Search the Locksmith Ledger classified / help wanted section and you will find the words 'experienced' in almost every help wanted request for employees. Adding employees is almost a necessity in order to grow your business but asking for experienced employees may not always be the best route to take.
Our family locksmith business has been in operation for over 75 years. With one exception, every employee that has worked there during all those years was chosen because they had a good mechanical aptitude, a friendly disposition, worked well with customers, and had a willingness to learn. Some employees had a background as a carpenter, or had previously worked in a hardware store. These were helpful attributes but did not qualify as being an experienced locksmith.
Employees can be categorized as being untrained, competent or experts. Untrained rookies are initially hired and work the front counter on a test basis for a few days to determine their learning ability. After they pass that test they are hired full time. For the first few months an employer cannot expect a new rookie to generate a profit. However, as each day goes by it is the job of the employer to assist a new employee to improve as quickly as possible.
With the right training, a competent employee soon becomes a profitable asset to the business. Finally, sometime within one or two years, our competent employee will become an expert.
This training system has worked for our family business. We can point to former employees who have gone through our training system and then become well known in the locksmith industry. Other employees have remained working for our family locksmith business for decades.
Over the years some former employees have chosen to leave our family locksmith business and work for someone else. That is the way it will always be. Employees are a necessity you cannot do without. But as soon as someone leaves, someone else comes through the shop door and the whole employee cycle repeats.
