Two new hire rideAlongs this week

[Mikey P]

I'm looking to hire another guy and had to very good interviews this weekend.

One is form Craigslist , the other a referral from a customer.
Both are early 20's, live at home, looking to move out on their own, pleasant, good t'udes and appear like they'll fit right in.

the next step is to let them go do a route with my guys so I can their opinions.

Aside from laziness, shifty eyes, nervous around middle aged women, cell phone addictions, bad at math and poor mechanical skills, what else would you suggest we be on the look out for on the 1st day?

 

[Chris A]

Every guy I've had that hasn't worked out bitched about SOMETHING the first day. Weather, home life, their car. The couple that did last awhile were more chipper. Fwiw

 

[hogjowl]

If the shirt tail is out, or they wear boots with shorts, send them home immediately.
Y'all are already fashion retarded. No sense in making it worse.

 

[dgardner]

Do you do background checks on applicants? Weed out the child molesters and such?

 

[clean image]

In the end, only time will tell.

 

[Shane Deubell]

A drug test and background check for starters.

Then just use your personal skill for reading people.
Think it was Tom King that said take good prospects out for dinner/lunch.

This way you can see their true social habits and read people better when their guard is down.

 

[ruff]

A drug test ....... for starters.

That may disqualify the entire county.
Reconsider

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Tell them they are just there to watch and observe.
The real workers will not be able to do that. They will ask to help, hold a door, carry something out, be moving hoses.
That will be your guy.
Also have your wife interview him on the phone.
That will be the first impression customers may get.
If they sound like a goof on the phone that can hurt you.

If a guy is willing to stand around all day he will be more than willing to when you are paying him.

Excellent advice. I wish I had known Tom years ago....

 

[TomKing]

Excellent advice. I wish I had known Tom years ago....

Jim If I had met you I would be in Naples not Indy in the snow.
I am still just a rug sucker some days.
Tomorrow it will be cleaning drywall debris with my youngest son for a water loss.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

That's thoughtful of you to say.

I still feel that was some of the best hiring advice I've seen, and will take it to heart in the future Tom

 

[PrimaDonna]

Have them drive the truck....and back it down a driveway, pull in to the shop. Make sure they can handle driving a larger vehicle. We do this as part every "working interview".

Asking if they can dive a larger vehicle isn't enough. We had a guy that said he could....he used to drive large military vehicles. Sounded great! But those large vehicles were driven mostly straight, forward and in large open desert spaces. Not the same as a small street, backing down a long driveway etc....

 

[PrimaDonna]

And no prior experience....very difficult to get them to break the bad habits they learned from the "other" company they worked for. I'd consider someone from a company that was similar to ours and had the same demographic served and emphasis on customer service, but never anyone from the big chains/franchisees or those known for splash and dash. (Yellow or Green Trucks, See-rs)

 

[Mikey P]

Tell them they are just there to watch and observe.
The real workers will not be able to do that. They will ask to help, hold a door, carry something out, be moving hoses.
That will be your guy.
Also have your wife interview him on the phone.
That will be the first impression customers may get.
If they sound like a goof on the phone that can hurt you.

If a guy is willing to stand around all day he will be more than willing to when you are paying him.

excellent advice..
Seeing how my wife's daycare biz involves finger printing and a blood/TB test, I'm going to have her call each today.

Both of them also have some "youthful mistakes" on their Facebooks and Twitters that we'll be asking them to remove.

 

[Steve Toburen]

Lots of good advice here, Mike.

I would have Paula not only call them but also meet them. Maybe the two of you take each of them out to lunch. Someone (I can't remember who) told me to notice how they treat the wait staff, etc.

Also try to surreptitiously see what the inside of their vehicle looks like.

And finally the best advice I ever got was from Jeff Bishop almost 40 years ago. "Most people are unemployed for a very good reason." (And they all have an excellent story.) That is why we started actively recruiting and hiring people who already had a job. We had much better results with this strategy.

Steve

PS I assume you are paying them to "go on a route", Mike. Chances are you should both legally and ethically.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

This is one of the best threads we've had here. Great information from everyone!

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Agreed. As noted obliquely, "never hire unemployed people". Sound harsh? Ignore it now and YOU will be repeating it years from now.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I'd give each of them a test run (paid) before making any decisions on them. Let them get a day or two behind the wand and break a sweat. See what they say after a day pushing the suck mop. Looking at a guy its hard to say who is willing to work and get dirty.

Lets face it this is not a "look good" job, its a break a sweat and make the carpet look good job. We've hired guys that while they looked the part, didn't care for the workout that carpet cleaning gave them, despite saying that hard work didn't bother them at the interview.

 

[Mikey P]

Agreed. As noted obliquely, "never hire unemployed people". Sound harsh? Ignore it now and YOU will be repeating it years from now.

So you've had great luck asking Starbucks and gas station employees to leave and come suck rugs instead?

 

[WillS]

Both of them also have some "youthful mistakes" on their Facebooks and Twitters that we'll be asking them to remove.

When I taught high school for a few years, I made this a point to students by pulling up Facebook pages and showing them what a potential employer could see. I don't think many realize when posting something they need to select "Friends" only. I agree with asking them to remove these because at times customers may try to add them onto facebook. I usually deny a customers request for an add because biz/personal is separate.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Most of my hires were for janitorial. The best were ladies in their late 30's and older who I hired away from the hospital cleaning staff. One worked for me for over ten years. I made my share of mistakes too.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I don't think many realize when posting something they need to select "Friends" only. I agree with asking them to remove these because at times customers may try to add them onto facebook. I usually deny a customers request for an add because biz/personal is separate.

Dan sent me over a link to a personal Facebook post from restoration employee in Wichita.

She was bitching about she spend all day working on a smoke damaged piece that the insurance company eventually wrote off. I'm not sure why she was complaining, she was paid for the work by her company.

She was a hoodrat with tat's and a bunch of gangsters in her photo's. Check your employees Facebooks!!!

I wouldn't have told her why but I would have canned her just because of the Facebook page and her friends. Scary just scary!

 

[Steve Toburen]

So you've had great luck asking Starbucks and gas station employees to leave and come suck rugs instead?

Hiring people is ALWAYS a crap shoot, Mike. BUT you want to get the odds on your side as much as possible.

So the idea is to always be recruiting and then have a stable of "pre-screened people" waiting for your call. ("Desperation Hiring" seldom worked out well for me.) The concept here is they need to view your position as a "step up". So yeah, fast food and other minimum wage type places are one good place to look for people.

Steve

PS I totally agree with Richard. (Yes, I know that is strange.) But we would also hire them for a few days as a "trial run" on both sides. (We would encourage new hires to keep their current job and we would use them on their days off.) We called it the "courtship period".

 

[Desk Jockey]

I totally agree with Richard. (Yes, I know that is strange.)

I must be slipping if you agree with me.

 

[hogjowl]

I had a hard time hiring my own son.

I can't imagine how hard it must be to hire someone your wife didn't raise.

 

[WillS]

The new hire we have has been with us less than a month. We are already having a problem because some days we do work longer hours. We pay decently, but this kid is 20 and doesn't know hard work yet. Previous job: Subway. He is friendly/personable and does a good job, but yesterday was the 4th time he has said he was tired and wanted another day off. We offered to hire another part time so we could bring him to part time from full time and he told us no way I want the hours. Yet, he will text us at 6am asking, can I take today off I'm sore? Try doing this for a few years and then tell me how sore you are. Muscle Relaxer anyone?

 

[Shane Deubell]

That guy's not going to make it ^^^^^

 

[WillS]

I mean really.. what other employers can you just text and ask for the day off an hour before you are supposed to be at work? Just because we are a small business doesn't mean you can pull that.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Send him a text. TONIGHT.

Let him know he will have a week off the next time that happens, and that you are getting plan B ready.

 

[Joe Appleby]

Ask if he knows my sister.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Ask if he knows my sister.

I wanna hear this story....