How to find and hire good people (medical insurance, small business, investment)

[Pro Painter]

I am posting this to share something that I have found workable over the years, and to help the businesses still out there trying to make it through a difficult time, and to help those businesses that are doing well and want to expand.

Good people are, I believe, the most valuable asset of most if not all businesses, and small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. Big businesses have Human Resources departments and can afford to screen a hundred applicants to find one really good person to fill a particular post, but what is a small business to do? You put an ad in the paper that says, "Help Wanted" and you get a hundred applicants. Picking a winner is an ovewhelming challenge, as you have to wade through a hundred resumes, do thirty interviews, and few small busineses have people skilled in this kind of work, let alone the time.

Yet, for a small business it is critical that each employee be exceptional; more so than for a large business.

Here is what I have found works; Use the advertisment to do the screening. The ones you would not want to hire will in large part not apply if the advertisment is phrased to repel the ones you would not want to hire, but all too often find out later, after you have hired them because their resume looked good or they talked a good game.

This way, you have far fewer people to screen and much better chances of getting good ones, and a small business can then easily interview some one or a few people and decide if they like them.

Here is the kind of ad that does that:
================================================== =

[Job Description] Wanted

HARD WORK

CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT

OPPORTUNITY TO BE A MEMBER OF A TEAM WITH HIGH PRODUCTION STATISTICS

OPPORTUNITY TO ASSUME INCREASING RESPONSIBILITY

Reply with resume or work history and salary requirements to Box xxxxx, etc., etc.
================================================== =

It may seem amazing, but the real winners will look at that ad and be enthusiastic. Lazy folks just will pass it by. Those that hide behind the productivity of others, will read the ad and move on. Those that think responsibility is something others should have, they won't reply. The ones that love responsibility, they will reply and those who do reply to this kind of ad are the ones worth an interview.

You get the idea.

I have personally used this for over fifteen years and found it valuable. It helped me to find and hire good people, and I hope it helps you, too.

Pro Painter

[aaauger]

Thanks for sharing your approach. We also write something to the effect of "Must have worked for a previous employer for a number of years". The people we hire tend to stay for a number of years. Few small businesses can afford to spend time to hire and train - only to have the employee leave shortly thereafter.

[ocpaul20]

What I always thought, when I used to go for interviews, was that it would be nice to speak to existing employees on their own and to get their opinions of the place. Yes, this is a good point that you are making, however, since I have been both an employer and an employee, you have to make sure that the employee wants to be there too. It is not just about the company finding a suitable employee but also a person finding a company that is good to work for. Surely, it is important to consider both aspects.

[Pro Painter]

Thank you both for your replies, aaauger and ocpaul20.

The point of having worked for a company a significant length of time is something that comes up in the Interview. I look for a person who has worked for someone at least a half-year, but perhaps not more than three. I seek thereby a person who is seeking to better their condition in life. Someone who has had a number of short-term employments is definitely not a good risk for hiring.

The erstwhile employee may wish to talk to other employees, but they would have to do it off-company hours and off-company-premises. They might seek out a nearby restaurant where company employees might go for lunch. They might find current employees reluctant to discuss company business with strangers, as most companies have policies designed to protect their Trade Secrets, and have briefed their employees in this regard. Industrial espionage happens with the very smallest of businesses as well as large ones.

There is always a trial period, of a few weeks. This is when employer and employee each find out what it is like to be involved with the other. I put everyone in a production area at first, regardless of their ultimate job. I believe everyone needs to have some sense of the mass of what is being done or produced or made or repaired in that business, no matter what job they ultimately hold. It is also a good indicator to an employer of what is going on in a person's mind, quite apart from what they say or how they look.

I recall one person who had all the right answers and sounded good, yet when given the job of taping up the bottoms of cardboard cartons, just could not put the tape on the box anywhere near straight, could not put things neatly in a row, and it turned out whatever they tried to do was sort of jumbled.

There is no substitute for demonstration of something in the physical universe with actual masses. This is something you can usually see in the Inteview, and I have learned now that Interviews must include demonstrations of whatever they might be doing or at least whatever they used to do, in some way, shape or form.

[aaauger]

Most businesses benefit from different kinds of employees. Relative to this thread, we have employees who prefer to do same thing every day and employees who prefer to grow. We try to stimulate and retain employees who want to grow because it protects our investment in them.

[GloryB]

One would think with the unemployment rate being so high that people who DO have jobs would be willing to work a little harder and have a better attitude. Truth is, many are still whining and complaining and don't deserve the job they have. They are late and call in sick on a whim. If I was an employer, I would use a time like this to weed out the dead weights and put together a fine staff based on the over flow of candidates currently available.

[aaauger]

Even when the labor market is tight, you have to let undedicated employees go, as hard as that is. They hurt the business, including other employees.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

A lot of larger companies are using temps as a training ground. If they can't cut it, they simply go back to the temp agency and find a better fit- no blood, no foul. If they seem to embrace what is required of them, they get hired on.

I'd have a hard time hiring someone and then firing them because they aren't near perfect workers fow me in these economic times.

[pazrak]

I happened across this posting and 6 month later it maybe even more important for people to find good people in a cost effective way.

Over 14+ years we used our local newspaper. At one point we paying upwards of $500 for a 4 line ad for two days. Finally they added, Career Builder, for 30 days a bonus for the 2 days in the paper. It was very difficult to justify the news paper cost for two days when for $300 we could be on Career Builder for 30 days. So eventually we skipped the newspaper and went just with Career Builder.

About two years ago I discover craigslist.org. I can now put an ad for an employee on craigslist for 30 at no cost what ever. I get as many or more responses and have the same quality as Career Builder and better quality than the newspaper.

Steve Lewis
Sterling Companies
REMOVED

[GregW]

To reverse the question. How does a prospective employee find a company that will return the loyalty they frequently demand? Most seem to offer great opportunity for being rewarded for hard work and dedication but as soon as time get a bit difficult the employee is out on thier kiester. Don't businesses realize that an individual is a business as well and probably cannot afford a long layoff as much as his employer can aford to keep the person employed during hard times or at least keep up the medical insurance.

Last time I had to hire people for a job I hired locals and Union Ironworkers and Teamsters. The locals were ok for unskilled labor (when they showed up sober anyway) but the Union guys were magnificant.