When You Absolutely Positively Have to Hire the Right Person

Coeur d’ Alene Bakery’s Adventure in Hiring

As you know, finding and hiring the right person for your business can be very challenging and frustrating. Teresa has built an outstanding wholesale baking company by hiring and developing very good people.  She isn’t afraid to try something different if it gets results.  Here is her adventure in hiring.

Teresa called and said, “I’m not doing this anymore.”  She explained that she was very frustrated because they had gone through the process of hiring for a maintenance mechanic two times in two months. It was too time consuming and they weren’t getting the right kind of people. The typical hiring process wasn’t working. Teresa Nickell is the owner of Coeur d’ Alene Baking Company, a world-class wholesale bakery in Kent, Washington. Colin Edwards is the General Manager.  Colin took the time to run the ads, read the resumes, interviewed qualified candidates, made the job offers, and then oriented and trained the new hires.  You know, the typical hiring process.

After the second guy didn’t work out, Teresa decided she wasn’t going to do another thing until she had decided how to hire the right person. The company had to stop spinning its wheels and get some traction.  She sat there and refused to do any of the 100 tasks in front of her until she could wrap her mind around this.  Motivated by frustration she called me.  I am her Business Advisor.  She told me, “What we are doing is not meeting our needs.  We are different.  We like being different. We were going to do this different.  We are not typical and will never be typical.” Teresa and Colin have built a forward thinking work environment and culture.  They need forward thinking people. Even the maintenance mechanic needs to be forward thinking. The question is what to do differently? There was a lot of pressure to hire someone right now.

I remembered hearing that during the Viet Nam war when the Special Forces needed the right kind of person they ran an ad that said something like this, “Adventure or a Body Bag Guaranteed.”  It attracted the right kind of person.  Teresa and I decided we needed a Special Forces type of job ad.

We decided to write an ad that would repel the wrong kind of person and attract the forward thinking individual. We started out by making a list of the qualities and characteristics of what we didn’t want.  We essentially listed what we didn’t like about the people who held the position before. Then we made a list of the qualities and characteristics we did want in the person we wanted to hire.  Then we put these descriptions into extreme ideas.  You will see what we mean when you see the ad.

Job Announcement
Bakery Maintenance Mechanic
We need a “can do” person who can help us with the neglected maintenance on our obsolete machinery.  If you can multitask and do everything with nothing; we may have the hardest maintenance jobs you will ever love.  We can assure you a changing schedule, the occasional misplaced tool, and probably multiple bosses. We believe that no task is too menial (including sanitation) and you will probably ruin your clothes.
If you can change plans in midstream, deal with a work force that speaks multiple languages, we will challenge everything you thought you knew about success.
Although it may seem that our business is held together by bailing wire, we make one of the best products on the market and have fun while we are doing it.  You will be part of a forward thinking team that is one of the most successful manufacturers in South King County.

The ad was posted on Craigslist. The responses came in one of two ways, appreciation for the ad or apprehension for the ad.  The typical cut and paste resume was disregarded. The first cut was made by their reaction or lack of reaction to the ad.  When there was no reaction, the resume fell to the bottom of the stack. When a person responded, showed some humor, or mentioned something specific in the ad then their resumes were put at the top of the stack.  

The first test was attitude. We really appreciated and enjoyed the responses to the ad. Here are some of the responses (we reprinted them as we received them, misspelling and all, with only the name removed):

“My name is (name removed) and I have attached a copy of my resume.  But more than that I must say I love the posting I read on craigslist for the job opening.  Most of resume consists of my experience in the Marine Corps but what you wont find on my resume, what I cant convey within the confines of a traditional resume, was how much more than anything I enjoyed my work in Iraq.  I was given a position I had never done, under a boss that was new to his level of responsibility not granting him time to maintain constant watch over me and I was presented with a job that required more than the position ordinarily requires.  I love the challenge of mechanics out of the ordinary and a constantly changing requirement of my work.  As far as a multilingual staff is concerned, I worked in Iraq for 9 months, usually not knowing what anyone employed outside of the United States government was saying but I was still awarded a tremendous recognition for a job well done.  I would be most excited to interview and really wee what the job is all about.  I am fully convinced after an interview you will see I am the man you are looking for.  I have my own tools and I absolutely love the sound of the work.  I can be contacted by the phone number or e-mail address on the top of my resume and hope to hear from you soon.”
We interviewed this person.  It really opened the door for him to explain himself outside of his resume.  It was ground breaking for him.  He thanked us and expressed how good it made him feel to get outside of the traditional interview and resume experience.

“ Hello, I saw your ad on craigslist, more like read it 11 times, skimmed it 7. I thought
 how can there be a job available that has these things going for it, ruined clothes
( I have some, can always use more ),obsolete machinery ( machines with character ), 
missed placed tools ( put there for a reason ), Bakery ( Aroma ) and a functioning
sense of humor. I feel I have some unique qualifications and would like to know more
about the position. I can be reached at (number removed) or at (email removed).
Thank you”

“Good day to you. My name is (name removed), i am realy intrigued by the position offerd on   c l. i am 39 yo. ive spent half my life as an automotive technician. owned and operated for 7yrs. this job seems very exciteing and entertaining.  i am employed now in auto repair, but i think i am do for a change.  i can make a silk purse out of a sows ear. i am very good at impravising. and forseeing potential failures.I do posess a large aray of tools. and electrical and mechanical ability. i enjoy working as a team, or solo. i fix things, what ever it takes to complete the mission. I am your man. I am healthy, athletic, and accurate. fast, but never halfast.  unless i have autherization.   thank you for your consideration, Sincerly  (name removed)   (phone number removed).”    
“Great add. I wish you were in snohomish co.”

“Well, submarine work was challenging so why not try something new.  I still have some coveralls around here somewhere.”
“I would be very much interested in this Bakery Maintenance position as seen on Craiglist.  It sounds like a very....um well, I just am in need of a job :O)”

“I am definitely a "can do" person who can help you with the neglected maintenance of your obsolete machinery. I can multitask, same as I am able to do everything with nothing; can work in ever-changing environment, and would have no problem in communicating with different types of people.  I am fluent in English, Ukrainian and Russian, have some basic knowledge of Polish and German.

Becides, being an adept of cleanliness and order everywhere - from my own bedroom or home office, to the company workshop, storage room and even headquaters, I would be definitely able to bring the change you need.”

“hi my name is (name removed) love the ad , attached is a copy of my resume”
“I am a carpenter/jack of all trades would love to talk to you about this position,  I can deal w/ a varied schedule, and do full or part time as needed. I have references available.”
“I noticed your ad on Craigs list and it piqued my interest. If your company is truly as you describe, then there is much room for improvement and innovation, something that I truly enjoy.”

“Dear Sir/Madam.  In response to your requirement for a maintenance "Can do" person. I would love to take on the "multi task" position and re-furbish your out of date equipment.  Even at the risk of going postal over multiple bosses on my back and "ruining my clothes". As you will see from my resume, there is nothing I cannot repair and enhance in the field of machinery.

Yours nervously,   .....(name  removed).” 
“Gentlemen...I am interested in your old/obsolete equipment job..! I worked at Jorgensen Forge and all they had was OLD equipment. Even had an electrical tag from 1939 in the floor..! ! !  My nickname in the service was 'RADAR' I can find almost anything, just don't ask where it came from..! ! !  I like a challenge and get my kicks from making something work. If I can get one good one out of two bad ones, that is success. As for multiple languages, I have found that pictires are worth a thousand words. AND sign language is the universal language..!   Give me a shot at this....
"I must say this has to be the most honist  posting I have ever seen. "

“I am having  a question with this position , would it be allowable to complete these tasks while standing on ones own head, or will there be someone to stand on it for me?”
The ad provoked heartfelt responses in interest or disbelief or disagreement.

The first question we asked in the interview was, “What did you like about the ad. If they replied “nothing, I just wanted a job.”  Then we knew he was not our guy.  The interviews were fun and we were definitely talking to the right kind of people. We ended up offering the position to the person we felt was best qualified.  He was offered another position elsewhere and we lost him.  During this entire process we had been in touch with a contract mechanic who trains people for us in this position.  We have always wanted to hire him, he has always been the right person for this job, however he didn’t want to give up his full time job.  After the person we interviewed fell through he admitted that the job ad had caught his interest and he accepted the job. The ad reminded him of what he was missing in his current job with a large corporation where his ideas and creativity had little value and had gone unnoticed and were not as appreciated as are now at the bakery. He has been a valuable forward thinking member of our team who adds value by saving us money and time. He is able to multi task and do everything with nothing. He creates new solutions every week.
Here are our “take aways” from this experience:
·    This type of challenge ad works as a good screening device.  
·    It was very successful at keeping the wrong people away and attracting the right kind of people.  
·    It helps to define in the ad what you don’t want and do want, what they will love and hate about the job.
·    By being extreme in the descriptions you wake up that part of people who will respond to a challenge and you turn off the “something for nothing” types.
·    It improves your chances of hiring the right person when you absolutely positively have to.