How to Find Good Employees

February 19, 2010
By Greg Kitson, Contributing Writer

It’s critical during the interview process that a potential employee is made fully aware of less-than-optimal working conditions such as a hot production environment with no air conditioning. Photo courtesy of Mind’s Eye Graphics, Decatur, Ind.

Perhaps one of the most daunting, time-consuming tasks for every business owner — and perhaps even more so for decorators — is finding good employees. It would be wonderful if there were an abundance of qualified job candidates who could perform their duties well and be a good fit in your shop’s culture, but that’s just not the case.

The truth is that finding the right employee is a slow, tough task — and compounding the pressure is the fact that employees have so much effect on your shop’s success. Even just a few bad apples can undermine morale, make costly mistakes and be a real drag on your profitability. However, the great news is that there are good employees out there — it’s just a matter of knowing how to find them.

The Referral Route
For some companies, it’s enough to simply accept job applications from walk-ins. We composed my shop's job application by taking the best parts of four or five other applications we found on the Internet. We also have a section on our Web site that lets job-seekers know we’re always looking for skilled printers, embroiderers and other experienced decorators. We do not, however, accept online applications; interested parties are encouraged to call or e-mail for more details on the employment application process. Additionally, we’ve found that applications from walk-in candidates aren’t the best way to find good help.

The best option for finding good employees is to ask for referrals from people you trust. Ideally, your business has an informal “board of directors” — a group comprising members of your business circle, including your banker, accountant and attorney. If so, these board members represent a great avenue to begin your search for a new employee, whether you need an employee in payables and receivables, or shipping and receiving. If you tell these trusted business associates your hiring needs, they may refer you to some strong candidates.

You also should ask for candidates from your managers, businesspeople with whom you’ve networked in the past, community members, friends and even family. The fact that someone you know is recommending a candidate pre-qualifies that individual — at least to some extent — and it beats dealing with non-referred candidates about whom you know nothing.

Ads, The State and Agencies
Since 1974, I’ve place help-wanted ads in the local newspaper two times — neither of which resulted in me hiring anyone. Rather, they resulted in me wasting time talking to either unqualified candidates or to unemployed people who weren’t truly interested in the job, but were instead going through the motions of job interviews to meet the requirements of their unemployment compensation. I’m equally unenthusiastic about job placement sites (Monster.com, etc.), although perhaps you’ll find that they work well for you.

Be sure to check with your state's Department of Workforce Development office. If you don’t understand what that is, check out whomever you write the check to for unemployment benefits in you jurisdiction for more information.  In good and bad economic times, these agencies provide job placement services without charge to the employer to assist unemployed or under-employed individuals in their search for work.

We have used employment agencies with some success, especially for finding temporary help during peak season. The advantage these agencies offer is that they’ve done all of the pre-screening for you. Need an extra person to help in shipping? Just call the agency and they’ll have someone at your shop right away. Plus, the agency handles unemployment, social security and so on, making it painless to go this route for temporary help. True, you’re paying perhaps $13-$15 an hour for a $10-an-hour position, but it’s often worth it.

Agencies also offer temp-to-hire services, which allow you to hire an employee on a temporary basis and offer him a full-time gig if things go well. We’ve used such a service successfully, and if things hadn’t worked out with the placement, we could’ve just called the agency and asked for a replacement. Another big plus: Local and state governments have regulations about what you can and can’t do in terms of hiring and firing, which is something you don’t have to worry about, as much, when using an agency. They assume the responsibility of asking the right questions during the interview process. Make sure you understand the fees and timelines involved with conversion of a temp placement to a full-time employee.

The Interview Process
Once you’ve narrowed your search to a few strong candidates, it’s time to start the interview process (assuming you’re not going through a staffing agency). Our shop’s office manager or production manager does the first interview, where they outline the overall responsibilities, expectations, pay, benefits, scheduling and so on. They also ask the candidates some basic questions, such as can they read a tape measure and whether they have reliable transportation.

After the first round of interviews with the candidates, we determine who to bring in for a second interview, in which I generally participate, along with the manager. We spend time again reviewing our scheduling policies, ensuring the candidate understands the need for flexibility in work hours—something that’s actually a plus for many candidates. For instance, many younger workers — especially teens and college kids — appreciate the fact that they won’t work nights and weekends. We also pay more per hour than our competitors in this market for entry-level labor, which helps attract good help.

During our first and second rounds of interviews, we’re also frank about some of the less-than-optimum work conditions, such as the fact that it gets awfully hot in a production environment with no air conditioning in the summer. We discuss the training they’ll receive, such as haz-com training, etc., and what we offer that other manufacturing companies in our area can’t.

The Gut Check
Besides having reliable transportation, work-schedule flexibility and a tolerance for heat, employees also must be able to multi-task. Depending on their job function, they also may get dirty on a regular basis. We also look for employees with the right kind of attitude and work ethic. We’re in a rural area, so many of our job candidates are from an agricultural background, and they’ve spent some time figuring out how to make things work in less-than-perfect conditions. They’re not afraid to roll up their sleeves and solve a problem, no matter how challenging it is. That kind of attitude goes a long way in a small-shop production environment. 

Unfortunately, there’s really no great way to determine certain intangibles during an interview, like whether someone can multi-task or can handle ink without spreading it everywhere. Ultimately, part of hiring comes down to your gut feelings. If the person just doesn’t feel right for your shop, keep looking. If you’re on the fence, call the candidate’s references and see what they say about him.

Even if you follow every one of these suggestions, there’s obviously no guarantee that you’ll hire the perfect person every time. You can get a lot closer, though, to minimizing the likelihood of hiring a bad candidate and increasing the odds that you’ll hire someone who can help take your shop to the next level.

Following these suggestions has helped our shop make plenty of good hires, usually within just a three-week period, from deciding we need an employee to actually making a hiring decision. That’s great news for our shop’s success — because without good employees, we couldn’t be a success.

Greg Kitson is founder and president of Mind's Eye Graphics in Decatur Ind. For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Greg at greg@mindseyeg.com or visit mindseyeg.com.


Warning Signs
There are a few things that make the hiring process really easy — warning signs that should tell you: "Don't hire this person, period."

• If a candidate doesn't show up for the interview and wants to reschedule.

• If he complains about the heat or mess during your tour of the production area.

• If he doesn't seem to be listening while you're talking.


Greg gives more insight on best practices for your decorated apparel shop in his seminar, "10 Simple Rules for Running Your Business," to be presented at the Orlando and Atlantic City Imprinted Sportswear Shows. Individual seminars are just $25 if you pre-register: issshows.com.


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