Employee Recruiting: Five Traits to Start Hiring For Immediately

Now that you know where we stand on consistency, we’re going to lay down some guidelines to help everyone achieve it. The first topic we want to address is employee recruiting, since a company’s culture begins with its people. Most of us have a basic grasp of recruiting, and we tend to look for similar traits, such as responsibility and honesty. But here are five traits you may not have considered, which we would like to see standard in every U.S. Lawns employee. Looking to achieve consistency? Start by adding these strengths to your team:

1. Loyalty. Everyone loves a loyal employee who works hard and cares about their job. But true loyalty also extends to customers and community. When recruiting, look for people who love being part of a team. Whether it’s volunteering at church or taking care of family, good employees demonstrate a strong commitment to the people in their lives. On the job, this almost always translates into a passion for doing things right and helping others. Which, in turn, creates consistency and service.

2. Empathy. Some people have a natural ability to put themselves in other people’s shoes. These are the folks you want working for you. An empathetic person is able to put the customer first, and respond to what they need. The empathetic employee will also feel very comfortable with radical personalization, because all human interactions are personal to them. A word of caution: don’t confuse shyness or introversion with lack of empathy. Some people are quiet but conscientious, while others are friendly but self-centered.

3. Follow-through. Great service is more than just being nice. It’s also a willingness to find solutions when your customers need help. As we’ve mentioned before, passing the buck is never an acceptable answer to a customer’s issue. Everyone is responsible for providing great service, and not dropping the ball. Hire people who finish what they start, are driven by results, and have demonstrated the ability to solve problems in previous jobs.

4. Humility. The U.S. Lawns employee should take pride in their work. But they should also be willing to “own up” if a mistake is made. We don’t expect anyone to get it right all the time—and frankly, neither does your customer. What we do expect, however, is for your team to apologize and make it right if anything goes awry. An employee who can’t admit failure is not someone you want on your team. So, steer clear of anyone who appears defensive or egotistical, no matter how good their resume.

5. Communication. The ability to communicate is crucial for everyone in today’s business. Your team needs to work together smoothly, engaging in open dialogue with one another and with you. Without good communication, there can be no service revolution, because radical personalization depends on asking about and listening to the customer’s needs.

As we’ve stressed in the past, the best way to find the right people is to build up a “pipeline” of candidates you can choose from at any time. Our “Talent Acquisition Program” helps you do just that—and you can also use it to target the kind of candidates you want. If you’d like to step up your recruiting efforts, the Home Office can help. Contact us to find out about the talent acquisition program and other resources available to you.