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Due to sustained growth and a recent explosion in our work load, we are in desperate need of two new people. An installer/fabricator and a person to handle the computer design and vinyl operation while I concentrate on the burgeoning architectural, screen printing and electrical sign divisions. The customer service, estimating and clerical tasks are already handled by very competent staff, and we've recently hired an outside sales person. I'm looking for ideas on how to find good people. How do you find 'em. Newspaper? Staffing Services? Word of mouth? Head hunting? Maybe you have some interviewing tips, or questions to include on the application form. I don't have time to do much training, so they need lots of shop experience. As a note, there are about 170 other signshops in our city of about 600,000 people, and the economy is booming. Cheers,
------------------ Duncan Wilkie aka signdogwww.commercialsigns.com Edmonton, Alberta Home of the 2001 World Athletic Championships
My brother in law has been working for a high rise sign shop for years. He designs, he welds, he fabricates, he runs the crane he runs the shop, he runs the router and the digital printer, puts up the neon....he does the whole deal.
Because this is the internet I can't tell you how bad the person he works for is! But I can tell you the only reason that he keeps working for the guy is the insurance benefits. He takes a lot of abuse for the his high skill level return and ability to do everything, even sign painting.
If I were you, I would look around in other shops for a person who has this level of skill and is treated like horse manure and offer them a good deal.
------------------ Go Get 'Em..... :) AKA Raptorman on #Letterheads mIRC Chat Draper The Signmaker Bloomington Illinois USA
Proud 2-yr. $upporter of this Web Site (May 1999-May 2001)
Posts: 2883 | From: Bloomington Illinois USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Finding competent, dependable employees has always been a problem in this, or most any other, business. They're sort of "wherever you find them". The art student at the local community college might make a good designer. The kid that works in the gas station and builds hot-rods as a hobby might make an excellent fabricator/installer.
Something a lot of shops overlook, is hiring someone who has retired from the trade, but might still like to work a couple of days a week. In your situation, where you don't have the time to train new employees yourself, an old timer like this would be a tremendous asset in training new help.
I have a friend with a silk screen shop that hired an 80-year-old gentlemen to work part time. Some of you old timers here on the left coast may well remember Gordon Fish. At that time, he had over 60 years experience in the trade, and there wasn't much he didn't know about making signs.
Gordon has passed on now, but in the time he worked at my friend's shop, he was able to pass on a virtual fortune in knowledge that might otherwise have been lost forever.
More important than anything however, is keeping good employees once you have found them. Since you already have a staff of reliable employees, it appears you have this part down pat. I've heard shop owners complain about how hard it is to keep good help, yet when you see what they are paying their employees and the conditions they are expected to work under, you can see why someone with anything on the ball doesn't stick around very long.
------------------ Jerry Mathel Jerry Mathel Signs Grants Pass, Oregon signs@grantspass.com
Posts: 916 | From: Grants Pass, OR USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Pay good wages,have sufficient benifits,treat your people well.Word will get around(the greatest grapevine I've ever been on...even before the net).
The best part of what I have said here is whe you get a "bad one" you know you've done your part and cutting them loose is easy...soon you will be known as both fair and competent,(you probably are already).
It takes some time but it's worth it in the long run (of course surviving this time span is the real trick isn't it).Good luck, just to question this means you are on the right track.
------------------ Monte Jumper SIGNLanguage/Norman.Okla.
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Maybe some of the trade magazines would be worth advertising in, when I was in Orlando looking to move to the coast, I saw an ad in Signcraft Magazine for help needed in Naples, Fl. I moved here in '87. The local newspaper, for local people that are looking for a new opportunity.
------------------ Robert Thomas Creative Signs In Beautiful Naples, Fl.
Posts: 965 | From: Bonita Springs, Florida USA | Registered: Feb 2000
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My GOD 170 shops I live in Augusta,Ga pop.500,000 including the surrounding counties it's an 1 1/2 hrs from Atlanta & we only have 37 in the phone book.My GOD I think I would cry if we had 170 sign shops in town.Hell you need to move here we have plenty room for another shop.I'm lucky enough to ahve the best location in town,I'm on the corner at a redlight on a six lane highway directly between Fort Gordon & Down Town Augusta(Army Siginal School)for the entire US Army All the other sign shops have terrible locations you have to search for them but their lease isn't as high as mine but the traffic more than makes uo for that.I have aprox. 100,000 cars a day pass by my shop & its perfect for a sign shop it used to be a Shell Full Service gas station its ver large with 3 drive in bays & a hugh lot.Well anyway come on down theres plenty room
------------------ Ronnie Conrad Augusta,Ga 706-793-3838 RonniesTintSigns@aol.com
I remember at both the colleges I went to there were postings on the walls in the commons areas, just huge long lists of jobs and career opportunities available to students. That's how I landed my first "career-aimed" job. You might want to contact local colleges and see about posting with them.
You could post with local newspapers, or even check out websites like Monster.com and other online resume' sites.
Just make sure whoever you interview, they bring in samples/photos and be sure to ask them how long each one took. A great layout isnt worth anything if it took 'em a solid 40 hour week to do it. =)
Better yet, put 'em to work for a few days. There's nothing like a trial run to find out if they're gonna be worth it. You could pay them for their time, but at a lower rate until you decide if they're gonna work out. After you find the one you like, bump up their wages a bit and put 'em on a 60 Day probation. If they get through the probation period chances are yer gonna keep em as long as they want the job or til they screw up big-time. =)
When I worked at an engineering firm, I wrote an exam that we used for hiring AutoCAD draftsmen. It was a short exam containing 20 questions and five exercises using the software.
Being an AutoCAD instructor, I made it super-tough. Anyone that got at least five of the questions right was a potential hire and all other applicants were eliminated. Anyone that didnt get 5 questions right had no chance with the computer exercises so they werent even given the exercises.
The trial/probation setup works pretty well. One thing I've noticed with new hires is it takes 'em a few days to find their "groove" and adjust to a new surrounding and co-workers, in the meantime they're a nervous wreck.. =) Trial/probation gets them into work so they can earn some money, yet it gives you an easy way out because they understand you can pull the plug any time although you'll give them a fair chance.
------------------ Mike Pipes Digital Illusion Custom Graphics Lake Havasu City, AZ http://www.stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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The flip side of this coin is how does a good sign person get a decent job? Man, I've worked for 36 different outfits and it's very discouraging working for somebody that owns a shop only because nobody would hire them. I'm working for myself primarally (sp?) because I'm tired of being treated like manure, running the shop, and getting the smelly end of the stick. I'm still looking, but time is running out...
------------------ "If it isn't fun, why do it?" Signmike@aol.com Mike Languein Doctor of Letters BS, MS, PhD ___________________
You know what BS is, MS is More of the Same, and it's Piled Higher and Deeper here
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