Recruiting Is like a Blind Date - Transmission Digest

Recruiting Is like a Blind Date

Like going on a blind date, you never know what you are going to end up with in recruiting. We are all going on more blind dates than we would like nowadays. Unfortunately, recruiting is a game with no defined rules. A lot of promises are made and not kept in this game, and that leads to an unacceptable turnover rate that is hurting our industry. It is a stressful, frustrating and emotional roller-coaster ride that will eventually test every emotion you have. Let's take a look at the situation and see whether we can do something to make things easier for the shop owner and the employees.

Recruiting Is like a Blind Date

A. Little Help

Author: Art Little
Subject Matter: Management
Issue: Recruiting

A. Little Help

  • Author: Art Little
  • Subject Matter: Management
  • Issue: Recruiting

Like going on a blind date, you never know what you are going to end up with in recruiting. We are all going on more blind dates than we would like nowadays.

Unfortunately, recruiting is a game with no defined rules. A lot of promises are made and not kept in this game, and that leads to an unacceptable turnover rate that is hurting our industry. It is a stressful, frustrating and emotional roller-coaster ride that will eventually test every emotion you have. Let’s take a look at the situation and see whether we can do something to make things easier for the shop owner and the employees.

It’s human nature that people play games with each other. You plan your business around an employee keeping his word and showing up when he says he will, and many times you are disappointed. Your feelings get hurt. You feel as if you have been duped. You wonder whether you should call the employee. Will you lose your pride if you call him? You worry that something has happened to him.

You fear that if you do not recruit someone soon, your other employees will leave. You get mad. Maybe you should just fire everyone and start over. You wonder whether it’s something about your shop that is not allowing you to retain employees. Then, self-doubt starts to creep in. Is it me? Am I the problem? Should I just sell the shop? You start to feel sorry for yourself: “No one understands what I am going through here. Maybe everyone would be better off without me.” See what I mean? Recruiting can turn a grown man into an emotional basket case if you let it.

It is no different for the employee seeking a job. Your emotions run the gambit, too, when you are looking for a job – especially if you don’t have one. It seems that if you need a job, you can’t find one. On the other hand, if you have a good job, people won’t let you alone. New opportunities come in left and right.

If you don’t have a job, you worry about your family and the lost income. You have to look them in the face every day and tell them everything is going to work out. It hurts your pride to watch your wife worry about how to make ends meet. You get mad at the last shop owner you worked for. You start to doubt yourself. You feel betrayed. You wonder whether you should even stay in the transmission business. Do you swallow your pride and call the last shop owner and try to work things out? How will that make me look to my fellow employees if I go back now? Do I take the first job that comes along or wait for the right opportunity? It drives you crazy when you don’t have a job and the pressure is on to find one.

If you have a good job and an offer comes along, do you just say no without investigating the offer? What if it is the opportunity of a lifetime and you pass it up? Your greed level starts to kick in. You would wonder about that the rest of your life, especially if you turned it down and then lost your present job. However, if you listen to the offers, you feel guilty for considering leaving a shop owner who has been loyal to you and has treated you fairly and respectfully. Stupid if you don’t, guilty if you do – you can’t win. And the roller-coaster ride continues.

Bargaining leverage is another factor that adds to the stress. If you have a job, you are in a better position to bargain than if you do not. If you have a builder and are looking to replace him, you have a stronger bargaining position than if you didn’t have a builder. On the employee side, you are less likely to get what you want if you are unemployed. You will likely take less than what you are worth just to get some money coming in. On the shop owner’s side, more than likely you end up paying more than what the employee is worth, or hiring an unqualified employee, just to get some production going. Decisions made when you are in a poor bargaining position usually end up a disaster for both the employee and the shop owner. Then, you are both back to square one.

This recruiting game is an emotional roller coaster for us all regardless of which side of the fence you are on. It doesn’t make any sense. If finding a job or finding employees is such an emotional drain, why do we do it to ourselves? Why put ourselves through it? The more-important question to answer is, “What can be done to reduce turnover?”

First, I think we all need to understand we are playing a game with no set rules, no guarantees, no referees, no order. The industry as a whole is the loser in this game and we are the individual losers. With the shortage of qualified employees in our industry, we cannot afford for any employee to be unemployed for even a day. That being said, here for your consideration are 10 rules of the game, in a game with no rules.

1. Detailed long-term plan

Shop owners and employees should write out a well-thought-out career path or recruiting plan. There is an old saying, “You don’t know where you are if you don’t know where you are going.” Write down what you want and what you are willing to do to get it. Then, honestly evaluate where you are now and figure out the best way to get there.

2. Communication

Communication is critical during the recruiting process. It is important to understand what you are getting yourself into before you hire an employee or go to work for a shop owner. Make sure each of you knows what your responsibilities are and what is going to be required. No detail is too small. It is advisable to put the agreement in writing. Once a deal is made, continue to communicate in an effort to make it work for both of you.

3. Commitment

Once all the details are worked out, make a long-term commitment to make it work. If you can’t do that, don’t do it at all. It will waste the valuable time you have to accomplish your detailed long-term plan. Once you make the commitment, the problems you will experience are easier to take because you know it is a short-term problem in a long-term plan. Communicate and work it out when possible instead of giving up and starting over.

4. Respect

If you tell an employee you are going to call him back, do it. If you tell a shop owner you are going to start work for him on Monday, do it. At the very least, if you change your mind call him and let him know immediately. Respect the fact that the shop owner has a position to fill and the employee has a family to take care of. Respect each other’s time, because time is not on your side if you are recruiting or looking for a job.

5. Greed

Greed is the No. 1 reason for turnover, in my opinion. I have seen people do things when they get greedy that are just plain ignorant. Shop owners promise the moon knowing that they are not going to be able to keep their promise. The employee believes it because his greed wants him to. He quits a perfectly good job and goes to work for the new owner for more money. A month later the owner fires him because he has found someone to replace him for less money. It happens all the time. If a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is.

An employee demanding a ridiculous salary is another form of greed that creates turnover. He knows the shop owner is in a bind and takes advantage of the situation. The shop owner agrees to the pay, hoping the employee can produce enough work to merit the salary. Many times the employee cannot produce and the shop owner has no choice but to let him go and find another employee. Keep your greed in check and be reasonable with each other.

6. Honesty

Don’t lie to each other. It wastes time and makes it tough on both of you. One lie leads to another and then another. It only creates problems in the future that will create the need to go on another blind date.

7. Compromise

Listen to each other and be understanding of the other’s feelings. Be willing to give on one issue so you can take on another. Try to be reasonable in your demands and not become a dictator. Strive to be fair with each other.

8. Pride

Don’t let your pride get in the way of making sound decisions. You may have to settle for less or do something you don’t want to do to move forward to a better day. Know when to let your pride go so you can achieve your long-term goals.

9. Patience

Take the time to evaluate everything before you make a decision. Hiring a new employee or going to work in a new shop is a big decision. Make sure this employee is what you want. Consider how he will fit in with the existing employees. Is this shop owner someone you want to work with for a long time? Is there a good chance that this shop will give you the avenue you need to accomplish your detailed career plan? Are you going to be able to work with the team already in place? Make sure you are making the right decision by taking the time necessary to work out the details so you can be comfortable with the agreement before you make a commitment.

10. Reputation

Protect your reputation. It is a big factor in this game. If you are a shop owner who has the reputation of being fair and honest with your employees, you have an advantage over a competitor who is not if you both are trying to hire the same employee. If you are an employee with a good reputation it will help you get what you deserve when you are interviewing for a job that will move your plan forward.

I know there are many other things to consider in the recruiting game, but I hope you find these 10 suggested rules helpful. Remember, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Sometimes it is better to slow down and try to work out whatever problems you are having with each other before deciding to break up, because the next blind date could be your worst nightmare waiting to happen.

Art Little is the founder of TransTeam. Visit www.TransTeam.com or call Art at 888-859-0994 for more information.

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