Keep a reserve of great candidates!

Admit it. We’re all guilty. Your phone is ringing off the hook, work is flooding in, you have a team of 100% loyal employees and then…?

Two techs quit (with no notice!) and you are now working 18 hours every day! So you scream out, “Get me some warm bodies in here!” So how did this Desperation Hiring work out for you?

“Desperation Hiring” is always a complete disaster! (I know it was for me!) Papa Nick Paolella of Jon-Don fame taught me to “Hire SLOW… and when the new worker is obviously not working out- let them go FAST”! And in a perfect world this “hire slow-fire fast“ philosophy works great.

But it takes TIME to interview, background check and get to know new applicants and you can’t do this leisurely process under pressure! So you get ‘desperate’ and shoot yourself in the foot by hiring a marginal employee! The solution? Be able to hire great people immediately when the need arises! Here’s the secret…

Keep a list of pre-screened applicants just waiting to quit their current job and work for you!

1. “Always be recruiting”– Constantly be looking for other company’s employees that impress you. Then give them your card and say, “I may have a career opportunity for you. Give me a call on my personal cell phone.” (Write your cell # on the back of your card.) When they call (not all will) …

2. Email them a job description- Don’t sugar coat the position. Explain the work, the hours and of course the pay, benefits and advancement opportunities. Then …

3. Set an appointment to fill out an application. (Are they on time?) Interview and do reference and background checks on your best candidates. Then if they pass your screening…

4. Do a “trial hire”– Have them come in on their day off (or after they get off work) and help you for a few hours. (Paid, of course!) Then if both of you are still loving this “courtship”…

5. Keep them on the hook- Great news! Tell them that they are an “Approved Candidate”. (High fives all around!) Then keep them hooked with a brief weekly email on what is going on with your operation. Plus you can use these “techs-in-waiting” for overflow work or even hire them part time.

NOTE: This ‘pre-screened applicant’ concept works because your Approved Candidate (A/C) still has a paycheck coming in while they are waiting for your call. (When you search ONLY among unemployed people looking for a job it is going to be much tougher to find that perfect person!)

Reminder: For your A/C’s to patiently wait for an opening they must view your company as a very desirable place to work. So your pay/ bonuses/ benefits and work atmosphere must be significantly better than other job opportunities for your A/C’s.

Steve