How to Find, Hire, and Fire Good Help

Referrals:

Referrals from friends and family are the best sources because the candidates are already known to you and can be checked easily. Good employees and former employees are also great sources. You can ask if this person is someone they would enjoy working with. Positive people know positive people.

Using Classified Ads:

Advertise in the “Help Wanted” section of the local newspaper. There will certainly be many responses, but many of them will be unqualified or of poor quality. Sorting them out will take some time.

Schools:

Part-time, weekend, and seasonal staff are available at high schools, colleges, universities, and trade schools. Many of them have job placement centers or job boards. You can advertise on the bulletin board. A job counselor may be available to assist you. Your professor or teacher may also be able to recommend someone. Outline what you are looking for in a candidate clearly. Most often, they will provide you with a list of qualified candidates.

Local Community Groups:

Boy scout groups, church groups, Rotary clubs and Kiwanis clubs can usually refer talented graduates to employers.

Government Employment Agencies:

Both employers and employees have access to these services for free, unlike private agencies. Personal conversations with placement officers are the most effective.

Help Wanted Sign:

You will probably get a lot of responses if you post a sign on your cart, but it may also prove time-consuming. You might also attract a lot of low-quality people. As a result, applicants will understand what the job entails very clearly.

If an applicant doesn’t work out or has to leave, keep a record of them. Include their name and telephone number.

Your job description and hours of work should be clear and direct. There is no point in sugarcoating.

Tips for Interviewing:

Find out what kind of worker they will be by asking questions. Discover how and why they left their previous jobs.

Check the references of at least two former employers. The applicant’s unwillingness to provide references or the references’ unwillingness to answer questions may be an indication of a bad employee. When the previous employer is unwilling to provide you with information regarding the reason the person left, ask if they would hire the person again. Oftentimes, people feel guilty for dismissing someone and will want to assist them in finding new jobs, so avoid vague details or evasive language. If you are unable to reach your references, ask for another reference. Don’t proceed if your references aren’t able to provide one.

An individual’s dress when attending an interview or applying for a job is an indicator of their quality. If they don’t seem clean, presentable, respectful, honest, reliable, personable, etc., do not proceed with the interview.

The fact that they are late for a particular interview appointment is a good indicator that they are unreliable.

A candidate should be qualified for the job they will be performing. Roleplay as a customer, for instance, to test their ability to add up the prices of various items and provide correct change.

Provide applicants with a clear understanding of what is expected of them and their earning potential. If they get this job, they’ll be less likely to quit after a few days because it didn’t meet their expectations. Employers should be informed of and agree to what they will be paid, how many hours of work they will have, and when they will be paid.

Make sure they are comfortable with the job and its requirements.

Hiring:

Employee Rules of Conduct, Dress, Deportment, Hygiene Guide, and Hotdog Cart Operations and Maintenance Manual should be read and signed by all new employees. Go over it with them.

Train and supervise appropriately. Before sending a new employee on their own, work with them for at least three days. Have them do the work while you observe, rather than having you do the work while they watch. Observations are forgotten but actions are remembered. The best way to learn is by doing.

If not supervised, even the best employees can develop bad habits. Provide guidance when necessary.

Do not describe the cart in vague or subjective terms such as “keep it clean”. Instead, specify that the cart should be wiped down every 30 minutes.

The company should address any serious shortfalls in writing. You can google examples of warning letters online.

When things are done right praise your people.

Two part-time employees may provide more security and flexibility than one full-time employee.

Firing:

Terminating an employee without adequate warnings or good cause may result in penalties or legal action.

Prior to termination, employees should receive a written warning. Below is an example. Document these warnings. A verbal warning should be noted in their file for minor infractions.

Employers may lay off or terminate employees due to lack of work or to meet other staffing needs, provided such decisions are not based on race or age. During unemployment, a company may lay off an employee at their own discretion.

Employees who are at fault do not have to pay penalties to the employer. It is possible for an employee to be fired for a “good cause” if they do not perform well on their job.

There are two parts to the evaluation of good cause:

1. The test of reasonableness. What reasonable rule of the employer did the employee fails to follow that led to termination? A reasonable rule is to have the employee make the correct change for the customer.
2. A test of knowledge. Did the employee know this rule? An employee cannot be required to follow rules about which he or she is unaware.

Ensure that all former employees and employees have forwarding addresses. Get the address of the parents of minors like teenagers. These will be necessary when you mail out the forms at the end of the year.

As a condition for receiving the final paycheck, the terminated employee must sign the termination form.