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If you’re in the fortunate position that there is enough work for you and your staff because business is thriving, you may also find that you are constantly on the go, juggling calls, writing out bills, and rushing from one task to the next. You are only transitioning from work to sleep. No time for a social life or family.
If this is the case, you require more assistance; you need someone to ease your burden and aid in business growth. However, there are a lot of “what ifs” to consider when hiring a new employee.
What if I can’t find a worker with the necessary skills? What if I’m unable to support them over the long run? What if their job is below my expectations? What if they aren’t compatible with my team or I? What if they quit after I spent so much time and effort training them?
Australia is struggling with a tradesman shortage. You must take your time to make the appropriate hires because there are so few applications. A poor hire might cause your tradesman business to suffer greatly and incur significant costs.
You can use the advice in this article to hire the top craftspeople in your industry.
Craft a Clear Advertisement
Initially, specify the position you want your employee to have. Due to the tradie shortage, you may want every tradie who may see your ad to apply, but you also don’t want to waste your time on those who won’t fit with your company culture or who lack the specialized skills your tradie business requires.
Write a detailed job description and use creativity to set your ad apart from the rest of the generic ads on the market. Your job description should include the following key points:
- Make your advertisement sound appealing by using a catchy headline or precise job title.
- Make it about them rather than you touting the benefits of working for you.
- List the positive aspects while leaving out or downplaying the negative ones. Indicate whether you’re looking for a full-time employee, a part-time employee, a casual worker, or a subcontractor.
- If the salary is appealing and pays above the industry average, make sure you mention it.
- Include all the incentives you’re providing to attract candidates to your position, such as a company-provided vehicle, a new smartphone, no after-hours work, study leave, and bonuses.
- Give a brief description of your company and the qualities you look for in employees.
- Clearly state the amount of experience required (1st-year apprentice, final-year apprentice, fully qualified with how many years of experience)
- Describe the credentials and essential and desirable skills that they require. Remember that you need someone with diverse skills to bridge the gaps that you and your staff are unable to fill.
- Give an example of a typical workday. To keep candidates interested in wanting to work with you, make it exciting and fulfilling.
- Include the potential career paths this position could take within your company, such as how qualified, skilled employees could become managers or how you could guarantee apprentices a job once they complete their training.
- Marketing your services and advertising job openings are very similar. The objective is to “sell” the position and make it appealing.
Where can I Locate Competent Craftsmen?
Now that you are aware of the qualities you are looking for in a new tradesperson, it is time to begin your search. Before advertising the job, you have available on popular job sites, like Seek and Jora, you should think about these other options:
Making Inquiries
If you’re looking to hire someone, you might not even need to advertise. Start by asking your current team members and your tradesman colleagues if they know anyone who would be a good fit for this position. They might know a friend or an ex-coworker.
Ask your suppliers as well; they frequently are aware of neighbourhood tradespeople who are dissatisfied with their current employment.
Finding an employee who will work well for your company can be made easier by hiring someone who has been referred by a reliable source in your network.
Utilize or Train Your Existing Team
Perhaps a current employee could gain the necessary skills to fill the position. Alternately, give them more authority so you won’t have to worry about it. In addition to saving time spent interviewing new applicants and avoiding having to pay a second employee, this can foster a productive workplace where staff members can advance in their positions.
Work Locally
By placing your ad in neighbourhood newspapers or sports newsletters, you could find candidates who live or work nearby. Request that your trade supply store posts an advertisement.
To find out if any outstanding apprentices, students enrolled in pre-apprenticeship programs, or individuals fired during their apprenticeship are known to them, get in touch with local schools and TAFE instructors.
Go Social
You can find excellent employees, which could save you money and time without needing to go online. Consider posting free job postings on Indeed, LinkedIn groups, and Facebook community boards to promote your position.
Create a Shortlist
The time has come to sort through the job applications and pick out the good from the bad. Don’t allow a backlog of applications. When they arrive, take quick action with those who stand out. It will take time to find a tradesperson who possesses the ideal blend of expertise in their field and effective interpersonal skills.
When choosing who to hire, the following are some questions to take into account:
- Find out why they enjoy their profession and hire tradespeople who are enthusiastic and proud of their work. Eliminate those who only view their trade as a way to earn money.
- Determine their experience levels. Even fully qualified tradespeople might not be an expert in everything, so you must determine where they are at and whether they can fill in the gaps in your company.
- Determine their goals for the next five years, including whether they want to advance in your company, pursue further education, or commit to a longer stay.
- Candidates who have changed jobs frequently may not be willing to stay for very long, so find out why they left their previous position and why they want to work for you. However, do bear in mind that it’s possible that their prior jobs weren’t stimulating or motivating enough for them.
- Request justifications for hiring them: Look for initiative and confidence, as well as a belief that they will add value to your company and serve as an excellent role model for new hires.
- Examine their responses to hypothetical situations, such as how they would handle a challenging customer or go about correcting a mistake they made on a job.
While you’re here:
You may require business insurance if you operate a small business with workers or are a self-employed tradesperson.
However, trade insurance is available to any self-employed individual who works in a trade, such as a plumber, electrician, tiler, or builder.
Depending on your needs and those of your firm, a specialised business insurance policy for tradespeople can include various cover options.
You can customize a policy to the unique risks facing your company and add additional coverage levels and forms. You can purchase policies to protect you if you’re working alone or have a team of staff.
Apprentices
Due to Australia’s tradie shortage, you should think about training apprentices if you can’t find the right fully qualified tradie, especially if you already have a few qualified staff members who can serve as their mentors.
Even though there is a lot for apprentices to learn, many of them are enthusiastic and willing to work hard at any task to advance their skills, even the most boring and routine ones. It can even help your senior staff to concentrate on performing well in their current role. Apprentices trained in-house are more likely to stay with your business for a longer period than other recruits and are more committed to the business and its long-term goals, even though there is a chance they will leave after you invest your time in training them.
Check the Prospect’s History
As soon as you make a hiring decision, don’t forget to run a background check.
Speak with former employers, customers, and, if there are apprentices, their teachers. To determine whether their previous workplace and work quality meet your company standards, look them up on review websites.
How to Keep Employees Engaged and Motivated
It’s not just a matter of whether your new tradesperson will fit in with your company. Additionally, you must ensure that your company is a good fit for them. With so few qualified tradespeople in the market, retention is becoming even more crucial (more on that later).
Make delivering a positive work environment your first priority. Aim to create a place of work that is both physically and emotionally secure. Avoid criticizing your employees, especially in front of other co-workers. You want them to come forward if something goes wrong without being held accountable or penalized for it. Have an open-door policy so your employees know they can ask for assistance at any time. Be receptive to advice from your new employees as well—they can offer new perspectives on how other business owners run their tradie business.
To help them be better prepared to do the job correctly, give them good tools and ensure that jobs are scheduled properly with all the information and resources available. Encourage and validate them, and if it’s been a difficult or busy week, thank them. Recognize accomplishments and offer modest rewards, like an afternoon off or a small bonus.
What About the Objectives of Your New Hires?
Find out where they hope to be in 1, 3, or 5 years, then ask if your company can assist them in getting there. Employees who feel like they aren’t making progress in your company will lose motivation and perform poorly.
Establish definite goals and a strategy for achieving them. Analyse their progress frequently and assist them in overcoming any weaknesses. Offer opportunities for growth and promotion, such as managerial positions for experienced staff or jobs with greater responsibility and difficulty for junior staff.
When workers are aware of your investment in them, their loyalty grows. Why would they want to leave if you have their best interests at heart?
Still unsure whether your company is prepared to bring on a new tradesperson?
You should consider how hiring a new tradesperson will affect your bottom line before making the decision. Can you commit to working with a new employee year after year? You should allocate resources and money for their professional development, training, and motivational support in addition to providing them with a reliable income and benefits. All the while making sure your new hire contributes to the financial success of your company.
If you’re unsure whether adding a new tradesperson will be profitable for your company, get professional advice. Plan your hiring strategy with the help of a business coach or mentor to help you move your company’s growth forward.
