Save Yourself A Headache: Improve Your Hiring Skills
My old buddy Bobby Rose doesn't have a problem finding experienced repair employees for his company. Rose is an AIDC (automatic identification and data collection)/POS (point of sale) VAR located in Jacksonville Beach, FL, the home of a naval base and many Navy retirees (see the article in the June 2006 issue of Business Solutions). Potential employees with years of experience walk or drive by his office every day. A 'Help Wanted' sign is all Rose needs. It's likely you don't have this kind of luck when it comes to boosting your ranks.
Especially for a smaller VAR or integrator, hiring a new employee can be a lengthy, stressful, and risky process. I've spoken with a lot of VARs and integrators over the years about their successes and failures concerning hiring practices. Some of the most useful points I've garnered include:- Don't rely on traditional job postings. You need to get out and network at trade shows and career fairs to meet potential job applicants.
- Take your time, and don't settle for just a warm body. This is one of the biggest mistakes VARs can make.
- Be thorough. Employ psychological testing, if possible, and check each person's references. And, don't make a decision after a single interview.
- Don't underestimate the value of an intern program or hiring new college graduates. Interns and new grads can be molded to your culture, and hiring an intern can decrease the learning curve.
A good example of the effectiveness of the latter point is Carousel Industries, a VAR profiled on page 28. Jeff Gardner, CEO at Carousel, targets recent college graduates with networking experience, rather than veterans with either data or voice telephony experience. He does so because his company is focused on convergence, or selling solutions that run voice and data on the same network. The strategy has paid off. In the last few years, he hired 25 recent graduates as inside sales reps, many of whom contributed to the integrator's 30% net new business sales revenue in 2006. Right away, the new employees had a positive impact, rather than being a profit drain for a year like many new employees.
It's Not Just About The Money
Of course, once you hire new employees, the 'recruiting' shouldn't stop there. Paying a good wage these days isn't going to ensure a low turnover rate. Your company's culture plays a big role in job satisfaction. I don't mean you need a headquarters full of beanbag chairs and foosball tables. You just need to create a work environment that employees can be — dare I say — excited to come to work to each day. Also, be open with your staff about operational issues and business challenges. Develop a formalized training program with attainable, but challenging, milestones so newly hired staff members don't view the company as unorganized or nonsupportive. Furthermore, shelling out kudos for small accomplishments can go far in boosting morale. For instance, on page 34 is an article about POS VAR Illinois Wholesale Cash Register (IWCR). At IWCR, when the staff has to work late or finish a complicated, lengthy project, they are treated to complimentary pizza. Each month they also have 'Fiesta Fridays' with free tacos and burritos, and in the summer months the company hosts barbeques. Sure, you need to offer competitive salaries and basic benefits like a 401k and health/dental insurance, but small perks like free food on Fridays can help keep some employees from searching for work elsewhere. And that can prevent you from hanging up that 'Help Wanted' sign.