Hiring Employees / Contractors

[natrat]

I'm at the fun (!) stage of business growth where I have too much work for myself but not quite enough money in the bank to take on a full time employee. I've been using a freelance contractor to cover most of home/SOHO jobs we get but he isn't interested in doing the business stuff (and doesnt have the MS server skills), so I'm looking for one or two contractors who can handle server/SBS 2003/2008 in the small business environment (small business here is under 20 workstations) and hopefully at least one of those will be able to go permanent this year.

I put an ad on Seek (probably Australias largest online jobs website) and so far have had a dozen or so responses but a lot of those aren't suitable as some of them don't even live in the same state as me, and three are in a different country (!). The ad was extremely clear that it was a freelance/contractor role, no guranteed hours etc but people still apply from overseas and some not even including the requested cover letter. Still it means you can weed out the time wasters pretty fast.

Anyway I have 3 or 4 I am going to follow up with and just wondered if anyone had any pointers for things to check with them, ask them about, ways of finding out their real knowledge on a particular skill/platform/OS etc.

Also, one of the reasons people use me is that I get along with people very well, I don't come across like a techie, i can relate well and can explain things very easily. People trust me easily which is a major reason 95% of our business growth is word of mouth and we don't really advertise much yet. The ideal technician will have some of this ability as well, be friendly and able to relate to people and inspire confidence. Any suggestions as to how I might help determine what somebodys ability is in this area in a conversation, phone or face to face? Obviously i'll form my own impression when talking with them but a 30 minute interview often doesnt really tell you a lot about someone when they are on their best behaviour and have a good idea of the right things to say, especially when it comes to customer service.

And generally, any advice/things to do or avoid in this stage of recruitment?

And lastly (maybe i should post this in a different thread) does anyone know where I might find a standard/template employment contract relating to the IT industry, or contractors? Just a base I can ad my own terms/conditions into. I'll have one drawn up professionally when i take on permanent staff but cash flow is a bit tight for that right now.

cheers
nathan

[nattivillin]

Be careful. Most computer "techs" are quacks. They have studied the book, but cant put it into practice. Hire the wrong one, and it will create more problems than it solves. I read a book awhile ago that said hire slow and fire fast.

[natrat]

ta for the reply :) I guess not many forum users are employing staff, or don't want to give away their secrets :)

Anyway I've interviewed four so far and two are very promising. One guy I've trialled this week and sent him on half a dozen jobs or so and apart from a couple of minor things they all went very well, so he could stay on the books as long as he gets some new shorts and shoes :) Another guy i'll be sending on some jobs next week.

Have decided to get a proper contact drawn up by a lawyer client of mine also.

cheers
nathan

[smelvin]

No secrets here. We use students from the local university. They come to us on placement and we get to 'try before you buy'. We have found this a fantastic way to see how they will fit in with the team and our customers.
Once they are with us we try to get them on a few courses to broaden their skill set. Then I like to see where their interest lie and try and help their professional development.
The cynics amongst you will see it as cheap labour, and your right, but as long as you don't promise anything and are straight with them, I don't think its a problem.

Cheers
Scott

[nattivillin]

Students are a indeed a great resource. We just find them to be rough on the customer service aspect of it. Hard to find people who are good at both (guess they are gainfully employed already)

[natrat]

I would definately do this if i was looking for fulltime staff. My business is operated out of my home/garage still and as such i dont want full time staff working from there. I hope to move into premises inthe next 6 months. The contractors have been working well except my main one has just left, taking a full time job selling HIFI equipment (!). I guess i better get used to this.

[ctferndo]

I've accepted the fact that the service business is a continuous hire and fire cycle. We get people from all over, i.e., websites, schools, referrals, etc.
Another tip I learned is to hire first on attitude because skills can always be learned.

[nattivillin]

I second that. A teamwork, winning attitude goes a long way.

[Arcadia Computer, Inc.]

The longer we're in business the more we learn about hiring and firing and how we hope the next person we fire will be the last. I've learned good traits from watching my Father in a different industry but learned recently an amazing way to hire....

We always hire on Skill sets and then turn right around and fire the person due to their attitude or personality. I've completely stopped worring about what a person knows about computers (basics is a must) and focuesed 100% on their attitude, personality and friendliness.

We can all train folks quicker than we can change their personality... right? Since incorporating this I've hired two more and fired 0.

[drlogic]

My 2 cents:

- hire on attitude more than skill, but also realise that some people aren't as good at picking up new skills as others: most of us are in the service industry and people skills are crucial; issues are usually not 100% IT issue-related.
- use freelancers while you can't afford another full-time employee until the cost of the freelancer is greater
- use a lawyer for your legal documents; this doesn't have to be expensive
- have contracts for freelancers as well as full-time staff
- if you're having issues with an employee, or even if you're not, keep notes of meeting, appraisals, warnings etc. as you may need to refer back to these later
- be open and up front; if there are issues, raise them quickly and either put a plan in place to mentor them up or fire them quickly
- when you have a few people working with you and you put up with mediocrity it will lower morale for those who make an effort and have higher standards for themselves
- invest in your employees and they're more likely to invest in your company
- hire people who are better than you; you want to become dispensable, otherwise you'll get overwhelmed as your business grows

[nattivillin]

Anyone ever hire someone with a blemish on their record?

[dytechs]

We deal in the medical field so that record has to be pretty clean. Since we also provide vehicles that record better be clean too. We have discovered a five year turn around trend and are now about two techs shorts. Finding the right person is a real challenge. Most fall into two categories. First is just out of school and really wet behind the ears. This we are learning to deal with as we are looking at the possiblity of turning the employee into someone we need and want. Second is the overpriced tech. Those that are out of work and looking for new work but refuse to take a reduction in their expected salary. If you come to work for us you have to start at the bottom and prove yourself. This process generally takes 30-90 days. If you are turning the type of money that warrents a larger salary then it's not a problem to increase but if you are not turning the money then you need to adjust your work not expect us to adjust your salary.

First thing I look at when they walk in the door is what they are driving and how they look. Sure it sounds shallow but if you take care of your vehicle. No piles of trash in the seats or floors and it sounds like it is running in good condition. Then I really give the employee a good look over. They are comfortable in what they chose to wear to the interview and they are presentable then we might have a good fit. Believe me we hired a guy who was a complete mess in both areas. He proved to be extremely disorganized and an unkept dresser. These qualities are a big turn off to customers and employers.

Currently we have tried using Monster.com and a local site, craigslist and print ads for employees. We are now starting to work with a local college and will be trying out interns very soon. Hiring is the hard part. Firing is a breeze!