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Baylor1's avatar
Baylor1
Contributor 2
22 days ago

First Key Employee

Hey everyone, we have a remodeling company and made my first big hire and I don't think he's the right fit. this employee is very expensive and does not produce enough for the company. What are some questions I should ask to my next hire that would help weed out the good from bad. Thanks!

13 Replies

  • I am going to repeat others here and say use references and find the right person first. If you can do that, then you can train them to be the lead that you are looking for. It may be someone on your current team that you trust and if they are respected by their peers, you have a good start. Put in the extra hours to grow your own and follow your first impressions. You will find these people to be the most dependable and loyal. Pay them well and they will take care of your business for you.

  • Hiring that first key person is a major move, and it shows you’re serious about growth. A lot of us have been where you are realizing after the fact that the fit might not be right.
     
    Here’s something I always come back to:
    Who exactly are you hiring for and what problem are they supposed to solve?
     
    A lot of contractors hire out of frustration or pressure, but don’t slow down to define what the business actually needs at that stage.
     
    Do you need:
    • A helper to support you while you still lead from the field?
    • A journeyman who can take jobs off your plate and generate revenue?
    • An office manager to clean up scheduling, admin, and back-end chaos?
     
    Each one solves a different problem, and comes with different costs, expectations, and time-to-return.
     
    Now, here’s the part that most guys overlook:
    Even if you hire the “right person,” if you don’t have training, structure, and expectations in place.
    You can’t just throw someone into the field and hope they perform.
    Leadership means preparing them to win.
     
    So here’s what I’d recommend moving forward:
    1. Clarify the pain point.
    What bottleneck is slowing the business down? Field work? Admin? Growth?
    2. Choose the right hire for that problem.
    Not just based on skill,  but on how you want your role to evolve.
    3. Build a basic onboarding plan.
    Even 1 week of shadowing, a checklist, or “this is how we do things” goes a long way.
    4. Measure output, not just activity.
    Track how they’re contributing, whether it’s revenue, saved time, or customer satisfaction.
     
    I put together a visual framework that breaks this down, it helped me to start hiring with intention.

     

  • This is what I would do. I would have the interview in 2 parts the first would be verbal like going over his or her application getting a feel of the person talking about what he likes about the field that you are in and the next phase I would take this person to a open job site and ask certain questions like how long would you take to complete this job. I would even have a conversation about reading a tape measure etc. the small questions can sometimes be a deal breaker. I have a lawn care business and if was to hire someone I would take them to one of my jobs and ask them how long if you was alone,how long would it take you to cut and weed eat this yard and blow it off. I know how long it would take me to do it. Conversation about your field is a must.