How To Find Employees Who Share Your Core-Values
Creating A Systematic Janitorial Recruitment Process
This week Mike talks with Chad Muncy, of Carden Clean, about how to hire excellent employees by putting in place a consistent and systematic janitorial recruitment process. With Mike’s help, Chad was able to understand how to vet applicants, and find quality employees who will share his company’s core-values and attitude.

Chad Muncy started his business just six months ago. “Carden” is a combination of his sons’ names, Camden and Carter. The name is just a small reflection of the core-values Chad is implementing in his business. He’s on a quest to build a family-oriented and service centered company, and needs the right employees to help him get the job done.

If you want to vet new employees during the initial janitorial recruitment or training process, and ensure that you choose the most qualified individuals who hold to you core values and community, you’ll need to put in place a systematic janitorial recruitment process.

Here are the easy and repeatable steps you should take to start consistently bringing in new, quality applicants.

KEY POINT: Have a Great Ad
When it comes to building a cleaning business, success comes from focusing on marketing- and not just to customers. You should be advertising to potential employees as well. Create an ad that focuses on your company’s core values and attitude. This way you’ll only get applicants who are interested in being a part of your positive business culture.

Also, make sure the ad is constantly running. It’s important to keep this systematic janitorial recruitment process constant. So many people scramble when they need someone, but don’t even think about hiring when they don’t. The constant churn of turning off and on makes the process inefficient, and doesn’t ensure you’ll find the best employees.

KEY POINT: Cut Your Numbers In Half With An Online Application
With a great ad, you’ll probably get a large number of initial inquiries. In order to make things more efficient, and cut your numbers down, create an automatic response that will direct these applicants to an online application.

Let’s say you get 60-70 instant applications. Have a template ready to send those people. Write something along the lines of, “Thank you for applying. We are interested in your work- Please go to the website and download our application.” Perhaps 20-30 of these initial inquiries will actually follow through with this step. Now you have narrowed your prospects down to those who are willing to do a little extra work for the job.

KEY POINT: Schedule Regular Group Interviews
After you’ve vetted potential employees with your online application, the next step in the systematic janitorial recruitment process is the group interview. You’ll be able to save time and money by meeting potential workers in groups. If you have five separate interviews you’ll be investing too much time, when you could easily meet all of these people at once. With five people scheduled, one or two might not show up. It will probably also be obvious right away that one isn’t a fit, and if you are lucky one or two may be a great choice.

KEY POINT: Focus Your Individual Interview On Core Values
After the group interview you’ll know who of the five you are interested in speaking with one on one.

In this individual interview, many cleaning business owners make the mistake of focusing on experience and cleaning knowledge. However, the ability to clean well is an easily transferable skill. You can teach someone to clean at your standards in a week, but you won’t be able to teach someone how to have integrity, be honest, or think positively in that amount of time. Ask questions like, “Can I depend on you?” and, “How can you be an asset to our community?” Focus on your core-values throughout the interview, and you will find employees willing to further your company’s growth.

KEY POINT: Hire in Threes
It’s important to hire in threes. This saves you time and money in the long run. Most likely when you hire three people, one will quit right away, one will stick to it for a little but not be a fit, and one will be great.

Many cleaning business owners wonder, “what if all three are good?” The truth is that would be a good problem to have. You’ll be able to find work for them. Having too many qualified employees is a much easier problem to fix than not being able to find good talent.

KEY POINT: Have Applicants Actually Do The Work
The final hurdle of your janitorial recruitment process should be actual work. Have applicants you are interested in and believe are qualified agree to a week-long trial period. Some people talk a good game, but after a few shifts say, “this is not for me”. Have applicants complete a week or two of paid, supervised work as an independent contractor. After you have seen they are able to complete the job you can do the final hire.

You’ll be able to pay them minimum wage for this “trial” portion, and if they are making under a certain limit there won’t even be a need for a 1099.

By following these easy steps you’ll be able to create a fool-proof systematic hiring process, sure to bring in the best employees possible for your cleaning business.