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are primarily looking to see if they might be a good ft with our current staf, our company's culture and its objectives. A FEW years ago, we put together a list of the top fve attributes we, as a company, would like to describe us and our employees. Examples are: passion for our work, respect for clients and co-workers, and integrity. We now use these as a checklist each time we are about to bring someone onboard. We have, however, in the past 18 months added another necessary requirement to our list: Are they happy and positive? It may seem silly at frst, but you can fnd a candidate with a standout track-record whose everyday outlook seems to be gloomy. Tis hire may do a great job, but what happens when their attitude afects the rest of the team? We are looking for upbeat rock stars that positively contribute to a great working environment! If we move on to the second in-person in- terview, we allow an hour and a half to ask the candidate some tough questions about how they have handled professional situations in the past. For example, we ask about their most difcult client and how they handled him/her. We have all had challenging clients, but it's the outcome of the situation that is important to us. Did they handle the circumstances in a manner that we, as a company, would agree with? We also ask them to tell us of a time when they made a mistake or an error and what the result was. If the candidate cannot remember a time they made a mistake, we have a big problem on our hands. Tis is construction, problems come up and it's how we solve them that matters. iring and training are a critical part of any business, and in the past cou- ple of years we have focused on the bigger picture: company culture. Many companies in the remodeling industry don't put company culture at the forefront of their hiring practices and neither did we. During the recession, we all got a little beat up, smacked down and, well, in many cases, it severely afected our attitudes. As many of us are feeling positive about a successful 2015, it's time to refocus eforts within the company. Happier employees will result in happier clients, which will result in more refer- rals. Do you get where I'm going with this? THE BEST place to start is with new hires. With each new employee raise the bar and set higher standards. We have a multistep hiring process. Some may say that our method is lengthy, but hiring and training is time-consuming and expensive. Te worst-case scenario is to hire someone and in three to six months learn that the employee isn't a great ft, or that the em- ployee isn't comfortable doing the job at hand. Like most companies we start by sifting through résumés and online portfolios. When a résumé seems of interest, we then place a preliminary phone call to talk to the candi- date about what they are looking for in their next career move and confrm the position is something they are interested in. Te initial, in-person interview is then scheduled for 45 minutes. In this frst meet- ing, we make introductions and have a casual chat about our company and what the can- didate's previous experiences have been. We Te last step for the candidate is to com- plete a behavioral assessment, a DISC profle or something similar. Tese assessments are more afordable than hiring the wrong candidate. Te profle results are extremely telling and can help determine if a candidate will be com- fortable in the position you are looking to hire them for. As an example, if becoming a skydiv- ing instructor would pay $200,000 a year, you would probably take the job. However, what if you are afraid of heights? It's only a matter of time before you decide that no amount of money is worth facing that fear every day. Each new hire must be comfortable, productive and happy in the position they were hired for. AND LASTLY, there is something to be said for going with your gut. Each time we've ig- nored that pesky voice questioning the hire it's been a bad experience. If you're not thrilled and excited that you've just found the best person to join your team, then move on. With each new employee you hire, you are craft- ing your company culture. Each added team member should be another sign of success for the company. Focus on your hiring and com- pany culture in 2015; it will be rewarding for you, your co-workers and your clients. | Hiring and the importance of company culture By Andrew Shore ANDREW SHORE, CAPS, NKBA, president of Sea Pointe Construction, Irvine, Calif., has more than 30 years of experience in residential remodeling, specializing in kitchens, bathrooms and room additions. Shore is involved with industry organizations, such as Remodelers Advantage Inc., the National Kitchen & Bath Association and National Association of Home Builders. H Examples are: passion for our work, respect for clients and co-workers, and integrity. 14 February 2015 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com | ForResidentialPros.com PROFITS: On Your Business