Hiring new employees for your manufacturing business can be frustrating. As one shop owner put it: “First you have to find someone who has the right technical skills. Then they have to pass the background check and drug tests. If you hit the trifecta, you hire them on the spot. The problem is, you won’t know if they’re really good until they’re on the job.”
Sometimes even an employee with good job skills and experience can create problems with fellow employees that drain enthusiasm and impact productivity. That’s why it’s important to consider a job candidate’s personality and track record before making a hiring decision.
When a new employee comes on board you commit significant time and money to developing what you hope will be a team member who will make meaningful contributions to your business. Obviously you’ll do your best to check on a candidate’s background and work history, but many times it’s difficult or impossible to get a straight answer from previous employers, or a balanced appraisal from hand-picked references. That’s why the interview questions you ask and the prospective employee’s answers are so important.
There are 170,500 CNC machine shops in the U.S. This is what your business could be up against in finding employees with the skill sets needed for exceptional productivity and quality.
A wise machine shop owner once said that his most valuable assets walk out the door at the end of each shift. We all know that our employees are the lifeblood of our companies and one of our largest investments. Which means making good hiring decisions is critical to our success.