Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: g.brookes on December 11, 2018, 07:19:59 pm

Title: Employee searching
Post by: g.brookes on December 11, 2018, 07:19:59 pm
How do. Unfortunately my friend who works with me will be leaving in the new year so will need to take someone on. I don't know any friends/family that want it so will need to advertise.
Where would you recommend to advertise?
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: dazmond on December 11, 2018, 07:42:25 pm
How do. Unfortunately my friend who works with me will be leaving in the new year so will need to take someone on. I don't know any friends/family that want it so will need to advertise.
Where would you recommend to advertise?

job centre?
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: P @ F on December 11, 2018, 07:45:50 pm
Good luck !
Try Poland , I could never find a Brit that wanted to sweat a bit  ;D
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Soupy on December 11, 2018, 07:51:27 pm
Go see your local job centre or business gateway.

Often there's free money for hiring people.
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: g.brookes on December 11, 2018, 08:08:25 pm
Thanks chaps. I was unsure about jobcentre cos I was worried you might get inundated with replies from people who don't really want the job. Will have a think
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: P @ F on December 11, 2018, 08:39:38 pm
Go see your local job centre or business gateway.

Often there's free money for hiring people.

I got this when I first hired , they gave me £500 to set him up and another £500 if he got to 6 months , he was feckin useless really , but he did manage to keep the job for 6 months and 1 day  ;D ;D ;D , Weird  that  ;)
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Matt. on December 11, 2018, 08:59:26 pm
Thanks chaps. I was unsure about jobcentre cos I was worried you might get inundated with replies from people who don't really want the job. Will have a think

The above will happen, Every man and his dog will apply u will sit there working out who u want to try first only to find out that majority don't want a job and those that do can't clean windows. I have job adverts on job centre and indeed, indeed is much better but u will still get the idiots who only apply to keep job centre off there back.

Good luck
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Soupy on December 11, 2018, 09:02:31 pm
Good tip:

Only interview at 8am or earlier. Sorts the wheat from the chaff, sharpish.
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: P @ F on December 11, 2018, 09:24:45 pm
Good tip:

Only interview at 8am or earlier. Sorts the wheat from the chaff, sharpish.

I like that very much , simple and sorted , 3 of my 5  would not have even had a first day !
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Stoots on December 11, 2018, 09:37:31 pm
Facebook

Because you can discriminate easily by looking at their pics and profile to get a good idea.

You shouldn't do that by the way it's illegal  ;)

Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Smudger on December 11, 2018, 09:57:52 pm
Job centre and indeed -  make it clear you want a CV and covering letter by email first - anyone who can't manage that isn't worth the time interviewing

Darran
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: g.brookes on December 12, 2018, 03:42:02 pm
8am interview, I like it.
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Plankton on December 12, 2018, 05:25:09 pm
Someone said to me before that I should check the local TA centre for folks coming out of the army. Don't know what his line of work is but he said it worked out for him as they're well prepped for taking orders and found them to get on with the job without any hassle.
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Kev Martin on December 13, 2018, 09:01:25 am
I agree with Darran, CV and a covering letter.  My last attempt to employ ended up with a tranche of 875 applications.  I now pass them straight to a friend of mine who I pay to sort.  After  sifting he reduced that lot to a shortlist of 53.  We went through those together and came up with a list of 17 to potentially interview.  A quick telephone call to most of them reduced that list to 9.  Booked interviews with them.  Only 7 turned up.  Cut that 7 down to 3 possibles.  I would have employed or trialled all 3 but when it came down to it 2 of the last 3 had hidden agendas and I ended up employing 1.  That process took about a month and after it I felt totally exhausted.   I am going to take on Soups idea on the next lot and do the interviews early morning.

The ex military idea is a good one as well.  Another fact of my last lot of applications was that over 300 of them were graduates.
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Smudger on December 13, 2018, 11:09:36 am
Holy cow 873!!!!


Our best was 30 applications 🤪
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Matt. on December 13, 2018, 10:46:28 pm
I don't keep track of numbers but I get a hell of a lot, tbh I have game up a while back of hoping to get good staff through it, now with all new applicants if they apply and pass the experience, driving license cv, I will phone them up and ask them on a scale of 1-10'how good do they rate there standards of work ( now every lemon just says 10 ) so I will say come out and show me..... Am thinking if they that good they can start straight away 😂
Most don't turn up, and those that do normally say well AV cleaned me mums house for years 🙈
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Kev Martin on December 14, 2018, 01:15:29 am
Holy cow 873!!!!


Our best was 30 applications 🤪

Darran

The problem is that around 800 of those need not have applied.  This would have saved a lot of people a lot of time.  If I go down the route of employing more stone restoration trainees I would expect to get at least a 1000 + applications.  However, one  of my Traders just spent the last 2 years and invested over £40K in training alone on two new guys, that doesn’t even cover wages, new van etc.  He spent 2 years training them.  Then he spent a lot of money with me for brand new dedicated equipment and bought a new van.  2 weeks later they left and set up on their own!  Now I wonder if I actually want to go through it again?  We have more work than ever, there is serious demand for trained people in floor grinding and polishing.  We have the facilities, the machinery and the necessary skills to teach new people!  Sadly most have no idea of what is involved and what a wonderful opportunity it is!  Perhaps franchising is the answer??
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: g.brookes on December 16, 2018, 10:07:27 am
Don't give me the horror stories, I can't handle it haha
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Plankton on December 16, 2018, 10:29:18 am
I had someone go missing and turned out the van was in the pound and he was lifted. Got the van back and found burnt tin foil and then a bottle of methadone in a backpack. Been posted on here few years back and it put me off taking someone on since but I need to take someone on next month so better next time eh.
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Kev Martin on December 16, 2018, 06:08:25 pm
Don't give me the horror stories, I can't handle it haha

All said I also think there is a lot of luck in it as well. 

When I moved to my new premises last year, the people leaving asked me if I would consider taking on their warehouse manager as they had made him redundant anyway.  They sang his praises so high I thought sod it, let’s at least try him!  He was older than anyone I had ever considered before but I  interviewed him, liked him  and told him categorically I would take him on a 3 month trial.  It turned out to be one of the best decisions I made.  So maybe it might pay to consider older applicants.
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: duncan h on December 16, 2018, 06:11:31 pm
A business man I know used to make them do a half day free trial. He got loads of them.  Some from banners. Some from job centre
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: SB Cleaning on December 16, 2018, 08:59:11 pm
Stay on your own!

Employing is hassle not worth it imo..

Keep all the best work...sell the rest :)
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: Plankton on December 22, 2018, 10:37:45 am
Facebook

Because you can discriminate easily by looking at their pics and profile to get a good idea.

You shouldn't do that by the way it's illegal  ;)
Posted a job on fb yesterday, so looking to the right of their replies you can just click to view their profile.  Don't see anything wrong in that. Until you see the bottle of Buckfast in the profile pic!
Title: Re: Employee searching
Post by: simon w on December 22, 2018, 08:11:19 pm
It's getting expensive to advertise vacancies now. All the free sites worth putting job ads on now charge. Indeed, Gumtree, Tradeit etc. Was a time when you'd put an ad on gumtree and a few hours later you'd have a couple of dozen eastern europeans fighting for the position.