Employees?!?!?!

I

imported_ajbarnes

New member
The time has come for me to hire an employee. The problem is obvious and popular....nerve wrecked about doing this because I want to make sure whoever I hire is as passionate about detailing as I am, reliable, flexible, etc. I tried in the past with my cousin who told me he knew how to detail cars..........:angry (you can imagine the end of that sentence!).



How do I go about putting the word out that I am hiring but at the same time making sure that I attract the right kind of worker?



Thanks.:)
 
I just had to hire 8 guys. It is a little nerve racking, but exciting at the same time. Your best bet is to set up as many interviews as possible, and determine who has the best charachter and personality. If they are driven for success, their results detailing will show it!!
 
ajbarnes said:
The time has come for me to hire an employee. The problem is obvious and popular....nerve wrecked about doing this because I want to make sure whoever I hire is as passionate about detailing as I am, reliable, flexible, etc. I tried in the past with my cousin who told me he knew how to detail cars..........:angry (you can imagine the end of that sentence!).



How do I go about putting the word out that I am hiring but at the same time making sure that I attract the right kind of worker?



Thanks.:)
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I'll detail for you. :o
 
Perfect Buick_guy! Winnipeg to Philly is an easy commute. How fortunate for ajbarnes. :rofl



Good luck ajbarnes! Sounds like a "good" problem :p Business must be expanding :up
 
Spilchy said:
Perfect Buick_guy! Winnipeg to Philly is an easy commute. How fortunate for ajbarnes. :rofl



Good luck ajbarnes! Sounds like a "good" problem :p Business must be expanding :up
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Eh, just trying to lighten the mood. :D
 
Make a list of what you want them to do and what attributes they must have for example.



For example, saying they must be passionate is good but how do you identify it from someone who is desperate for the job or is very good at interviews.
 
Lowejackson said:


For example, saying they must be passionate is good but how do you identify it from someone who is desperate for the job or is very good at interviews.
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That's one of the biggest things that has gotten me nerve wrecked. I'll have to adapt a "see right through the act" mindset when interviewing so I'll be able to determine their real personality, mental standpoint, and ambition. Maybe I could create a test, or a "tryout", etc. also?
 
We have hired several people in the past few months so I have some advice to add.



What worked for us was putting an ad in the local paper, all together we spent around $400 on ads. We had people come in for interviews and we would only hire 1 out of 10 or so. We make sure it's someone that we think will work out well but we still end up firing quite a few people. A lot of people don't even show up for the interview but you didn't want to hire them anyway. We also make them fill out an online application before we set up the interview, this weeds out a few more people and makes for higher percentage of people showing up. It took quite a while and a lot of learning and firing 10+ people but yesterday I was working with three employee's and all are very hard working and honest people.



What I look for is people that show up early, have a good work history (not jumping from job to job), and seem to be honest. You can teach anyone detailing so I don't worry about detailing history. The ones that tend to work out the best already have a job but want another or better job.



Another thing, you get what you pay for. If you pay $6-8 an hour then you'll get dumb kids that will slack off. We currently pay $10-15 an hour and have gotten much better employee's.
 
A test of some kind is probably a good idea. I remember recruiting a new chef a few years ago, we got them to make some good food and also asked the other kitchen staff how they behaved.



There is a concept called bio data which basically says the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. If they have jumped from one job to another they will probably carry on doing that. There are exceptions of course.



I would also ask them to show you their car.



I am not familiar with American employment law but generally speaking you only really find out what someone is like after they start to work for you. Everyone makes mistakes and takes some time to adjust to your way of working but if you start to see a negative pattern emerging - have a long a serious chat.



Recruitment is not rocket science, I would say go with your gut feelings and remember your the boss not their therapist.
 
A test is a great idea. Show pictures of badly neglected cars, and ask them how they would go about restoring them. I used to be a bit worried that every high school kid around here wants to do detialing work on the side. However, I am no longer worried as I sent them before and after pictures of a really dirty interior I detailed and they didn't seem like they would know where to start. I know that in the long run my work will speak for itself... while theirs will with the opposite results, haha.



I guess the point is that it would be a good idea to test future employees for their willingness to tackle difficult jobs, and their knowledge of detialing products and process.
 
PerfectFinish1 said:
A test is a great idea. Show pictures of badly neglected cars, and ask them how they would go about restoring them. I used to be a bit worried that every high school kid around here wants to do detialing work on the side. However, I am no longer worried as I sent them before and after pictures of a really dirty interior I detailed and they didn't seem like they would know where to start. I know that in the long run my work will speak for itself... while theirs will with the opposite results, haha.



I guess the point is that it would be a good idea to test future employees for their willingness to tackle difficult jobs, and their knowledge of detialing products and process.
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Good point. I think that'll be one of the things I do during the pre-hire phase.
 
You can check with the guidance counselors at your local high school. School is almost out and right now you can train on the weekends so when summer hits, you have someone ready to go. If you have a nearby college, you can also find good people there. A big plus with a student as an employee is they are less likely to quit after 6 months and then try to start their own detailing business and try to undercut you.



If someone shows up to fill out an application and they ask for a pen or pencil, that isn't someone you want to hire. If don't even have enough sense to bring something to write with, they aren't going to be a good employee. Note any spelling or grammatical errors as well. You obviously want someone with attention to detail and I've found those who don't write properly are not very detail oriented.



I'd also look for someone with little or no professional detailing experience. It is much easier to train someone than to retrain them. Last thing you want is someone with a bunch of bad habits.
 
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