Opinions on hiring the perfect office admin

[callthatgirl]

I wish this post was in TEO. Aces, great post!

 

[BuRaK]

I have to say so far did a great job on starting good conversations. I have to keep up with it

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

i have had bad luck with office admins, pretty much it comes down to nobody i have had will do the job without mistakes and those mistakes cost me money

some issues:
not inputting data properly
not charging the customer the right amount
not shipping the right item for our online store
shipping the wrong amount of items
not turning off electrical items when leaving

the only way mistakes dont happen are when i do the admin job, but when i do admin i cant do the more important tasks

You're going to have that no matter what. This is an obstacle which is not limited to "office admin"...but an obstacle typically run into by an entrepreneur when they have outgrown their "I'm a 1 man (or woman) show..and I need to hire a second person" You now have to overcome that trust issue. You have that same worry if you hired a 2nd tech (other than yourself)...and you let them work on your clients computer...will they do everything exactly as you would do? Not likely.

 

[MobileTechie]

It brings up the concerns that many small employers have about hiring women in the their 30's that don't have kids. I've heard many say (off the record) that they would think very carefully about employing one because if they decide to have a baby the business is then left without the employee for months and having to pay them with no guarantee that they will come back at the end.

With a large firm, they can soak this stuff up and afford contract labour etc. But for a one man band I can imagine it could be literally a game-ender. I'm not in that situation but it must be tricky. You want to do the right thing but you don't wanna go out of business.

 

[Martyn]

It brings up the concerns that many small employers have about hiring women in the their 30's that don't have kids. I've heard many say (off the record) that they would think very carefully about employing one because if they decide to have a baby the business is then left without the employee for months and having to pay them with no guarantee that they will come back at the end.

With a large firm, they can soak this stuff up and afford contract labour etc. But for a one man band I can imagine it could be literally a game-ender.

And therein lies the problem, they wouldn't have to divulge any of that information in an interview. In my last company(large so it made not much of an impact) one girl who was getting a years paid maternity leave off the record said that she wouldn't return. Even if her intentions was to return often having the baby and the changes in your life and circumstances may make you change your mind. Sorry for going off topic

 

[gravator]

I use my web developer to do our office admin work. He is station to a pc anyways to do the web programming, but mixes in the other needed daily tasks. I made sure when putting in this place that he understands the importance of CS when foot traffic comes in.

Two cents.

 

[brandonkick]

Bottom line is that your going to have to give people a chance.

Most people are not able to be "read" like a book. Maybe some are, maybe some people are a little better at reading people then others but when it comes down to it your going to have to find a good person through trial and error.


I suggest bringing on a few different people on a "contract to hire" basis.

This means that you can pay them less money.
This means you do not have to hire them on a permanent basis.
This means they know they have competition and do NOT have a job yet.

People from all walks of life can be good employees. Maybe bringing on three "temp" people might cost a little bit more then straight out hiring one full time person but you get the chance to see what kind of employee they are before committing. A good employee is worth their weight in gold.

 

[Tony_Scarpelli]

its also possible i am part of the problem, i have no management experience, im lenient since im not a mean guy

Your like my brother. We work well together as I don't mind being the bad cop (as in good cop bad cop).

I submit, its kinder to expressly correct them and give them a chance to keep their job.

Part of management is delegate, then follow up, you do that as many times is necessary until they get it. Then you only need follow up occasionally to check they do not get sloppy but if this is difficult you need to hire a manager. If you constantly see the same mistakes you might also consider the process and see if a better process can be created to reduce errors.

Ford Motor company was successful because they dumbed down the Craftsmans job into jobs not required of a craftsman but a laborer. Not saying we can do that with IT but with normal daily process you might.

I hired an admin with strong mgmt skills and then I was able to sit back while she did the supervision.

 

[MobileTechie]

That's a rather demotivational insight.
You guys need to check the UK Paternity rules. Employees can take both: 1 or 2 weeks of Ordinary Paternity Leave AND up to 26 weeks’ Additional Paternity Leave (only if the child’s mother has returned to work) https://www.gov.uk/paternityleave/overview
So, would it be acceptable to ask a bloke if he intends to start a family and take his statutory time off?
Fortunately at 34ish and without rugrats I run my own business.

Back on topic: I have 2 late 20's admin guys.

I'm not saying it's acceptable for the employer to ask the woman or a man for that matter. I'm just relaying the fact that I've heard many small business employers talk about how worried they are about employing women of a certain age. If new paternity rules make it just as risky for the employer then I imagine that will either make it easier for women to get employed, or harder for men of a certain age to get employed. Either way there is quite a burden and risk on the small business if laws are in place that mean they lose their only member of staff for months and have to pay them

 

[callthatgirl]

While it's against the law (Here in the USA) to ask directly is someone is married, or has kids, or their religion...I have learned people generally tell you everything in an interview and some. Way too much info! Sometimes I get stories that leave me

If you want to know more about them and their personal life, just ask them what they like doing nights/weekends, hobbies, etc. Marriage, kids and religious answers come out with these usually. I found this out naturally lol.