Hiring the Right Employee
April 28, 2010
Brian Leech believes that hiring is the most important part of running a successful business. Service Legends of Des Moines, Iowa receives about 100 applicants each month. For every 113 candidates that apply, the company hires one.
“A good chunk of them are weeding themselves out. This way I don’t feel like a dictator telling people they don’t fit the team,” Leech said. “I am explaining what it takes to be on the team and they are deciding if they can make the cut. We see 30 people a week, so that is 120 a month and almost 1,500 a year. Those are all potential clients, too. I don’t want to potentially offend or have them think that I don’t think they are good enough for the team. I want them to realize that.” And he adds: “We can’t be telling people we don’t think they are good enough for our team, but we would like you to hire us to do your service work.”
Here is the process Leech has implemented based on his own research, plus a lot of help from AirTime 500:
• Service Legends posts online recruitment ads for multiple positions. Once job seekers e-mail resumes, the company responds by telling them to go to the Service Legends website and apply for the position. After they complete an online application they are given instructions to take an online assessment that matches the position they are seeking.
• Once a week they call in 30 of the applicants. First there is a group introduction where the company introduces a few of their team members and the applicants introduce themselves and say what they are looking for in a position. Leech uses that to determine their communication ability. He then tells the company story and explains what it takes to be a Service Legend. During this time an existing team member sits amongst the recruits so he or she can listen to the dialogue among the candidates during down time. This helps Leech identify who are the good communicators and leaders.
“At that point, I tell everyone we are taking a five minute break before the individual interviews and anyone who thinks they do not have what it takes to be a Service Legend can please excuse themselves from the interview process,” said Leech. “We let them know we are going to drug test them today. Also that we will be performing a nationwide background check and that they need a clean driving record. We also state they need to be clean-cut with no facial hair or visible tattoos. We let them know the expectations. We will lose several people before we even go into the interviews.”
Service Legends conducts multiple team members in the actual interview. In each session, someone is asking questions and two other team members are critiquing the candidates. They also use a red light/green light process. Applicants need a green light to continue through each interview. In the interview process there are four to five green lights that each candidate needs to pass to be allowed to continue in the application process. The initial interview is about 15 minutes.
“We believe if everyone is in agreement that the person is going to be successful on the team, then they are going to get a lot more support from their team members,” said Leech.
• There is then a second interview. The assessments are pulled to make sure again that the applicant is suitable. At this point there are reference checks including two work-related references. The private interview lasts about an hour and a half and goes into deep discovery about the applicant. A panel of two to three individuals is included and a green light is needed from all those people.
• Finally there is an additional strength/non-strength assessment so they can decide who has the most chance for success. A second drug test is performed along with a physical. Once the candidate is given the final green light, the company will bring them back in for an offer and ask them to bring their spouse, so Leech can explain what the expectations are for both the team member and the spouse. “This ensures that we get the support from home,” he said.
