Our Hiring Process

hiring process

When you hire us, it is important for you to know who will be working in and around your family and your house. You can trust that Sir Paints A Lot takes as many steps as possible to ensure that the people we hire will be safe, honest and reliable. Let me tell you more about our hiring process! 

Hiring Step 1: Character First, Talent Second

We can teach anyone how to paint with precision and efficiency. Well, anyone who is willing to learn! While experience can be beneficial, we believe the most important thing to consider when hiring a new team member is character. This isn’t always an easy thing to discern right away just based off of job application forms and previous work history. We never skip the interview!

Hiring Step 2: The Interview

After the applicant completes our form, which can be found at www.sirpaints.com/career, we will call the applicant for a phone interview. What sort of questions do we ask during our interviews and what are we looking for? Well, the first thing we look for is how the applicant responds to the unexpected pressure of the phone call. We need to know that the applicant will not become overly stressed and panicked every time something unexpected comes up at the job site. 

We also look for enthusiasm and clean language. Painters spend several hours inside our customers’ homes and it is important that they are capable of keeping their language professional. We always call the references provided, and if they are not able to give us any positive remarks, or were not even aware that we would be calling them; it is likely that the interview process for that applicant will end there.

Interview Stage 2

But for applicants who did provide good references and informed them that we would be calling, we will take our interview to the next level! We will ask deeper questions about their work ethic and motivations. We want to find out how hungry they are to be a part of our team and what opportunity they see for themselves in joining us. Are they looking to be a part of something, or simply punch the clock for a paycheck? 

We really dive into the team player mentality, because painters work as a crew. If one member is much less invested in the outcome of the job, it negatively impacts everyone else on the team. We look for humility and the willingness to learn and admit to weaknesses, with a desire to actually overcome them. We try to get a feel for their interpersonal skills by asking questions about how they handled past conflicts or frustrations with others. 

Ultimately our interview process is very lengthy, as we want to ensure we are hiring the kind of people who do what they say they will do, and respect the people they work with and the people they work for. We want to have peace of mind that they will care just as much about the outcome of your project as you do, because they respect you and they hold themselves to a standard worthy of respecting. 

Hiring Step 3: Background Check and Drug Test

Regardless of how amazing of an applicant we think we found after interviewing them, we still proceed with the background check and drug testing. We are fully aware that some people are excellent at telling you what you want to hear and we do not want to send anyone into your house until we can be sure that they will not be a risk to your safety or your property. 

As you can see, our interview is really the most important part of our hiring process. We ask several questions about past situations and conflicts, previous jobs and work ethic, hobbies and motivations, family and friends, and strengths and weaknesses. We make sure our new hires can work well on a team and keep a positive and professional attitude. Experience is definitely a bonus, but only if the character comes with it! 

I hope this helps you feel confident when you hire us! To schedule an estimate with Sir Paints A Lot click HERE!

Critical Considerations When Choosing A Contractor

The initial feeling of excitement when you decide to have your house painted is a rush for sure! Buuuuut it can wear off quickly. You begin to realize how many things need to be done between the moment you decide to paint and the moment the painting is completed. Fantasizing all the different color options is only one task on the list, and not the first! So first things first! You need to decide WHO will be handling your paint work for you. Step 1 is a huge decision! It will impact the whole process, so here are some helpful things to consider when you choose your contractor! 

Which Contractor Should I Choose ??? 😉 *** Photo by Juan Rumimpunu on Unsplash

Reputation and Stability

Most of us take the time to look at online reputation before we call for an estimate in the first place… but is that enough? The crucial question is “Which business page has the most Facebook likes?!?” Winner! Done! 😉 Kidding… If only it were that simple! While you can put some weight into the way a business interacts with the social community; it is much more important to see if they have actual references and reviews about the experience they provide to their customers. If they do not have online reviews; can they give you references in another format? 

Even a well liked business with lots of good reviews can be irresponsible though… And just because something bad hasn’t happened yet doesn’t necessarily mean they are prepared for it. Make sure the contractor you want to hire has a good business insurance policy and worker’s comp for all employees. If the contractor you want to hire uses sub-contractors; make sure they have these things too! A contractor whose stability is based off of more than social perception is critical!

Experience and Service

When we think of “experience”, we tend to just think of “how long” the contractor has been in business for. That is not the best way to look at it. Someone could be running a painting business for 50 years and only paint one house a month. On the flip side: Another contractor could be 5 years into their business, but have experience running 4 jobs a week. While you want to be sure that your contractor knows what they are doing, it is also important to ask about the “experience” they offer. 

Does the contractor provide a clear outline for the services they will provide for you? Do they have a warranty on their work or materials? To find out how to spot a good warranty; click here!  Is their communication with you going to make you confident that you are a part of the plan? Or will you be left in the dark, hoping they don’t finally show up for the project  when you’re in the bathroom. 😉 (A personal fear of mine haha!) The quality of your experience depends greatly on the quality of your contractor’s service and communication. 

Follow Up

It is pretty common in the trades for a contractor to come and go as they please. Everything happens on their time, with very short notice for you, in most cases. This can leave you under-prepared for the conversations you want to have with them, and frustrated with poor communication. They can leave just as quickly as they came and not really care either way whether you are satisfied with the service you paid for or not. The final bill can be hugely different from the quote you received, and you can’t expect communication to improve at this point.

Now not all contractors behave this way! But you definitely want to have a conversation with your contractor about what you can expect during the process; from the first estimate to the final bill. 

Click Here for our handy list: 17 Critical Questions for Your Contractor!

Thank you for your time! To schedule an estimate with Sir Paints A Lot, click here! Have an Amazing Day!