Marketing Tips Week 2 (Hiring Good Employees)

One of the biggest mysteries in any business is Hiring Good Employees. In most areas the unemployment level is at an all time low. This creates an even bigger challenge to hire a quality employee. There are some key actions you can take to assist in hiring the right people for the job.

Let’s go through the process step by step:

Qualities you want.
Carefully write down what qualities the employee must have. For instance if it is for a Client Service Representative (CSR) then you will want to make sure they have a good phone voice. If it is for a Tech you want good skills, etc. Make this list up and put down your “wish list”.

Benefits.
Now write down what benefits your Company is going to offer. List off everything you can think of. Some examples are: 401k, Profit Sharing, Growth Opportunities, Take Trucks Home, Education Account, Tool Account, Bonus’s, Flexible Hours, Commission Pay, Pager, Signing Bonus, Contests, Company Functions, etc. Make this as complete as you can. I don’t care how minor you think it is list it. We are not going to use the whole list, but it will come in handy later on.

Policies/Procedures/Paperwork.
Make sure you have an up to date Policy handbook. This handbook should be an At-Will Contract and cover all your policies and procedures. An At-Will contract states that you, the employer can terminate someone for no reason at all. Just as the employee can quit without giving a reason. This will help prevent unlawful termination lawsuits. If you do not have an At-Will call and we will send you a copy of the contract. It is highly recommended that you have a lawyer look at your policy handbook before issuing it. Make sure your Applications are listed as Pre-Employment Applications for legal-ease. You should also have a test that you issue and a letter to offer them the position. All this paperwork is to protect you and your employee from any miscommunication that may occur.

Creating the Ad.
Ads for hiring employees are just like ads for gaining clients. You MUST tell them what they are going to get NOT what you want them to have. If you word it correctly your ad will attract employees with the traits you want. It must grab them right away and keep them reading. Typically people skim the ads and are looking for something specific like pay, or hours, etc.
Here is a sample ad we created:
“Experienced service company looking for team players. Flexible hours, hourly + bonus. Automatic tool buying and education accounts. We provide truck, tools, pager, training, and career opportunities. We promote within our organization whenever possible. Signing bonus available call for details.”
After reading this ad look at your wish list of good employee traits and see if you can find the traits this ad is looking for. Properly written your ad will grab the attention of the employee you want.

Where to find them.
Place ads in the local paper, but be creative. Save your applications. If you don’t have a position for them, or you decided they were not right for the job place their application in a folder marked CSR or Acctg, Tech, etc. Make notes as to why you did not hire them.

Try placing ads on car windshields at trade schools, anywhere industry related people hang out.

Check out Wanted Ads on the Web.
While they don’t get a huge response your cost is very minimal. On AOL’s I ran an ad for $25 for the whole month AND it was only for people to see in my area. When I got responses I knew they were computer literate and possibly self-taught. This shows initiative to learn and that is worth a lot.

High School work programs.
Very often High Schools have a work program that allows students to work for credits. These students are young, but are reliable since their grade depends on showing up. Once they graduate you might be able to keep them since you already have them. These type of employees work great for Client Service Representatives.

Pizza delivery people make good dispatchers.
Why? Because they have been on the receiving end and had clients upset with them. They know what it is like to have the office tell the client one thing and the tech another. They are more careful to get the info out to the tech correctly the first time.

Give your employees $25 for each referral sent in and interviewed.
This way if you have 7 employees that is 7 different people marketing your company. Of course they will say nice things to get the $$$.

Offer a referral fee (somewhere around $300 or so), that is given to the employee that found the new team player and pay it out once they complete 6 months of work. If you want to split it up you can give them $100 upon hiring their referral and $100 after 3 months of work with the rest after 6 months.

Put a banner out saying, “Now Hiring.”
When someone comes in and asks what you are hiring for say every position. You never know, that person walking in might be better than someone you already have. Have the person that greets them give them an application and write down their appearance.

Next time a position opens in that dept. pull the folder and start calling everyone, even if you did not like them the first go around. You never know what training they have completed since then. They may have gone through a major life change and would be the best. Ask them how they are enjoying their work and let them know you are calling because you have a position open. For all you know they got into a big fight with their boss that day and want to quit.

If you are organized enough this can make a big impression. On your application ask for their birthday. If this is someone you really like but can’t hire them for some reason start sending birthday cards letting them know they are still top on your list. If it takes 3 years before you are ready to hire they should immediately recognize your name and be more open to talk.

Stay tuned for PART 2 of Hiring A Good Employee.

Till next week,

Lisa H. Mitchell

“My goal is to translate response into results.
Some teachers teach for others to learn. That’s not me.
Some teachers teach for others to accomplish. That IS me.”
– By Jim Rohn