Hiring and Keeping the Right Talent at Your Bail Agency
- December 07, 2016
- by Joe Von Waldner
- Business Tips
Scouting talent for your organization is a lot like scouting talent for a sports team. You want people who are excited to be a part of your organization (like joining a sports team) and who actually want to work and not just sit on the bench. There are many other personality traits that I look for when hiring talent. Finding the right candidate is just half the battle, keeping them is the other half!
Where hiring gets challenging is in finding candidates who possess the skills that make them a rock-star employee...By hiring I don’t mean just settling on a candidate, you don’t want to just hire anybody, you want to hire the right person.
In general, people can be trained for most jobs. I can train people to offer good customer service, how to write a bond and overall have descent communication skills. Where hiring gets challenging is in finding candidates who possess the skills that make them a rock-star employee. Being detail oriented, organized and having the tenacity to stick with the job when it gets challenging are traits that cannot be trained. A candidate must come with these skill-sets. It’s almost as if these qualities are part of their cosmetic make-up. Think of telemarketers and how challenging their job is. When hiring for that type of job you would want somebody who is not afraid of rejection, is a self-starter, is motivated and wants to win. Not everybody really wants to win, most just want to show up for the paycheck! As a business owner it takes time to hire good talent. By hiring I don’t mean just settling on a candidate, you don’t want to just hire anybody, you want to hire the right person. Job seekers are a dime a dozen but what sets one candidate apart from another might just be their innate talents. I encourage bail bond owners to make a list of the “must have” characteristics in a candidate. Network with others to find the right talent. The right candidate may not be the obvious person. Posting an advertisement on social media, on your website or on the local college job board are all great ways to solicit resumes. Look closely at each candidate, do they have those skills you cannot train for? Making the right hire will save you time and aggravation in the long run.
Once you find the right talent how do you keep them happy without always throwing money their way? Competition in any industry is always there. Employees can be lured away merely by a competitor waving a few extra bucks. If your employee is truly satisfied both monetarily and with what they are doing for your company, generally speaking they will stay with you.
As competition grows and the need for work-life balance gets increasingly more important, employers should consider other forms of compensation to keep good employees happy. As a long-time Florida bail bondsman I have found strategies like offering additional paid days off, tickets to an upcoming event, treating an employee to a lunch, giving a gift card for their family or giving a simple thank you note have gone a long way. These types of perks don’t increase one’s paycheck but they can go the extra mile to help your employees feel important and appreciated. Nobody likes to feel underappreciated especially when it comes to their job. Most people spend over half of their lifetime working in some sort of a job. Waking up each day and enjoying what you do is part of that work-life balance so many of the younger generation are demanding.
The workforce landscape is changing and before not too long the millennials will out-number the baby boomers. To keep this newer workforce happy, I encourage business owners in all industries to think about their compensation and recognition program. Replacing good talent is as much of a waste of time as hiring the not so good talent. If you don’t know your employees and what is important to them, finding this information out would be your first step. Find out what is important to them, is it their family? Their outside hobbies and interests? Take a few minutes and find out where they spend their time outside of work. Knowing this information can help you in creating your recognition program. Cash is king in most instances, however, not all situations require an outlay of additional cash. Simple acts of gratitude and recognition is all that may be needed to keep employees happy and engaged.
If your employment door is revolving I would recommend it’s time for a change. Key points to consider:
- Hold out for the right employee, don’t just hire somebody to place a warm body at a desk.
- Consider alternative forms of recognition and compensation. Who couldn’t use an extra day of paid vacation?
As we enter the fourth quarter of 2016 it’s time to consider your human resources and take a look at your talent. Are they happy? How do you keep them happy? All points to ponder and take serious consideration to save you from losing good employees or wasting your time on hiring the duds!
About the Author
Author, Joe Von Waldner is a second generation bail bondsmen. He was licensed a few months after turning 18 and has been an full time bail agent for 32 years. He has owned several bail agencies and managed dozens of agents throughout his career along with active participation in the multiple local bonding associations. His Clearwater, Florida bail bonds agency, 49th Street Bail Bonds, is active in the community and participates in the Pinellas County Adopt A Mile program.
