… my sparky is a one man band… i pay him by the hour … he won’t get a helper but he’ll use my guys when he needs an extra hand…. which is fine… so i told him….i’m going to hire you a helper
I place a simple ad for a guy who knows how to do simple electrical top out work… hang fans, lights … ect…. would give my guy someone to talk to anyway… i put the ad in for $10hr and say it’s flexable… they can work 3-5 days a week… 4-8hrs a day… figure there might be some retired guy or someone in school this would help out…
man … i got over 100 people want’n the job… most are full fledged sparkies… some have run crews… some with industrial/plant experience ect…
all i wanted was some kid looking for experience or a retired guy wanting to get out of the house and do something with no pressure…
I couldn’t bring myself to offer the job for that wage to someone who should be make’n 2-3x that (most guys run’n a service truck around here make about $20hr) it made me feel bad for run’n the ad….
in the end my sparkie had one of his laid off buddies come in a few days a week… but the ad was a huge eye opener
p
Replies
What city/state are you in?
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
i did the same thing here on craigslist. just kinda seeing if there was someone i could get to help me out once in awhile. can't remember the wage i put but like 8.hr.
same as you i had people email me that should be out making 25 a hr but aren't for one reason or another.
it was a eye opener and a little sad.
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Yep.
Talked with another builder about 5 months ago who got 96 applications/calls. In the past, an ad brought less than 10 calls, and the applicants were marginal at best.
Bowz
A few years ago i could not get ANYONE to respond. what i find strange is when i did get calls it was the Girlfriend/wife calling for her man???
I've had three of my competitors call me in the last week, trying to find jobs for some of their guys that they're going to lay off.
http://www.quittintime.com/ View Image
One time I got hungry in Alaska and took a framing job for 6 bucks an hour. Guy says no I don't need anyone.....I said I'll work for six bucks an hour...he said "see you in the morning"
Back then 20.00 was probably ave. and I was a guy who built complete houses by myself......could build stairs and trim them out to boot.
Never underestimate what hunger can do to pride.
I just bought a utility cap off an electrician in Delaware. He was towing cars full time ( as full as he could make it); said there was no work at all...
I had roughly the same experience last Feb./March.
well over 100 calls about a job that was primarily about carrying bundles of shingles up a ladder for me and shoveling debris into a dump trailer
guys in their 40's and 50's claiming 20-30 years experience as carpenters
2 of the guys that I ACUALLY ended up hiring turned out to be 2 of the best employees I ever had--one was a 20 year old who is a friend of my family-----and the other was a 28 year old artist--guy has a MFA and $80,000 in student loans and lives with his parents--but just wants to pursue his art( painting)---he was happy to work any day I had work---and even happier to stay home and paint on any rain day or day I didn't have work.
i have taken a chance hiring some of those older,more experienced guys in the past for primarily labor positions-and after a week or so the reality of their situation sets in and personality problems arise
I got to thank Blue last year who taught me to hire for the actual job---if the job is carrying shingles up a ladder--hire THAT guy---- hiring a 45 year old carpenter who NEEDS work for that job humping shingles--isn't doing anybody any favors in the long run.
stephen
5 years ago my whole crew was in there late 40s oily 50s, They were the only ones that showed up ready to work day after day, If i had to load a roof i could hire my sons and a few of there friends but to be honest i could not get 20 year olds to work.
Some went into shock after a few hours, some called there mommys to come get them and a lot of them never came back after lunch. Believe me i was very gentle with them too. When i was in my 20s NO 40 year old would ever out work me but they dont even care anymore.
the advice blue gave you is something i try to remember... thanks for posting it...
i hired a guy 2 days before thanksgiving... he said he could hang doors and run baseboard... i never found out if he could run baseboard...
1st day i worked with him... i hung & cased 9 fire doors... he hung 1, second day he hung & cased 2 alone... still willing to let him try... monday after thanksgiving came he got there 20 min late and then fixed himself a cup of coffee and watched me work for about 20 min... discussing his thanksgiving like we were related... he took the coffee with him when he left (and my studfinder & utility knife) being as nice as i could i explained that if he ever did get another job and wanted to keep it... don't start the day watch'n the guy that pays you work while you start the day on coffee he provided... he couldn't believe i didn't want him working anymore... he thought he had "skills" 30 min later i called another guy who wanted to work... he was there in 30 min... saw what the job was and wanted $5 more an hour than the last guy... I told him i had no idea what he was worth... he said to let him work and if i thought he was worth it to pay him.... to date this is the best guy i have ever had... if guy one was worth $1hr then this guy is worth $20 there is that much difference in their skill level and work methods... guy number 2 is hispanic and tells me he started cutting trim to size for his dad @6yrs old... I have every reason to think that is true... he is a joy to watch work... i stop and work with him during the day some, as trim detail changes... he only has to see it once to know... he hung 1 door backwards... just a brain slip... but he had trimmed/cased it both sides with a transom above... maybe 10 pieces of trim per side.... he said he'd fix it on his own time... that i pay him to do a job once if he screws up i shouldn't have to pay him to undo it and redo it... i laughed and told him he'd fix it on my dime this time :)
p
That's a real Thanksgiving/Christmas, Honeka (sp?) and every other good day story.Good to remember they're people like that out there.Cheers, Rufus
Hopefully this will all change during the next 4 years. Hopefully those applicants will be able to hold onto their homes that much longer. I'm working pretty cheap these days, but keeping busy. I never thought I'd consider myself lucky to not have a house and family to support. The really sad part is that things will probably get a little worse before it gets better.
See my work at TedsCarpentry.com
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