Everywhere I go, I’m constantly asked, “Where can I find really good people?” and “How can I learn in a couple of short interviews whether the new hire will really be a keeper?”

I absolutely believe that your company will only be as strong as your weakest employee, or as famous management guru and author Peter Drucker stated, “No organization can do better than the people it has.” So the challenge to kitchen and bath firms is to learn how to interview and attract the best. Your ultimate goal is to have the best possible team of employees and to develop an environment that meets the needs of these employees.

Most owners and managers of kitchen and bath firms wear a multitude of hats, leaving them little time for marketing management, financial management and the all-important human resource management.

However, filling your ranks with good people is more important today than ever before. That’s because your people represent your company to your customers; they are the ones who will create your success.

Smart managers will learn to develop every possible resource for finding good people. They need to develop networks of potential team members that they can tap into when there’s an opening. They need to raise the company’s visibility so that people will come to them.

Employee searches are expensive, both in time and money – not to mention the productivity lost while the job sits vacant. So, you need to do whatever it takes to make your hiring process quicker and more effective.

Describing the Job

You just found out that a key member of your team is leaving. One of the first things you need to tackle before you set the hiring process in motion is the job description. Most of you don’t have written job descriptions – but don’t you agree that employees deserve to know exactly what’s expected of them? Sit with the person that’s leaving and document everything he or she has been doing. Spell out what the productivity and quality criteria are. What experience, skills and education will the job require? What challenges and opportunities will the job offer? What compensation will be required to attract the right person and how will the compensation work (salary, commission or both)?

Remember that character traits and personality matter as much as skills. In my book “Kitchen and Bath Business Management,” available through NKBA, there’s an entire section on how to write and format job descriptions.

Advertising the Position

Once you’ve decided what type of person the job requires, it’s time to start looking. Entry-level employees (incomes less than $30,000) will probably rely on newspaper job ads. Higher-income folks will check the classifieds in the trade journals or possibly contact personnel placement agencies that specialize in specific industries.

Today, the Internet is becoming a major recruiting channel – especially with those under the age of 40. The Web is home to a fast proliferating number of job boards.