Replies

1. 
   GACCDallas | Oct 17, 2004 08:14pm | #1

   For me (I have 25 employees at any given time) it's a gut feeling thing.  Do they talk intelligently?  Do they have the right tools and reliable transportation?  Do they dress for work or the beach?  If the guy is covered in tattoos, he may be a great carpenter, but he's going to scare the he11 out of the housewives.  That's not good.  Where did he work before and for how long?  Is he asking for reasonable pay, if not, he'll never be satisfied working for what I can afford to pay and therefore, he'll be looking while working for me.  Does he seem like he'll fit in with the rest of the carpenters?  That's important.  I like married guys with kids. 

   Having said all that, I have some people on the payroll who are single, have tattoos, have sorted backgrounds, bad transportation and cheap tools.  So, you see, not every good employee can fit your criteria.  Sometimes you just have to take a chance.

   One word of warning - never pay a man more than you want to just because you need the help.  You can always give him a raise, but you can't take it back.

   For background checks, look up Public Data.com.  I don't know if you state is listed yet, but you can look up criminal records there.

   Good Luck!!

   Ed.

1. 
   pm22 | Oct 18, 2004 12:10am | #2

   Test For Construction Employee

   You need:1] A chair2] A waste basket3] A banana

   Sit the applicant in the chair and have him/her eat the banana.

   If he/she throws the peel in the wastebasket, then it is an office worker.If she/he drops the peel on the flor, then it is a construction worker.

   ~Peter

2. 
   blue_eyed_devil | Oct 18, 2004 01:11am | #3

   Toolbear, Ive done everything under the sun.

   Ed gives a very good overview of the process. Relying on instincts in our business is critical because normally, we don't have an infrastructure to do otherwise.

   I have had 25 guys on payroll too....my hats off to ED....he's had that for years...I couldn't take more than a month or two of the aggravation.

   My current partner is Frank....he's been with me 6 or 7 years. He asnwered an ad that specifically targeted serious career minded people. That wording separated me from the other 25 ads for carpenters and weve been together ever since. Frank introduced me to Ben....a friend of  friend. Ben is a natural carpenter...and he loves framing....and I love framing...birds of a feather flock together. Steve is the latest....he's a friend of Frank's.

   The "network" grows from the inside out.

   We are done expanding the carpentry business.....well keep the base crew for our own work.

   When I was advertising, I used a 24 voicemail to effectively weed out the applicants. It informed them that they had better be prepared for drug tests (we've never actually ran any). It gave a brief overview of what type of people we were interested in (motivated, serious, career minded, etc.). If they wanted an interview, they had to leave a name and number.

   Just listening to the responses, I could weed out 50%. If they were drunk...they didn't get a call....if they were angry.....etc. When I called them, I did a very thorough interview. By the time I was done talking....I knew more about them than they did. It takes time, but it also takes time and money to hire and fire them....so interview time is well spent.

   The sad part is this. Despite meeting many many motivated people, I didn't find any that could actually fit in and earn their keep. I admit that my standards are tough....they guys have to be interested in framing as a career....they have to be willing to learn something new, if their techniques were slow or unsafe....they had to be willing to invest in their own careers by purchasing necessary tools and equipment (saws, cords, glasses, basic stuff)....they had to fit in, socially....they had to come every day and work at least 40 hours per week..

   Im getting depressed remembering...

   blue

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