Out With Classifieds

With the economy thriving and in full force, people complain all the time how hard it has become to find good employees.

“We have tons of business, but we need to find some good help,” I hear people moan. “People can make more money flipping burgers, and I just can’t compete.”

Wake up. No one wants to flip burgers. The problem isn’t with money, it’s with you. You haven’t made your company desirable to work for, nobody knows who you are, and your hiring practices are probably not that good.

In order to hire good employees, you must increase your company’s ability to hire quality people. Placing an ad in the paper offering a job for a delivery driver isn’t going to attract premium candidates. You might be able to find a good employee from the paper every once in a while, but it is definitely the least efficient method for attracting great employees.

In order to attract great employees, you must implement top quality hiring practices. Below are the top 7 ways to help increase your number of great job candidates.

1. Become a hunter. Instead of listing an ad in the paper, actively seek out employees at restaurants, retail stores, competitive business, etc. All the great employees already have jobs, so you must go out and find them.

2. Use your email list. Send an email to everyone in your email list asking if they know someone that might be a potential hire. Be descriptive, creative, and honest about the job requirements.

3. Use family, friends, and business associates. Family, friends, and business associates might know someone who is currently looking for a job or might be looking for a change. You might have to ask them a few times, but keep trying and the word of mouth advertising will start attracting candidates to your company.

4. Pay better. If you want to attract better candidates, pay better wages. Although money is not the top reason people leave jobs, higher wages can attract better candidates. Higher wages can lead to less turnover, higher quality candidates, and better mouth to mouth advertising for your company. Be careful though, bigger paychecks will not make someone stay or love their job. Meaningful work, great leadership, and the satisfaction of working for a great company mean a lot more to employees. The top reason people stay and thrive in an organization is their immediate boss. This is also the number one reason they leave.

5. Get on the Internet. List your company on an internet job posting site such as monster.com, hotjobs.com, or career builder.com. By listing your company on the internet, you will reach a different and more diverse group of job hunters.

6. Go to networking events. Great people can be found everywhere if you are looking. Chamber of commerce meetings, industry gatherings, soccer practices, and even poker nights can all be great places for you to get the word out that your company is looking for great people.

7. Pay current employees if you hire someone they refer. Reward an employee with MONEY if they refer a candidate that you end up hiring. Don’t be cheap! Make the reward worthwhile, but have great interview practices in place to weed out the fluff.

These ideas are not new. The question is, “How many of them are you using?”

A better question is, “How many of them are you using everyday?”

If you are looking to hire someone, try these ideas and I guarantee if you put forth the hard work, you can find someone great.

John

Are you tired of lugging those water hoses all over to water your yard and flower beds during the summer? If you don’t have a sprinkler system, you probably think about installing one every year.

The easiest way get your system installed is to call a professional irrigation system installer. They will begin by surveying your yard and watering needs. Once they are aware of your specific situation, they will then design and install a custom irrigation system. This is the absolute best and easiest way to get your system installed. If you are interested in hiring a professional, please email me and I will refer you to some of the best.

Every year though, many customers would like to install their sprinkler systems themselves. While I usually discourage this method, you can probably save money if you are willing to give up a lot of time and put forth a lot of hard work.

Before beginning any irrigation project, you must gather the information to allow a qualified person to design your system. Usually, this information consists of the following:

1) If on city water - Water meter size and location on property

2) If on well water – Horsepower of pump, GPM at 45 psi, and location of well)

3) Static water pressure measured at any hose bib on location

4) All measurements of property (sidewalks, flowerbeds, walls, trees, house, everything!!)

5) Desired location of timer for system

6) Names of any preferred brand of irrigation equipment

If the information is correct, system design should be easy. Our company offers the service of designing these systems for free if the above information is gathered and the materials for the project are purchased from us.

Once you have your system design you can begin installation. There will most likely be a few problems which will require field modifications from the original design, but if you put forth the hard work, installation should be a breeze.