If you had asked me last spring whether I’d consider hiring part time help at Kaser, I would have laughed and said “absolutely not.”
One year later, I’m singing a different tune.
I realized that if the hiring landscape wasn’t going to change, I needed to. Full time help was scarce and it was time for a new approach. So going against my own rules, I hired four part time team members – and it was easily one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
In an effort to help other hiring managers get over the hump faster than I did, here are the myths and assumptions that kept me from hiring part time help sooner.
Myth: part-timers take longer to train than full-timers, because they’re not around as much.
Reality: if you’re training part time help the way you’d train full time help, you’re doing it wrong. An assembly line approach will serve you better than a holistic one. I start my part-timers on hanging and packing, because those tasks are easily learned and contribute significantly to production. The longer they’re at Kaser, the more skills they’ll pick up along the way.
Myth: part time workers may not stick around, and that’s bad.
Reality: part time workers may not stick around, and that’s ok. Having talented, hardworking students pitch in on their semester breaks is better than not having talented, hardworking students pitch in on their semester breaks. The length of a career is not the only measure of its success.
Myth: anyone who’s looking for part time work doesn’t have a full time work ethic.
Reality: there are a lot of reasons someone might need a part time job, and work ethic rarely has anything to do with it. Most of Kaser’s part time team members have other things going on: school, military duties, other jobs, etc. Don’t let your faulty assumptions keep you from finding good people.
Kaser has two part time shifts, for which I’m always hiring: one is from 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM, and the other is from noon – 4:00. My goal is to keep you busy while growing your skillset (no previous experience required). And of course, if you love it, I’ll happily bring you on full time.
