To All Entrepreneurs and Proprietors: Help Needed!

amother

Oak

Sat, May 02 2015, 11:46 pm

I need your assistance!! I own a shop in NY and was wondering where / how you hire reliable and personable employees. I'm having such a difficult time finding employees that actually last! My line of business requires a lot of training and so when I hire I know I'm in for an exhausting ordeal.. problem arises when they either don't work out or simply don't show up to work after a short while. My experience was that the European immigrants pick it up faster, are more committing, and I like their personality. However, many times they need to return to their home country and don't come back, or they just relocate to a different city.

I tried hiring through Craigslist, but didnt have good experiences from there at all. I mainly hire from local agencies but am getting really frustrated always looking for employees...

BTW, the employees we do have are a wonderful asset to our shop and love working for us.

Any suggestions where I can turn??

TIA!

Jeanette

Sun, May 03 2015, 12:34 am

Do you pay your employees well? What are working conditions like? If they work overtime do they get paid for it?

If you're having trouble with high turnover then you need to look at what you're offering them. If they can do better elsewhere why would they stay with you?

amother

Oak

Sun, May 03 2015, 1:07 am

The issue isn't the treatment or Pay. We pay them well, no overtime necessary, and the atmosphere is wonderful.
It's rather where do I turn when I need to hire? Craigslist is exhausting and unreliable, and the local agency we normally use isn't finding us somebody decent This time.

FranticFrummie

Sun, May 03 2015, 1:15 am

There are some sites like Monster.com that do job listings.

You could just put up a help wanted sign in your window, if you haven't already.

As for work ethic, the most recent immigrants usually do best. Some of the hardest workers I've ever met were first generation Ethiopian and Jamaican. Puerto Ricans also have an very strong work ethic.

*ducks before someone yells about racism*

Yes, those are stereotypes! I know that. I'm saying generally speaking, not saying everyone is exactly the same way. ChillPill

MagentaYenta

Sun, May 03 2015, 1:17 am

What kind of skill sets are you looking for? Computers? Accounting? Problem solving? Cold calling? It's hard to suggest any resources without knowing what skills are needed?

amother

Oak

Sun, May 03 2015, 1:38 am

Salesgirl / saleswoman
I look for sweet personable girls that will treat our customers respectfully and also need to be efficient enough around the store to keep it neat and tidy.

Fox

Sun, May 03 2015, 1:57 am

Try placing a job listing with a couple of nearby colleges. Career services centers deal not just with long-term employment for graduates, but also part-time and even full-time jobs for students -- a lot of today's students attend school in the evening and on weekends, making them available for various shifts during the week.

If you really want to maintain a good supply of talent, develop relationships with a few instructors, preferably in business or a related field, at local colleges. Ask them to identify potentially talented and hard-working students on an ongoing basis. Stay in touch with them each semester, letting them know your hiring plans, etc.

You can do the same at community centers. Get to know the people who run things, communicate with them, develop a sense of whose has good judgment in recommending candidates.

Hopefully, you'll never have to place an ad again!

amother

Blonde

Sun, May 03 2015, 2:00 am

This can be difficult. While I dont have suggestions where/how to locate people, I've found initial small project tests to be somewhat of an indicator of future success. For example, asking someone to contact me at a certain time. And I've learned that I cannot be more interested in having someone work with me than they are interested in doing so.

amother

Copper

Mon, May 04 2015, 12:38 am

friend bringing a friend. If you have any employees right now, ask them if they have friends looking for work. Or if a worker tells you they are leaving (and you're happy with them), ask if they can recommend anyone.

good luck