Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/117828
58 ��� APRIL 2013 ��� WORLD FENCE NEWS I recently read an article claiming that many businesses spend more time deciding which copy machine to buy than they spend on hiring the right employee! Unfortunately, I agree with this assessment. Hiring is one of the most important things you do for your company, because it���s your employees who rep- How to hire right the first time BY LINDA LEIGH FRANCIS resent you and your product or service to the customer, who determine if you will make a profit or not, who decide to do it right or not, and who make your job and (therefore) life easy or Many items in stock - caps, finials, rings, wall mounts, column bases ���.. Custom made parts Short volume runs In-house tool & die shop Phone: 301-334-9100 Fax: 301-334-7846 www.cpalmerdiecastinginc.com miserable! On average, employee turnover costs a company $3,000 to $10,000 or more. This includes time you spend hiring, the cost of people covering a position until you hire, and the time it takes to get the new employee up to speed. It���s cost-effective to hire the best person you can for the job the first time. This takes time, energy, and the commitment to not hire the first person who walks through the door. Unfortunately, this is what people often do; they hire impulsively, in a panic. Resist this urge, even if it means that you have to work long hours, incur overtime, or postpone something else on your ���to do��� list. Good hiring starts with a job description. If you haven���t written yours yet, do so now. (Or you could wait, like a contractor I know who had to break his ankle so he���d sit down and write the ones that apply to his firm!) You can���t effectively hire someone without a job description. How would an applicant know to apply? How would you screen applicants for an interview, or know what to ask in an interview? Equally important, the job description allows you to advertise your job opening beyond the traditional, expensive, newspaper ad. You can hand it out to employees, friends, vendors, and customers and let them bring applicants to your door. As applications come in, start checking references. Using the resume and information on the application, ask about performance, attendance, punctuality, getting along with coworkers and other job related information. Since, legally, all an employer should say about a former employee are the dates worked and whether they would hire them again, you need to get a bit creative to get the real scoop. So, ask for names of people associated with this person who are not the employer. You can���t effectively hire someone without a job description. How would an applicant know to apply? How would you screen applicants for an interview, or know what to ask? For a bookkeeper, these might include vendors, a payroll service or the accountant. For a lead man it could include other subcontractors, inspectors, people they supervised, architects, or clients. Try calling the reference when you think they won���t be in the office. Leave a message to call you if they think the applicant would be a ���great employee.��� Not hearing from someone can be insightful, as people will get back to you if the employee did a good job. You may get lucky and get someone on the phone who is chatty, and with a little friendly banter, find out a lot about a perspective employee. Finally, take the time to prepare for an interview. Come up with a list of questions from the job description that addresses skills, and then a few more to determine the kind of person they are: How do they spend a typical day? Have they made a success of their life? What things disturb them? How do they like to be supervised? If the job includes reading plans, have someone to read, or walk a jobsite, with the applicant to hear what they have to say. I know a painting contractor who uses an old wooden window for the applicant to prep for painting. Be creative! Because this particular hire, and every hire, is one of the most important things you can do for your company���s success. Linda Leigh Francis has written numerous articles for World Fence News and was featured on the program at FENCETECH���04. She is author of Run Your Business So It Doesn���t Run You. S E C U R I T Y F E N C IN G INFORMATION RESOURCE WORLDFENCENEWS.COM