How to Hire Employees For Your Bouncy Castle Rental Business

The Bouncy Castle rental business is great business to start without much help. You can own AND operate it at the beginning helping you keep your costs low but there will be a time when things get busy especially if you continue to add more equipment. You may have to start thinking about hiring some help. In this article, we will tell you a few things to consider based on our own experience. Of course, every business runs differently but this is something that has worked for us in regards to hiring staff to help with the deliveries.

WHERE TO FIND APPLICANTS?

We find the best place to post your job opening is on Indeed.com. It is simple to use, effective and FREE. Be clear as to what the role is, your expectations and any minimum requirements you are looking for. IE: Applicant must have a drivers license, clean criminal record, be okay with manual labour, etc. Try to be specific with how much they will be working and how much they will be getting paid. You don't want to waste your time scheduling an interview when the applicant wants more money than you are willing to pay. 

HOW TO PICK THROUGH ALL THE RESUMES?

You will probably get quite a bit of responses so it may get overwhelming on who to choose. One thing we looked for was where they lived. We wanted to have someone close by as this was super helpful any last minute bookings. It will be hard to ask an employee to drive a long way for a few hours of work.

Email each potential candidate asking them if they are still interested and if you can schedule a phone call interview. A phone call interview will give you an idea if this person is serious about the job and will give the applicant an idea if they want the job. There is a surprising amount of people that don't want to work and won't show up for the interview - wasting your time.

HOW TO CONDUCT A PHONE CALL INTERVIEW? 

A phone call interview is an efficient way to weed out the applicants that won't be good fit to join your team. This is an opportunity to get the basics covered.

1. Ask them if they have a driver's license.

2. Ask them if they are available on the weekends (or whenever you need them)

3. Remind them about the role, as described in the post as some people don't even read the posts.

4. Ask them if they are okay with heavy lifting. 

5. Ask them about their salary expectations.

Once you get all the information you need. You have a couple of choices. If you're happy with the response, schedule a face to face interview. If you are not - be honest...politely of course that we are looking for someone who can/is __________. Sorry!

HOW TO CONDUCT AN FACE TO FACE INTERVIEW? 

Now that you're meeting with the applicant..here are a few steps you can take.

1. Introduce yourself and tell them about your business. Give them the story on how you started and your visions for it. This is a great way to help put them at ease. Be polite and show respect to your applicant. 

2. Set the Stage. Let the applicant know what you want out of the interview. Remember, the interview is not just about you observing them. They are observing you as well! Be mindful how you behave. If you are too casual, they might take the job that seriously. To formal, and they might be too nervous and you won't see the real person.

3. Review the Role. Spell out what the position involves in more detail than was outlined in the job posting, so candidates can make sure the job is right for them. Pay, Schedule, duties, etc.

4. Ask Questions: Use a specific set of questions for all applicants. This will help you to compare candidates and find the one whose skills and abilities most closely match what you’re looking for. It’s important that you ask questions on skills specifically related to the duties and responsibilities of the position. 

5. Show them around the shop: If you can, show them the equipment. Some people need to see exactly what they are going to do. Go over the day to day.

6. Let them ask any questions: Applicants should be given the chance both to answer your questions and to ask questions of their own to determine if the job and the company are right for them. 

8. Schedule a Day to Shadow you. People talk the talk but can they walk the walk? I like to test this out by scheduling a day for them to come in and job shadow. Follow me around to see what exactly is expected of him. At the end of the shift, we will both have an idea if this will be a good fit.

HOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR EMPLOYEES?

This definitely depends on how you operate your business. A few things you should keep in mind, employees won't care about the business as much as you do so you can't expect them to work 12-15 hour shifts. Especially if you have them driving all over town. Not only are you risking them being tired, this is very dangerous. 

How we worked around scheduling long shifts was implementing two shifts. A morning shift that handles all the deliveries / drop-offs / setups and an afternoon shift to start collecting all the equipment. 

This works well when you have a time limit for your rentals. ie: 5 - 6 hour rentals & no later than 8:00pm.  

Reminder: This post is to get you thinking. If it it a temporary employment, paying out cash maybe your best option but consult with a legal professional for proper advice on this.