Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

  I work in a unique industry that requires specific skills.  I need people to teach Languages to clients, but am having difficulty finding people who have the social, professional, or technical skills to fill the job. 

  Most of the people have some of the skills, but are not well rounded. 

1.  Do I sacrifice my standards in order to get temporary gain. 
     - Note: I am personally highly against this.
2.  Hiring for personality and training for ability is a great idea but in my field it`s easier said than done.
3.  I do not have time and money to train the instructors to be at the level I would like them to be, which means I need to either simply my training process so that it`s easier to master, or to find people who are already at the level I expect. 
4.  There are a limited number of people who have the skills that I require.  In this situation what some ways I can  dig deeper into this demographic to find these people?

What are you thoughts?

 

Letutour,

I think it`s possible that on the main pages of SuN,  there have been a few posts which have addressed this topic...

But my question would be, what experience do you want your clients to end up with?

If you want your clients to become advocates for your business, then my instincts tell me that you should provide them with "your standards" by ensuring that your instructors are well trained.

I wonder if you can save some money by soliciting help from language students from a local Universitiy or high school.

Perhaps that student can earn extra credits by working in a "real life" situation" while simultaneously helping your business.  Then you could be helping the community....which could go a long way toward helping you establish some "street credibility".

Letutor,
That is a question that remains ????? un-answered. What I did to screen my employees was, I had over 300 resumes, sent to me. Then I started by eliminating one by one... Or goto a temp agency.. Temp agencies can screen employees for you before you commit to the employee. Or, offer interships, train them to what your needs are.

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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

Aaron,

How do you seek your prospective new employees? Do you advertise in publications that cater to the languages you offer services in? Especially Spanish, there are many Spanish publications here in the US that reach this audience.

Have you used headhunters? Can you afford to "buy" established employees from other firms like yours? Sometimes, the American professional sports philosophy is the best policy - do like the NY Yankees - just go get the personnel you need. Yes, it may cost you but you have to weigh this expense against a new hire and the learning curve.

You offer a varied menu of services. What postions are your greatest needs right now?

R@ 

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Richard Arnold · Key Concept Writers · Business Communication: The "Key" To Success· Law of Attraction Blog · Life Ain`t Brain Surgery Blog

Currently I use very cheap methods to find my employees.  I use contacts within the language community, free internet advertising, and word of mouth.  I plan on taking out an ad on an online internet recruiting site like Monster, Hotjobs, or careerbuilder. 

I am in the greatest need of Spanish language instructors. 

It might be helpful to know that I do not have employees, but rather contractors. 

The main thing is that I need to find people who have an understanding of the language, have teaching experience, and most importantly have great personalities. 

I like your idea of head hunting but at this time I do not have the liquid funds to make that kind of step.  Along those lines though I could someone reach out to existing Spanish teachers / Professeurs in the local school systems who are looking for extra work.   The problem is actually reaching them.  Schools have strict policies about contacting teachers and such. 

This gives me a lot to think about.

Thanks.

 

You can get grants to train employees.  You know the old adage, good help is  hard to find. Yes, it is just a process. Always check out references should you find someone. That is my 2cents worth.

Robin

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Lipstickmogul
Shaklee Products: www.Shaklee.net/robinvess
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Lifespan International - Anti Aging Products
Far Niente Farms Arabian Horses and Pinto Saddlebreds
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I thought my ears were ringing! You are treading into my territory. Finding people is what my company does.  I will tell you this, letutor, it makes a difference in how you post your ads.  If you have done any research on behavioral patterns you will see that their are specific words to put into a Job Advertisement to attract a specific type of person. By "type" I mean, team players, loners, and other personality traits that you would be looking for.  If you would like some help with any of this stuff just message me off of the board or email me. I would be glad to help you out. Best Wishes!

Letutor - I happen to know someone who has lived in Europe for the past 30 years years.  Currently she is residing in Marin County, Ca. She is fluent both in french and spanish and has taught both and currently is teaching spanish.  I don`t want to say too much about it but if you are interested, please drop me a line and I will tell you more. Thanks

jo



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Jo
NJ

Aaron,

I hope you and Ken get connected and discuss your needs soon. Nice of him to offer assistance. I yield to him on professional hiring advice. I do have a couple of more suggestions and comments.

It is my opinion that paying Monster, Career Builder, and the other "major" online job sites to help any one find people is a waste of time and money. What kind of success stats do they publish? Are they really as good at what they do as they say they are? Do you really want 1000s of resumes pouring in that you have to spend time reviewing? This is why I suggested a headhunter. You pay more but the results are usually many times better - your ROI is much better.

Second, why not use your website to help you find potential "contractors"? Your website employment page stops at an instruction for people to send you a resume. Why not start the hiring process online? Develop a screening process to help people decide if this is the job for them. Tell inquiring people exactly what you are seeking. Create a series of questions that slowly and methodically helps you narrow down inquiries. If they past the first phase, take them to a second phase of more questions and information. You`re a one-man show - let technology work for you 24/7 - let your employment office be open at midnight or 2 am or 9 pm. Do some profiling. Have them translate some test content to see how good they are. These are just a few ideas. In other words, put your whole hiring process and interview process online. This way, in your marketing materials seeking help you could send prospective contractors here to start the interview process.

Hiring is a time-consuming process. The more that can be done online - especially as a one-man show - the better.

Later - R@

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Richard Arnold · Key Concept Writers · Business Communication: The "Key" To Success· Law of Attraction Blog · Life Ain`t Brain Surgery Blog

I noticed your  post, well-rounded are difficult to find via the resume process.  The resume is really designed  for  specialized , not finding people with "soft skills" you might take a different approach. When i was looking for people to  help me do sales when i  ran  an advertising company in  Beijing, China, i went to the basketball courts on campuses and found the best rebounders, because they are tougher  and more team oriented than shooters in my opinion and gave them a job. You might want to go through some non-profit organizations and charitable organizations so you can find people who are generally good and caring people. Anything but using resumes, they really are the devil. Hope this was helpful.

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James Galvin
Chief Coordinator
77 Sigma
Personify Excellence
http://www.77sigma.com
888-655-1359
http://galvinblog.com