Thank God for "2-Week Notices" er, I Mean 8-hour Notices

[alan802]

I hear what your saying.  The last 3 hires were not my first choices, I was influenced by the owner and her fears when it comes to hiring certain people.  Honestly, the last guy was my 3rd choice and it's gone bad since then.  The last guy just showed up one day when we needed someone and it was too good to be true, my bad on that one. 

We are so slammed today, I'll try to add more to this throughout the day.  We spent hours trying to do a simple 4CP, trying to hit the colors of desert camo on a white shirt should be easy, not so much.

[Gilligan]

Mooseman... if memory serves me correct and I understood Alan when he told me about hiring this guy what he meant to say is he was a guy of 20 years experience... Not a guy of 20 WITH years of experience.

Again, I could have misunderstood him and this was almost a month ago when we talked about it.

[alan802]

Yeah, 40 something with 20 years experience.  He was a good worker while here, good guy, he didn't get along with my printer but nobody does or has.

As far as the hiring process goes, I have tried numerous techniques and have gone by the book, and by gut feeling.  I've let others that haven't been in the interview process give their 2 cents when I shouldn't have, it's obvious I've made mistakes when hiring.  But I've come to the conclusion that it's a crap shoot and no matter how great someone's resume and interview goes, they might work out great, or they might not.  The worst interview and worst first impression we've ever hired has turned out to be our very best employee, and the best "looking" guy for the job lasted one day, it's been all over the place.  I think that hiring a warm body until we find a good one is the way to go.  $8-9/hr, a couple weeks to figure out if they've got something and if they don't, move on to the next person.  I'm gonna try that instead of doing 30 interviews and looking over pieces of paper that all say the same damn thing.

Oh what a day it has already been.  Just finished the 800 piece, 4 print location, 4CP back print and now on to the next PITA rush job.  Everything we have in queue are all 1-3 day turns, bailing people out for procrastinating is a mother.

[JBLUE]

He was a good worker while here, good guy, he didn't get along with my printer but nobody does or has.

Perhaps this is the root of your problem. It does not matter how good this guy is and if this was the impression that I had of my printer he would be down the road. Obviously I have no idea of what goes on in your shop but this is a big red flag right here.

[ScreenFoo]

In a way I agree--and in a way I don't.  One of the sign shops I worked at long ago employed a guy that many in the shop would describe as such--that no one liked him (I did) and that he was difficult to work with, and b!tched all the time....well, everyone did crap work, and he called them on it.  He insisted on quality, and not only pushed it on others, but held himself to the standard.  So the HR department cans him, and the next month a very difficult job comes in, everyone hangs their head saying "I don't know how to do that"--they just canned the only guy who knew how to do it right.
 
I know a few people who have skills that are one in a million.  If you have someone like that, it's probably best just to keep people civil and/or separated.

IMO if he/she's a good worker, and a mediocre printer, that would be a different situation...