Scott Stone
New member
Went through another round of job interviews yesterday. We have a multi tiered approach to new hires, and I guess some people just don't get it.
The first step is they need to respond to a Craigslist ad. They are asked to respond to a specific set of instructions, that most employers have, to see if they can follow instructions. It helps us weed out the Hair dressers and the care givers that don't want to deal with people anymore, and we get a feel for what they have done in the past.
We then send them an internet interview. That is always interesting, because if we send a response to the Craigslist inquiry, there is about a 50-50 shot that they will be hired, if they respond to the internet interview. It is amazing how many people don't want to jump that hoop.
After that they are called in for a two part interview. They interview with my wife, and she talks with them at length. Finds out about them, about where they come from, etc. Trying to get a feel where they are at. It is amazing to me how many people discount her, because they do not realize that when she says she owns the company, that she really does own the company. She then introduces me, and I give them a road test and pressure wash test. For the road test, I make sure the guy can drive the truck, without scaring me. I also do a pressure wash test to make sure that they can follow instructions. I am looking for someone that can listen, and do what I tell them to do, in order to make sure we put as good a product out there as we can. If they can't follow my instructions, and make needed corrections, then they get washed out.
So, back the reason for this post. Yesterday we interviewed someone who claimed to have powerwashing experience. I did the physical portion of the test first, because my wife was a little late coming in. The first guy was a little older, and actually had a leg up, because we like the older guys because they tend to be more reliable. Just our preference. This guy I rode with, and he was marginal on the driving. I chalked it up to being nervous, because it sometimes happens. No big deal. I gave him a pressure test and had him clean some concrete. The first time, he did a splash and dash rinse thing. I said that was not what our expectation was, and showed him exactly how I want it done, and the appearance I expect to achieve. He tried again, I asked him at the end if that was as good as he could do, and he said yes. There was striping all over the place, and it just did not look good. He could not see the lines. That is a bad thing. I went ahead and let him interview with my wife, and he talked her into letting him have another chance. He did better, but I feel like that was not the consistent effort that he was going to give me, and honestly, out of the three that we interviewed for two positions, he was the worst one.
This morning I came in, and he was cussing me out on the phone for not hiring him. Talk about a FAIL!!!
It isn't the first time, last time, I did not hire a guy because on our little road test, he got flipped off three times in about three miles. How in the world do you drive that bad. He also was chewing a qtip the whole time during all the stages of the interview.
Another time, about halfway into the road test, a guy asked me if the road test was part of the interview. I explained that everything was a part of the interview from the time he walked into the gate. He actually got hired, because his physical tests were not bad.
Oh the stories from interviews that I could give you...
The first step is they need to respond to a Craigslist ad. They are asked to respond to a specific set of instructions, that most employers have, to see if they can follow instructions. It helps us weed out the Hair dressers and the care givers that don't want to deal with people anymore, and we get a feel for what they have done in the past.
We then send them an internet interview. That is always interesting, because if we send a response to the Craigslist inquiry, there is about a 50-50 shot that they will be hired, if they respond to the internet interview. It is amazing how many people don't want to jump that hoop.
After that they are called in for a two part interview. They interview with my wife, and she talks with them at length. Finds out about them, about where they come from, etc. Trying to get a feel where they are at. It is amazing to me how many people discount her, because they do not realize that when she says she owns the company, that she really does own the company. She then introduces me, and I give them a road test and pressure wash test. For the road test, I make sure the guy can drive the truck, without scaring me. I also do a pressure wash test to make sure that they can follow instructions. I am looking for someone that can listen, and do what I tell them to do, in order to make sure we put as good a product out there as we can. If they can't follow my instructions, and make needed corrections, then they get washed out.
So, back the reason for this post. Yesterday we interviewed someone who claimed to have powerwashing experience. I did the physical portion of the test first, because my wife was a little late coming in. The first guy was a little older, and actually had a leg up, because we like the older guys because they tend to be more reliable. Just our preference. This guy I rode with, and he was marginal on the driving. I chalked it up to being nervous, because it sometimes happens. No big deal. I gave him a pressure test and had him clean some concrete. The first time, he did a splash and dash rinse thing. I said that was not what our expectation was, and showed him exactly how I want it done, and the appearance I expect to achieve. He tried again, I asked him at the end if that was as good as he could do, and he said yes. There was striping all over the place, and it just did not look good. He could not see the lines. That is a bad thing. I went ahead and let him interview with my wife, and he talked her into letting him have another chance. He did better, but I feel like that was not the consistent effort that he was going to give me, and honestly, out of the three that we interviewed for two positions, he was the worst one.
This morning I came in, and he was cussing me out on the phone for not hiring him. Talk about a FAIL!!!
It isn't the first time, last time, I did not hire a guy because on our little road test, he got flipped off three times in about three miles. How in the world do you drive that bad. He also was chewing a qtip the whole time during all the stages of the interview.
Another time, about halfway into the road test, a guy asked me if the road test was part of the interview. I explained that everything was a part of the interview from the time he walked into the gate. He actually got hired, because his physical tests were not bad.
Oh the stories from interviews that I could give you...
