Hey Clippers! Dave Tucker here to talk about a vital topic in this day and age: hiring lawn maintenance workers.

It’s no secret that the labor market has been a little wacky over the past few years. You may have felt the effects yourself. But you don’t need to be a victim of circumstance when it comes to hiring.

Some of the best hiring ideas I’ve ever heard came straight from the CLIP family. Our community of lawn maintenance business owners has years of experience hiring good people. You can learn a lot from their creative ideas and reliable strategies.

Of course, we’ve talked about hiring in the past. And we’ve shared our guide to hiring H-2B workers as well. Today’s post covers a few extra ideas you may not have heard before.

1. Ask every interviewee to mow part of your lawn.

Just because someone knows how to use a push mower doesn’t mean they can handle one of the big guys. Walk-behind and stander mowers are serious pieces of equipment that require a special touch.

Of course, everyone starts somewhere, and you could easily hire a newbie who trains up like a pro. But it’s important to see people in action if possible. You’ll be able to tell right away whether they have the skills—or the potential—you’re looking for.

More importantly, a live demo tells you a lot about their efficiency and attention to detail. They’re probably not the right fit if they do a sloppy job and miss multiple corners. But if they follow a tidy pattern and execute a quality job, that’s a great candidate.

2. Consider hiring a temp for your lawn maintenance business.

Temp agencies aren’t just for office workers! Believe it or not, temps can be a fantastic option for your lawn maintenance business.

For starters, it’s fast: A temp agency can usually get you a person in just a few days. And if that person is a bad match, the agency will send someone new at no cost to you. At least, most of them will. I recommend asking them directly to clarify.

And who knows? You might end up hiring one of your temps as a permanent employee. You’d hardly be the first person to luck out with a temp agency.

Regardless of outcome, working with a temp agency is a low-risk option for expanding your candidate pool.

3. When hiring lawn maintenance workers, sell the fun parts.

There are some great perks to lawn maintenance that other businesses can’t offer. One CLIP user is a big believer in advertising these best parts of the beautiful business:

  • Get paid to spend the day outside.
  • Get paid to get in shape.
  • Never sit at a desk again.

He uses these phrases all the time: Job postings, banners at hiring events, and signage outside his office. It’s a great way to catch people’s attention, especially the people you want working for you!

Another tip: Make a video of your crew members at work. Capture clips where they’re smiling, laughing and working. You can hire an editor online for pretty cheap and have them splice together all your best footage. Put this video on your website and run it on a laptop at job fairs. Trust me: People will notice. It’s hard to resist sunshine and smiling faces.

You know this already, but it bears repeating: The beautiful business is not some stuffy corporate clubhouse. And that’s fantastic! It means you can get really creative with your hiring practices. In the words of one CLIP user: “How do you expect to be noticed if you’re doing things the same way everyone else is?”

4. Train up leaders who share your vision.

You can’t be the only one moving the needle toward a great future. You need at least one right-hand person who fully buys into your vision. You can count on that person to make decisions you’d be proud of, even when you’re not around.

That person can become your biggest advocate when hiring. They’ll know how to talk to job candidates and sell them on the benefits of working for you.

Hiring is rarely the easiest part of running a business. But with these tips, you’ll have a head start on the competition.

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