I am receiving a 20 year hazardous duty retirement because of a union, but I have learned that there are more don’ters than there are doers. I categorize myself as a doer and got sick of watching the lazy do nothing don’ters get in trouble only to be represented by the union. The union would get them out of trouble and then they would continue to do the same thing after. Work ethic I believe starts at home when your young. You have to lead by example and you can’t coddle your kids. There’s a difference of making sure your children are better off than you were growing up, but not coddling them to create a lazy entitled person.
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They passed a similar law in nj. But that wage of 15 per hr dosent start till 2024.
I dont have employees yet, but know a few who do and was told this
If you dont have enough hours or full enough work schedule to hire a full time person. Hire someone who is Under Employed not Unemployed. Find someone who has a decent job but needs some extra money and doesnt need more than 16- 20 extra hr a week.
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Again what i was told from bigger companies so you dont waist too much of your time hiring the wrong person. Have a system to hire, and micro test along the way. These help you narrow out people who cant follow simple directions.
How ever you go about getting applicants, have it where they have to email you in a certain format. Example: So when they email you they need to have their tittle/ subject for the email be “first initial, Last name 2019 and the position” Can be anything. If you get a email from someone who doesn’t put their first initial or any part of the correct format in the title. Simply delete the email and dont even read it. They failed to follow directions.
Next, if they got the email part right. Set up a phone call have some questions ready and get a feel for them over the phone. A five min phone call is quicker than just setting up a in person interview from the email, and you can weed out some more people. If they sound great over the phone, than set up a in person interview.
The in person interview should be somewhere other than you shop or home (will explain). So if you give them a location of say Starbucks at 10 AM. You are looking for them to be there by 9:55AM. “If your early your on time, if your on time your late” If you really need someone than you can wait til 10, but once 10 hits your getting up and leaving. If someone cant be on time to an interview than how can you expect them to be on time to work or a clients house. The reason you do this at a “offsite” location is simply so you can leave if they dont show.
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I know you’ve mentioned it before, but I couldn’t find the thread…Where do you find your retired guys?
Past customers. One guy was an actual customer and both just happened to have a buddy they wanted to work with. That was unplanned. The other I was asking for retirees with past customers. Someone usually knows someone.
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Thanks for the quick answer!
If you don’t mind explaining, how did you approach them about that? Did it just kind of come up in conversation, or what?
The first guy was really curious about how I got into the business and was really interested in the work and equipment. I knew he was retired so I called him up to see if he wanted to help on a big job where I needed the other two machines. He asked if he could bring a buddy. Lol.
I kinda fell into that one really.
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Nice! Thanks for the info.
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I’ve been slacking this offseason…and told myself to recruit vs putting out a job opening. Well local store I go to everyday, a kids been working there for three years…great customer service, hard worker (his gramps lives down the road and always out there helping on the farm) just graduated high school…always told myself man he would be a great employee. Today I gave him my card, said if your interested in learning about what we do and if you’d be interested in a job we can set up a day to come down and check out our shop, trucks, and equip,met and I’ll take you out to lunch (he already knows what we do, see him everyday when we fill up gas in the morning) . He was ecstatic… hoping it all works out This may be the new way I attract employees…go find them instead of them finding me
I have two others I may be reaching out to and offer jobs. I have to do something, have three trucks ready to go and have 40k already on the schedule for 2019. First 6 weeks scheduled…won’t be good though when residential rush hits and schedules 2 months out,
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I did the same thing this past year after a couple of my guys moved on. Best decision ever. I won’t place another ad for help. You get a good glimpse of someone’s character and how they interact with people by interacting with them as a customer or observing their work ethic with no expectations of a job offer from you on their part. How they treat you and other customers and the impression they leave on you is the same they will leave on your customers.
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I look them up on Facebook and social media. All these young guys are on there. You can get a glimpse into their life. Are they posting about sports or all drunk and weed pics. It’s an easy back ground check.
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Man… I’d give a vital toe to have $20k on the calendar. I’m really bad about this. I can get the ball rolling with my current client list relatively last minute, but I’m bad about marketing to new customers coming out of the winter.
One of my regular commercial customers prepaid for the entire year to save around $5000, but that’s not at all the same as having $40,000 of work to hit the ground running.
If I had both, I’d feel like I won the lottery.
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I used it for the past couple of years. Out of 75 applications I get 2 or 3 worth a phone call. I’ve gotten 2 great guys from it though. Both painters sick of painting.
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Best thing to look for in an applicant is wife and kids. Something to work for.
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Most is from reoccurring condos… only a few residential
I’ll still be getting Walmart installments until July lol. My drive to fill the spring books with washing is diminishing. I have a 5k wash job on the books.
Owed 14k right now in snow. Can’t wait for those checks lol
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I’m trying to get better spacing out the schedule…last year I had a month of all condos…no money for gas or chems and 30k in accounts receivable lol. Hopefully,learned my lesson
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Also…two things I try and do
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Contact past condos and Apartments…tell them that your schedule for the spring of 2019 is pretty much full, but you saved a week for them (May 5th -10th) if they want to get any buildings washed. Makes them feel special and that your looking out for them.
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Contact property managers that you do work with… tell them that this time of year is a great time for you to compile estimates…and if you can send me a list of all the properties you manage I’ll send you quotes for all of them in the next week. Even if the communities not interested you can keep the quote on file and the price is good for two years. This has been gold so far.
3). I found a gold mine association of 100 self managed condo associations that gets together twice a year,
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