Business is 18 months old now, need to hire help....how????

[Russ in Vancouver]

Hello all,

I started a new service type business January 2012 and it has grown to the point that I need to find some quality help.
It is installing kitchen cabinets, residential and office type furnishings.

I cannot keep myself busy 5 days a week so I would not be able to promise a worker full time hours. But at times, I will be working a week straight from 9-9 and need reliable help.

I have had bad luck with the people advertising their services on CL so no more searching on that site.
I got a referral from an employment agency and have been using him exclusively for the past 6 months, but this guy doesnt want listen to clear directions, he does it his way.....slow......wrong......costs me money. I gave him a lecture the other day about him doing something wrong and he stops work and wastes his time and my time by explaining himself and then afterwards when we install the countertop, it is not level, just like I told him it would not be. No more time or energy to deal with him anymore.

So now I have to find a replacement.....

Should I start off with a motivated person who will appreciate an opportunity to learn a thing or two?
As well, I would like to find someone who I can contract jobs to so I dont have to kill my back anymore.
I would love to find a person happy to do the work, get paid an honest wage and not quit on me and start up their own copycat business.

If I left out any pertinent info please let me know.

Any tips?

Thanks everyone

[huggytree]

you and me are in a similar boat....ive been close to hiring for years, but haven't made it over that hump yet

since your working 12 hour days I think its time for you

id consider an apprentice....find a 20something helper and train him....someone motivated

if your getting older like me you need a helper at some point just to handle the physical part of the job....he wont cost you much, so you can afford to keep him around full time even when your slow...use the slow days to train him more....

im getting close to not being able to handle the physical part myself and im considering hiring and giving $40k out of my pocket just to have a helper...I have the union to deal with....odds are you don't, so you can hire someone w/o benefits(at least to start with)

where to find someone? id ask around for a referral

every employee will eventually quit and go to a competitor or start their own business.....assume it from day 1

[vangogh]

It sounds like you need an extra person some weeks, but not all. Could you find someone who works contract jobs? If you do decide you need to hire someone part time, you probably just need to keep trying. There's never going to be a guarantee the next person you hire will be great. Some people you hire won't be worth keeping and some you'll want to do everything you can to keep working for you.

Maybe you need to quickly identify what kind of employee a person will be as soon as possible. When you find someone good treat that person well so they don't leave.

[JamesTallon]

There are a few ways you can go with this:

1) Hire from a staffing agency, They can vet for the skills that you need, and they can send them when and where you need them.
2) Hire an apprentice, or someone attending trade school.
3) Hire a outside contractor
4) Employ an "On the books" part time worker.

It may take several hires to find someone that is a good fit for your company. But just keep going till you find what you are looking for.

[Steve B]

This is the kind of hiring that I do.

First of all, get any employee to sign a confidentiality and non-compete agreement. If you do it right, you won't have to worry about training your future competition.

I think you should easily be able to find someone given your circumstances. You just need to find someone that wants and needs to work, but doesn't necessarily need the income as their primary support. You should be able to find someone that is reasonably handly and willing to learn. I would target a retiree. There are plenty of people that recently retired and realize they are bored. Or, you can target people that work 12 hour shifts and have a day or two a week during their off days (i.e. Firefighers). I advertise on Craig's List. I have to weed through a lot of lousy candidates (via just looking at their resume) but I eventually find someone every time I need it. Craig's List has gotten worse and worse for me over the years. I always require the candidate to submit a resume and a brief explaination as to why they would be a good choice. 8 out of 9 responses don't do those two simple things - so it's a good way to weed out the idiots (who can't follow simple directions).

[patrickprecisione]

First off- Congrats on your success! The facts that you're at a place where your business is going so well you need to hire some employees is something you should be proud.

Regarding your dilemma, assuming you didn't always on your own business and did something similar previously, do you know anyone from past work experiences who would be interested in working with you? It's tough as it's not a full time job and it seems like the hours are sporadic, but there must be someone reliable who'd be interested in this type of opportunity.

[huggytree]

something I hear about more and more in the trades since the recession is sharing employee's between companies

you could make friends with a competitor and share their employees or even hire them as subs??/

ive been sharing a friends son as a laborer once in a while...my friend never has enough hours to keep him busy and is happy to give me his son for a day, so he has more hours for himself

I don't see many retired guys as being good producers.....but im sure a small % of 60+ year olds are still fast movers

sounds like you need someone young to help with the physical part...a retired person wont be good

I agree with finding a fireman or someone in an odd situation where part time work is good for them

[Russ in Vancouver]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your advice.

Ive got an update for yall, I gave a family friends friend a shot at it. It was an eager female. She came out with me to set up a kids bedroom with a $800 bunk bed. I thought it would be a good chance for her to show me if she was worth training and if she could work in this type of environment. She was pretty strong but could not operate a screw driver or drill :(

I asked her to google how to screw and drill over the weekend and to practice on some old 2x4s by over screwing and over drilling until hole strippage. She did. So I asked her to come out with me on Wednesday to finish up a kitchen, I gave her very basic tasks like unpackaging 14 doors, inserting the door hinges into the 2 holes and then attaching the other end of the hinges to the cabinets. I showed her how to do one from boxed to hung. After set to task she still needed some direction. Not the best comprehension of a pretty basic simple skill.

Anyways to make a long story short. She hung all the lower doors and she asked if she could do the remaining upper doors. I asked if she felt confident...."yes" so I said go at it.

*%@$# arrrrggggg!!!!!
she dropped the door and it crushed her pinky finger. It was lacerated across the finger nail and part of the finger pad was ripped. She went to emerge and got the lower nail removed and a few stitches.

Wow.
Shes ok, but has decided that this type of work is not up her alley anymore.
I think craigslist may be better to search than through family referrals.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

[ready123go]

Russ, I've been watching this thread with interest. We're in small trades in Detroit area with many of the same problems/concerns as you and huggytree have. Thanks for keeping us posted. :)

[King Akoma]

Wow it has been an eventful past couple weeks for you huh Russ???

I would personally suggest to keep at it with craigslist, there are losers and winners on their. You just have to sort through them quickly. Also, you could think of going up to your local college campus and seeing who wants to make some extra money. I was recruited that way, and it worked out pretty well for the company.

[Steve B]

HT - you are an HR Dept's. dream - as least as far as job security goes!

[Russ in Vancouver]

I seem to be in writers limbo.....

The words I want to say in my CL ad will not come into my mind "#@$%"

What I am looking for is:

1. Someone that is motivated, able, has raw-good skills that wants to learn and possibly become the primary worker/employee because I want to get out of the field and just handle the leads that my sites are generating.

2. A qualified sub contractor that would be able to schedule in jobs, perform good customer service and quality workmanship.

My brain is farting.

HELPPPPPP

[Dan Furman]

Plenty of copywriters here would do this kind of work. Probably cost you $100-$200 (tops), including a phone call to get the details.

Hire someone (and not the "practice" gig you posted - doing this is actual work).

[PayForWords]

Put an ad in the local newspaper. You may end up finding an older cat but...


I'd be willing to bet you'd have a better chance at finding someone experienced and hard working.


You could also go by the local unemployment office and let them know that you need some on a "As Needed Basis."


They'll advertise it for you and everyone that applies will KNOW its just as needed.


Good luck man!

[Dan Furman]

I do agree that Craigslist is probably not your best bet.

[KristineS]

Do you have a local unemployment office in your area? I know in Michigan you can advertise jobs through what's called "Michigan Works" which is the unemployment network for the state. They'll hook you up with qualified employees and can even help with training or training costs in some cases. If you have something similar in your state, that might be an option.

[timothy stange]

Hi Russ, I am new to this forum but reading your post caused me to take the leap and join!
I worked as a carpenter's occasional helper on and off for 15 years. During this time I had many other jobs including starting a woodworking business on my own. I did still work for that guy even after I went out on my own. Sometimes he would have me work 40 hours a week and sometimes he would not have me work for 2 months. I liked the guy so we stayed in touch and I helped him when I could. He seemed to be in a similar state as you (needs help often but not full time). I guess I am a lot like some of the guys that you have hired. I have a few Ideas, hope they help.

In my experience Craig's List is trouble. It has not work for me for hiring or being hired. In my opinion it is just to shady to be worth my time. you have a reputation to uphold and sifting through degenerates in your client's homes is not worth it.

Don't view that fact that people want to go out on their own as a threat or a hindrance to you working with them. when I started working for myself I was very open about it to my boss and told him that while my schedule would take precedence I would make myself available to him as much as possible. During the time that we worked together I wold ask him more questions about business and contracting and he was happy to have a knowledgeable worker that knew what to do. I also had a ton of nice tools! If someone is just starting out they probably don't have full-time work them selves so you could fill in his in between job times. Don't chose A or B when you can chose A,B and C!

Are there trade schools nearby? You might be able to find a young skilled person there who is looking for a couple of bucks. Most students are! They also should know how to use a drill and a screwdriver!

Check at your local supply house and ask for another one man show that they recommend. Contract him to help you on a two person job here and there. While this option will cost you more per hour you will be getting someone who is Very knowledgeable and should be pretty efficient.

If you just need dependable cheap labor occasionally, college students are always hungry for some cash and the have plenty of energy. They wont be skilled but they can hold a upper cabinet while you screw it in!


Hope a few of these Ideas get you thinking in the right direction and you find a good arrangement soon! Construction employment can be tough on both sides. Good Luck!

Cheers

Timothy Stange

[Patrysha]

Is there a reason you can't use the EI job boards to look for help? As far as I know posting there is free...I think the quality of candidates might be a bit higher than Craigslist finds.

Also, in our area (northern alberta) there are trades training programs run by places like Norquest...I know I see the signs up at the local hardware stores...it might be possible to get people that have graduated from their intro programs. I think that's part of a federal program and not just provincial so there should be something similar in your area.

[Russ in Vancouver]

You could also go by the local unemployment office and let them know that you need some on a "As Needed Basis."
Good one PFW


They'll hook you up with qualified employees and can even help with training or training costs in some cases.
I am going to investigate this one further, thank you KS


Are there trade schools nearby? You might be able to find a young skilled person there who is looking for a couple of bucks. Most students are! They also should know how to use a drill and a screwdriver!
Very helpful post in many ways, thanks for sharing your experience Timothy.


EI job boards to look for help
I am going to look into this further, thanks Patrysha