Wanted: New driver. Must be warmth and breathing – we will test your pulse!

Wanted: New driver. Must be warmth and breathing – we will test your pulse!

The first employee

It’s an exhilarating day when you cease to be a sole trader and actually employ someone. That first employee is a business goal, a business dream even; someone to share your working passions and help you enable the dream.

You know you need to get it right, that first employee can make or break your business and you are very aware you need to get this done correctly. Employment law can be a minefield. So you do your research. You work out a person specification for the ideal candidate and then you create a job specification. You can imagine the employee in your head, what they look like and what they do, and how they will perform.

Already you have the advantage over thousands of other businesses.

Often when a business realises they need their first employee their next step is to place an advert in the local shop window or local newspaper. Sometimes they will ask around for recommendations. Now none of this is wrong but it is in the wrong order.

When you set up your business you had a marketing plan, you knew the ideal customer, you talked to the ideal customer often and then you made a sale. It pretty much matched the plan. The excitement over an employee being taken on can throw the plan out of the window.

Hire for attitude, train the skills needed

In our courier business hire for attitude, train the skills needed has always been our mantra. We have met some terrific people but they have lacked the vital skill required in our business – a driver’s license. When you create a person specification you need to add the essential skills that the right person brings to the job. In our case it’s essential to be able to drive. The loss of a driver’s license is the loss of their job.  We think the right attitude is important; our industry is highly competitive and the right people will help grow our customer base but if they can’t drive? Then they can’t do the job. Warm, breathing, pulse just doesn’t cut it. You need a more detailed person specification.

Job specifications

The job spec itself can be tough to get right. You have a mix of skills that are vital and some that you desire. It can be easy to get the desires in before you get the “vitals” in. I know, I’ve done it myself. We had a lot of European jobs, so we employed a driver that spoke several languages. To me it was vital to have the languages. I became obsessed with them to the point that I hired an inexperienced driver who spoke 5 languages.

Inexperience can cost money

Not all the time, just some of the time. In my case my inexperience in employing a driver that spoke several languages meant that I made compromises that I couldn’t afford to and after pulling him from a ditch three times in his vehicle familiarity training, we decided to part company. For me, my inexperience cost me time and money. I should have planned my person spec’ and separated my vitals from my desires.The mistake was rectified quickly and the lesson learned. Can you imagine what would have been left of my business if I had unleashed them on my customers?

You need to meet more than one person

When interviewing, even if the first candidate is perfect you need to talk to more candidates. You need to ask around and you need to make sure you have a person/ job spec to compare them to. You need to double check, triple check you have the right person and then when you do you can offer them the job.

How did you employ your first person?

Sarah

PS if you are a recruiter and you are going to ring me up and offer your services, can you please check that I am actually recruiting. Because if you call me on my TPS registered line to say you have read this blog and can help me recruit drivers I will ask you questions. Starting with “Why do you think I have a vacancy” this will then be followed by half a dozen other very tough questions