Believe it or not, I’m not looking to hire expert powder coaters.
I’m not even necessarily looking for finishing industry experience. I’m not interested in college degrees, trade school educations, or whether a candidate has ever held a pressure washer. I’ve learned that hard skills can only take a person so far.
Turns out that what I want – and what makes employees successful at Kaser – is much harder to detect on a resume, or screen in an interview.
I Want Employees to Show Up.
Forget skills, knowledge, and experience: the quickest way to impress me is to show up on time for every scheduled shift. The production schedule demands bodies, and every unplanned absence is a setback. As silly as it sounds, you’re helping the whole team just by being in the building.
I Want Employees to Do the Little Things Right.
All of the cliches are true: the little things do become the big things, and the devil is in the details. Most of the tasks we do – hanging, prepping, packaging – seem menial and repetitive, but they make a big difference in the finished product. I’d rather hire a meticulous direction-follower with no experience than a seasoned industry veteran who lets the small stuff slide.
I Don’t Want Employees to Try to be Super(wo)man.
It sounds counterintuitive, but I’ve found that the desire to go above and beyond – while noble – tends to get employees into trouble. Either they take risks they weren’t ready for, or they overlook their own duties in favor of more glamorous ones. It’s a problem either way. Focus first and foremost on doing the job you were hired to do. Consistency will take you farther than ambition ever could.
If I had to boil it all down, I might call it reliability. I’m looking for folks who can be trusted to do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. I’m convinced that every other aspect of the job can be taught quickly and easily.
There’s no limit to how far – or fast – a reliable team member will advance at Kaser.
