Building companies hold an enormous responsibility as a job poorly done can have tragic consequences, which makes finding good tradesmen all the more important. Also, the better the work is the more references you get and that’s an essential factor if you want to see your company grow.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when hiring new tradesmen.
Qualification and references
Most tradesmen in Australia, especially those working in electrical installations, plumbing and building need formal qualification. Ask to see your candidates’ TAFE certificates, which prove they’re finished their apprenticeship.
If the candidate has been employed with another company ask for references and make sure to verify at least some of them. For a job applicant who used to work independently and is now looking for a more secure position with your company you should also inquire about references.
Another way of checking a tradesman’s knowledge is to ask very specific questions during the job interview. Think of tricky problems they might be faced with on the job and ask them how they would deal with a certain situation. Also, ask them about challenging situations they had to deal with on past jobs. Any tradesman who’s been on few building sites certainly has some stories to tell about the difficulties they’ve encountered.
Full-time or temporary job
You cannot know how skilled a tradesman is until you put him to test and the best way to do that is putting them on a job. If you have any doubts about a candidate’s professional skills it might be a wise idea to hire them on a temporary basis to see if they’re up to your standards, with the promise of a permanent position once you’re happy with their work.
Alternatively, you could ask a potential employee to agree to a practical test on one of your building sites. This is a good opportunity to test not only their skills, but also their abilities to work in a team and follow orders. You cannot have a successful team if every tradesman in your crew has his own idea on how things should be done.
Do a background check
No matter if you are hard pressed to hire some people for a project that is due to start shortly, you should never rush to take on anybody without a proper background check. Someone with a substance-abuse might not be the best person to have on a construction site where one slip can cause a major accident. At the same time, tradesmen stealing materials is not unheard of, especially if you’re dealing with someone who also takes side jobs and would be most interested in cutting costs by using your supplies or tools.
If you want to have a quick background check done you can consider using the services of an online accredited agency that is accredited with the federal government. If you are based in Australia, most organisations will require you to present a positive police check result before you get access to building sites. So when an online provider is used, most police check results come back in 2-3 business days. With background checks, you can be close to sure that the new employees are trustworthy and not likely to cause you any trouble.