What do you look for in entry level job candidates?

SlamDunk · April 27

I have two young candidates, about 20 years old, both graduated from community college HVAC-R program. I can only hire one.

Neither can find jobs in HVAC industry. I checked their claim that companies want five years experience. That is what I see myself. Neither has a great resume which is to be expected. Both are eager and both had good gpa's.

What do you look for in young candidates looking for work? What questions would you ask? If I could, I would hire both.

I should add, this is a utility maintenance position were we word on chillers, boilers,plumbing, control and electrical.

Pumpguy · 12:22AM

I would ask about personal experiences and interests. What did your father and grandfathers or uncles or other acquaintances do in these fields? Did you help them in any way, or even watch what they did working in these fields?

I didn't realize it then, but as I look back on my own experiences with my father and grandfather, these certainly affected what I'm doing today.

EBEBRATT-Ed · 12:27AM

The ability to learn. An attitude of wanting to work and learn,

I would ask if they are willing to work nights, weekends, holidays if necessary. That usually separates the good from the not so good weather it is a requirement for the job you are offering or not.

I am retired but my brother is still working in a position in a power plant. He says the last few years getting people is very difficult and getting people to work nights and weekends is nearly impossible. Sorry to say many of the younger people just don't have the work ethic. His side job is running a boiler plant in a hospital same thing there. MA requires a HP steam plant to be manned 24/7. No one want s to work off hours.

They have a wood fired boiler that can same them a ton on fuel expense but when burning wood they need more people on site 24/7. They have about given up on burning wood due to the lack of help. It's all automated but someone need to run the bucket loader, and the wood auger can jamb occasionally hence the need for more help.

109A_5 · 1:16AM

Hobbies, does either work on their own vehicle ?

mattmia2 · 1:22AM

i would give them your questions ahead of time

i would ask some sort of generic logic question about how you work through solving a problem or troubleshooting but don't make it so you have to know about hvac stuff

maybe some stuff about tools and mechanics

this reminds me of the commercial where they show in the 80's this is how we did banking and show a pneumatic tube drive through teller and the person asks "where's it going?" and i'm thinking are you dumb? you see that person on the other side of the window that just picked it up? you don't want that person

EdTheHeaterMan · 1:47AM

When choosing between two candidates with similar technical training and no field experience, I would focus on indicators of reliability, accountability, and commitment. Married with children indicates that they have responsibilities that will encourage them to keep a steady job. Do they pay rent for an apartment or do they live with mommy and daddy? Are they party animals (which we all were at that age) will they call in sick on monday after a bender over the weekend? You can't ask about that stuff directly in the interview but you can maybe find out by casual conversation.

Their social media may be a clue also. If you don't know how to navigate the stuff, maybe your kids do and they can help you.

For the interview: I recommend asking questions that help reveal how each candidate manages responsibility. For example:

What commitments do you currently have outside of work?
How have you demonstrated reliability in school, internships, or past jobs?
Can you give an example of a time you had to meet a responsibility or deadline consistently?
Also ask then how much they need to live on? This is to determine what you might be willing to pay them. You get what you pay for, so the guy that undervalues their worth might not be the best deal.

Candidates who can demonstrate a pattern of showing up on time, meeting obligations, and taking ownership of their responsibilities are more likely to be dependable employees.

In my experience, the key factor is not age or personal situation, but whether the individual has developed habits of accountability and follow-through.

SlamDunk · 1:54AM

I interviewed both via phone and they both have very similar qualities, backgrounds and family dynamics. they are coming in for another interview. I was hoping to find a tie breaker.

hobbies? nothing mechanical. video games for both. Truly entry level looking for their first real job.

I didnt expect to hear that they tear into things or repair their own cars. I know times have changed.

At this point, it will be a coin toss.

109A_5 · 3:01AM

Was their career choice a coin toss ?

Why did they pick HVAC-R ?

Yeah times have changed, I've been tearing into things as far back as I can remember.

EBEBRATT-Ed · 3:56AM

@SlamDunk

One thing I forgot that may be the deciding factor is any electrical experience or intrest. It has been proven time and time again that most service work is 75-80% electrical related.

Other than that in my own experience (and many others in the business have mentioned this as well) is that if a person in HVACR can't get the electrical end of things he probably won't be very good.

For some reason (and I don't claim to know the answer) a person that "gets electrical" can be taught anything else. But the reverse is not true

109A_5 · 4:05AM

@EBEBRATT-Ed

Electrical tends to be more abstract. Folks that can handle the abstract stuff can usually handle the mechanical stuff. And like you stated the reverse is not as true.

SlamDunk · 9:59AM

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1895251#Comment_1895251

In both cases, yeah. They were pushed onto to the “ join the trades” bandwagon. There was no evidence of ambition to get a trades job. Wish me luck. And thanks for everyone’s thoughts.

ratio · 11:02AM

See if they'll meet your eyes and shake your hand. I just heard that shaking hands is 'triggering' to many of our youths nowadays. <sigh>

Be a little rude to them, see how they handle it. It's important to be able to leave your feelings behind when you're at work.

pecmsg · 12:00PM

In this market just like contractors, you have to weed through a lot to find the right one.

ethicalpaul · 12:44PM

hobbies? nothing mechanical. video games for both. Truly entry level looking for their first real job.

What hobby would have been a "good" one for this question? I'm sorry but asking unrelated things isn't going to get you much.

"My favorite hobby is practicing sweating perfect elbow joints!" Let the kids have their hobbies whether it's video games or whatever.

In the end, accept that you aren't really going to be able to tell who is going to be a good employee over the long term. Employers are obsessed with trying not to make any mistakes with multiple rounds of interviews. This is an entry level job it sounds like…just pick one!

ChrisJ · 12:58PM

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1895265#Comment_1895265

My hobbies would make doing hvac much easier for someone.

If it's possible, hiring both on probation for a month to see how they perform, show up etc would be really nice, if possible. If one of them only shows up half the time, or argues everything etc…….

Steamhead · 1:59PM

@SlamDunk , were their background checks a tie also?

What do you look for in entry level job candidates?

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