I’m in a mid/senior management role in the corporate automotive world. About 250 associates report to 12 managers under me. I am understaffed for one of the entry level full time positions that typically sees a good amount of turnover. The job is fairly tough work mostly outdoors and mostly on your feet. Pay is competitive for the area, we are well about minimum wage for the entry level position.
The company is actually great. (Call me a bootlicker) but, benefits and pay are amazing and the culture is very pro-associate. We are not union but not anti-union. To put it short, we absolutely take care of our people to almost anything they need.
I usually interview with one of the managers reporting to me so they can see/learn interview strategies and thought processes. Plus the associates will report to them, not me, so they should be bought into hiring the associate.
It’s become not unusual for me to see a hesitant applicant. Here’s my example:
Applicant comes in early on a scooter and sits in the waiting room waiting for myself to get the room and the other manager ready. He’s well dressed and avoids eye contact as much as possible.
He interviews “okay” not the best answers. I’m typically good with this and teach the other managers to be aware they’re hiring on for an entry level position, not company facing public speaking positions. I explain the job to him in detail because I want applicants to know what they are signing up for. Nothing should be a surprise once they’re hired.
After the paperwork questions part of the interview he shares that he has another part time job that doesn’t pay anywhere near what I offered him. He doesn’t want to leave them because they treat him well. (Hours-wise) this doesn’t work for us. He shares that he has tried other companies and has had racist/neglectful/bad managers.
I instruct the manager who he would’ve reported to, to figure out a way to make it work so that he can keep both jobs until he decides if he likes it here.
We find a way to schedule him off on the 2 days his other job needs him. We offer him a position and he declines.
I wish him well, but I really wish I could’ve changed his perspective about employers. We are not all terrible.