cleanthoughts Don’t Judge A Banana By Its Peel Outward appearances are not always what they seem to be, especially in terms of hiring new employees. Publisher Matt Gallinger mgallinger @ ntpmedia.com Associate Publisher Micah Ogburn mogburn @ ntpmedia.com Editorial Director Rich DiPaolo rdipaolo @ ntpmedia.com Managing Editor Aaron Baunee abaunee @ ntpmedia.com Assistant Editor Amanda Martini-Hughes [email protected] Account Executive Susan Pierce spierce @ ntpmedia.com Art Director Marty Harris marty @ grandviewmedia.com Director of Business Operations Michael Perkins mperkins @ ntpmedia.com Ad Materials Manager Rebecca Wilson [email protected] CMI Administrative Manager Sharon Hillis shillis @ ntpmedia.com ® ext. 3159 ext. 3179 (516) 404-4532 ext. 3157 A Attracting qualified, motivated employees can be a dreadfully difficult process for a hiring manager in any industry. In the commercial cleaning and mainte-nance industries, where employee injury rates are higher than most other service industries and where employee turnover is historically exorbitant, putting forth the time and effort to fill vacant positions with wor-thy workers can often feel like a crapshoot. Knowing this, hiring managers will often forgo a thorough vetting process to find their ideal candidate and opt for hiring any one with a heartbeat in hopes that this shot in the dark will succeed. Not only is this process — if a loosely adhered to, haphazard hiring practice can be called a process — dangerous, it is also counterproductive. Without performing extensive background checks and asking strategic, open-ended questions, the true personality and subse-quent worth of the individual you are consid-ering for employment may never be known. To use an extreme example, think of what neighbors of convicted serial killers always tell the media: “He seemed like such a nice person. I would have never expected this from him. He loves puppies.” Moreover, enlisting employees from whom you expect failure is a waste of the resources necessary to train said employ-ees on the basics of your operation and how the services you offer are delivered. Of course, going through the hiring ropes numerous times could streamline your new employee training practices; but the ability to train a constant influx of new hires is not desirable — securing longtime employees who share the values of your company or organization is. Unfortunately, a stupendous employee rarely earns the hiring manager or the indi-vidual who trained them praise. Conversely, a problem employee almost always reflects poorly on all parties involved in bringing them aboard. This month’s cover story discusses new techniques hiring managers can utilize to ensure they are choosing the right candi-dates from the stack of seemingly similar resumes filling up their inbox or piled on their desk. Given the elevated unemployment rate our nation is currently facing, some hiring managers are likely content with revolving door employees. To their defense, receiving a high num-ber of applications and giving an increased number of employees a chance to succeed within their company or organization is bound to yield at least a few qualified and conscientious employees. While these practices might work in spe-cific instances they do little to elevate the level of professionalism in our industry. High employee turnover and the con-stant replacing of the friendly faces that clean schools, colleges and universities, health care facilities and office buildings, only reaffirms the stereotypical notion that janitors, custodians and maintenance per-sonnel are untrained, uncaring and unwor-thy of the time and effort warranted to keep them as longtime, reliable and profession-al employees. 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Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Corporate General Manager Barry Lovette [email protected] Vice President of Operations Brent Kizzire [email protected] Chief Marketing Officer, Publishing Services Group Hank Brown [email protected] Vice President of Business Publishing Tracy Aston-Martin [email protected] Vice President of Finance Brad Youngblood [email protected] Director of Circulation & Fulfillment Delicia Poole [email protected] Circulation Manager Brandy Pate [email protected] Honorary Advisory Board: Aaron Baunee, managing editor Send comments or thoughts on this topic or any other article that appears in CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® magazine, to [email protected]. Mike Adams, Greenfield, IN; Stephen Ashkin, Bloomington, IN; Jim Brewer, Arlington, TX; Laura Dellutri, Lenexa, KS; Ron Goerne, Bloomington, IL; Russell Kendzior, Southlake, TX; Don McNulty, Blue Springs, MO; Bob Merkt, West Bend, WI. CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online™ Service at www.cmmonline.com 4 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • July 2010
CMM – Archives July 2010: 4
