  in high regard in the residential service industry, Paparo adds. “They need to be very, very discreet because the worst thing for a building is  when you have a doorman who talks too much, both to anybody coming in off the  street or tells other people's business to other residents. You have to really  keep a level head on your shoulders because you never know who is going to walk  in the door and what you have to deal with—you have to be alert.”  

 Career Profile

 Having a good doorman or doorwoman is a paramount concern of any property  manager or board, and the residential services market is saturated with  candidates. According to the Local 32BJ Service Employees International Union  (SEIU) based in New York City, the five boroughs employ almost 13,000 door  people. This begs the question: How do property managers go about hiring the  best doormen and doorwomen? There are several routes resident managers might  take when searching for a new doorperson.  

 While some prefer to hire through in-house resumes like Paparo, most New York  City-based managers turn to the SEIU to find skilled and reliable doormen and  doorwomen, according to Angelo Petitto, a SEIU 32BJ field representative for  the residential division of the Upper East Side. “Most of the time if there is an opening position, the resident managers or the  managing agent would contact a specific field rep in their designated area  because what they want is a qualified, experienced doorman and they will call  us—they would like to utilize that service rather than hire from the outside  because they know they’re getting an experienced, qualified doorman.”  

 SEIU provides its members a selection of courses, such as computer technology  and medical training classes, to fully prepare door people for situations that  might arise during the course of a day. This training sets SEIU members apart  from non-unionized doorpersons and offers peace of mind to residential  managers, Petitto says.  

 “We specialize in the property service industry—that is what our union is comprised of. Employers know we have the skills and  the training to give the residents in their building the quality they are  paying for. The advantage is [unionized doormen] are more qualified in their  training and there are more opportunities for them to be better equipped in  doing their job to the efficiency of the building.”  

 Meet and Greet

 Responsibilities of doormen vary by building—and by time of day—but there are commonalities to the profession. According to Scott Cohen, who has  been a doorman at a Park Avenue luxury building in the Upper East Side for  eight years, the average morning and afternoon shift of a New York City-based  doorman entails greeting residents with a smile, screening all guests, helping  with the receipt of deliveries and assisting residents with their  transportation, whether that will be hailing cabs for them or ordering car  services.  

 While most residents recognize the hard work put forth, others can overlook the  long hours logged in and the difficulty of a doorperson’s position. Because most attended buildings offer 24/7 service, doormen and doorwomen must be resourceful and flexible in  their position. Nothing tests the limits of a doorperson's ability to be a  jack-of-all-trades like a night shift, says Cohen. “My job as the overnight guy is to get the building cleaned and ready for the  next morning. I mop the lobby, buff the floors and clean the glass and brass,” Cohen says. “You can get a leak in the middle of the night, you have to know what to do or  who to call. The elevator could break. It's very important for the super to  have a good night guy because the night guys have to make a lot of decisions.”  

 Cleaning tasks and general building maintenance aside, security becomes a  doorperson's main priority when working the night shift, regardless the  location of their building. “Whether it's Park Avenue or not, all neighborhoods change from midnight through  the morning,” Cohen says. Added security awareness includes watching video surveillance  cameras and building entrances diligently, as well as keeping solicitors at  bay. The presence of a well-trained, quality door staff, especially at night,  increases the security of a building and is a crime deterrent, Cohen adds. “Anybody who lives in New York City knows if they are going to a doorman  building, they are not going through that front door without being screened.  The staff is the security.”  

 Time of day isn’t the only variable that changes the duties of doorpersons. According to Cohen,  the duties of the doorman and doorwoman must change with the same fluidity and  ease as outside forces—in this case, the weather. While temperatures become unbearably hot during New  York’s summer months, Cohen says nothing puts a strain on a door person’s everyday tasks such as opening building doors for residents and hailing cabs  quite like icy winter days and nights. “During rush hour, sometimes it takes a long time to get a cab. You're freezing  out there.”  

 Opening Doors and Opportunities

 For those who haven't lived or spent much time in a building with a doorperson,  the role can be confusing. There are more kinds of amenities provided by  buildings than ever, which can include concierge service or porters. A building  concierge has become more common in newer condominiums that attract certain  residents. “A lot of people in the finance industry, and people that are  convenience-oriented, is who we show these buildings that have concierge  services. It's like having a personal assistant,” says Tara King-Brown, vice president of and associate broker at Douglas  Elliman. “It's a huge allure for people particularly that are international. They don't  know New York City, they're not interested in spending an hour researching what  restaurant to go to, so they just call and say, 'Hey, I need something nice in  the Meatpacking District,' and these guys will set them up with a reservation  at a place they normally wouldn't be able to get into,” says King-Brown.  

 But, buildings with doorpeople tend to comprise a whole other demographic. “There's a huge population of people, especially in older prewar buildings, that  still prefer a more traditional service,” says Dan Wollman, CEO of the real estate management firm Gumley Haft. “People who live in older co-ops have lived in New York a long time, and they  know where they want to go and how to get there,” says Paparo.  

 Even though the doorman is a somewhat traditional service, new technologies have  changed the way some doormen do their job. Particularly for buildings with more  tech-savvy residents, some co-ops have adopted mobile phone services that all  doormen to offer more services. “Some properties have added to their services by using mobile technologies. “If your dry-cleaning arrives, or you get a package, the building will send you  an alert or an email to your phone to let you know that you can come pick it  up,” says Wollman. Doormen will often be the ones keeping track of such alerts.  

 While the position of a doorperson requires one to wear several hats—greeter, security guard, tech-savvy concierge and sometimes even an interim  plumber—no aspect of a doorman or doorwomen’s job is more important than genuinely caring about his or her building’s residents, says Cohen.  

 “No shareholder in an apartment building wants to see a grouchy doorman at the  front door, especially in the morning or when they come home from work,” Cohen says. “All the people who live in Manhattan pay a lot of money to live there and they  want to see a friendly face at the door—I love being at the front door. I just love being there for people. They  appreciate it.”    

 W.B. King is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The Cooperator.  Editorial Assistants Tom Lisi and Enjolie Esteve contributed to this article.