Why Desperation Hiring Is Killing Your Reputation (and How to Fix It)
Avoid desperation hiring. Learn how to hire good people you can trust in your customers’ homes—using simple gut-check questions that never fail.
KickStart: 🛑STOP allowing business pressures to push you into hiring Marginal Individuals as in-home techs.
I’ve been there. You are drowning.😨 You’re short-staffed, jobs are stacking up, and your overworked employees tempers are fraying. Then, like an answer to a prayer, someone walks in that looks at least “semi-capable”.
Yep, in this hopeless moment it’s tempting to use what I call the “Hiring Mirror Test” as in: “If they can fog a mirror, they’re hired!”😮
But now for some real talk. This Desperation Hiring mode will always cost you more time, money, AND headaches than you can imagine. Hiring under pressure always comes back to bite you!
Instead, choose good, moral people you can trust in your customers’ homes. Of course, your question is: “Steve, how can I tell if a job candidate is a solid, quality individual?” Great question!
Simply ask yourself my Introspective Hiring Question #1…
💡 “Would I have this person over for dinner?”
If your gut says “NO,” do NOT hire them. Because if you wouldn’t want them eating at your dinner table, you for sure do NOT want them working in your client’s living room.
Then, perform my Introspective Hiring Question #2 by asking deep down in your belly:
💡 “How would I feel about this technician working alone in my house—with MY spouse at home?”
If this “Gut Check” question makes you even a little uncomfortable, your job candidate should be a hard pass. Your customers are trusting you with their biggest financial asset, their home. Even more importantly…
Your clients are trusting YOU to send only people of the highest moral character into the inner sanctum of their home. This is where their precious family lives!
You owe it to your customers (and your reputation) to only employ quality individuals that you personally trust!
I get it—this isn’t a fun topic. 😢 But as a residential service business owner you need to face it head on.
Steve’s TRUE Confessions Time: I admit it. I’ve been guilty of keeping techs on my team who made me uneasy, but I ignored that feeling because they “got the job done.” 😮 I was wrong.
This sloppiness turned out to be very dangerous thinking on my part. I skated through (barely!)😟 but I cringe to think of what my playing fast and loose with my clients’ lives could have cost me financially, legally AND especially ethically!😢
🗝️ URGENT HOMEWORK: Don’t just use my two Introspective Hiring Questions for future job candidates. Learn from me. Right now (as in today!) complete this assignment:
Seriously ask yourself both of my Introspective Hiring Questions about each employee on your payroll. (Especially your in-home technicians!)
Feeling a bit queasy? (Much better now than later!) IF you have even the slightest doubt about one of your technicians then let me ask you a thought-provoking (and very scary) question…
💡 “If you don’t feel good about this tech being alone in YOUR home with YOUR wife, WHY are you sending him into your trusting clients’ homes to be alone with THEIR wives and families?” Hmmmmm…?
I know, I know. Your guy is a bit sketchy but he is a 1) reliable, hard worker, 2) you’re super slammed with work, and 3) you hate, dread and fear trying to hire his replacement! I DON’T CARE! (Sorry to shout!) Read the next sentence very carefully:
☠️ A “morally marginal” employee is a ticking time bomb that can destroy you, your family and your business!
As residential service business owners we have an ethical responsibility to ONLY send people of the highest moral character into our trusting customers’ homes. Even if you get away with it…
☠️ Never forget, one bad hire (or even worse, a current employee) can tank your reputation faster than any nasty 1-star review.
So, slow down. Listen to your gut. Hire great people that you happily welcome into your own home. This approach will save you from a world of pain down the road.
Of course, the 600# gorilla in the room is, “Steve, where do I find these elusive people of the highest moral character? I’d love to hire them!” 💖 Let’s talk about this very soon!
Meanwhile, you have two very serious Introspective Questions to ask yourself about each and every tech in your organization! 😎
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