Hiring Talent When We Needed Heart

When we opened the doors of Edge Pest Control in Denver back in 2009, our thought was that, as long as we had enough qualified technicians to service our accounts, we were in good shape. As we began to grow, however, we discovered that having enough employees is only the start; to truly differentiate your company and succeed in your markets, you have to have the right employees — people who share compatible values and have good character. Individuals who truly care about people, and serving families and businesses. Men and women with heart.

In the early days of our company, we gave more precedence to an employee’s abilities or experience than we should have. Unfortunately, many of these employees thought they were fulfilling expectations by simply “getting the job done.” But, as customer attrition increased we realized that a “good enough” attitude about customer service was not acceptable. If you want to be the best service company in the nation, you have to have the best employees. And we are committed to being the best.

It didn’t take us long to identify the employees who were building loyal customer bases. These employees, we found, had heart. And so, our hiring standards changed. Going forward, we placed a higher value on core values…integrity…attitude…and the unwavering commitment to treat customers as they would treat their own families.

Our business began to flourish. And today, as our 200 employees service the pest management needs of more than 40,000 recurring customers throughout seven states, we know these dedicated service professionals are the reason we continue to grow. Every day these individuals go out and fulfill our corporate-wide mission of “lifting and blessing” others. Our people genuinely enjoy working with customers, and the customers feel it. They are grateful for the courteous service they receive as our staff works hard to competently and conscientiously resolve their pest issues.

HOW WE RECRUIT. In our quest to identify and hire outstanding individuals, we have adopted a practice of continual, rather than as-needed, hiring. Wherever we go, we are always looking for high-potential candidates. We like to see people in their environment, candidly interacting with people. After all, anyone can smile and say the right things in an interview. But in an interview, you don’t get to see how people react to the candidate the way you do when you observe someone in the act of serving customers. So if we spot a really great customer service person in a restaurant, at the gym or at a gas station, we talk to them about opportunities at our company.

We also have a consistent marketing program to bring qualified candidates to our attention. If we are recruiting for open positions, we hire twice the number of candidates we need so that we can choose the best after taking them on ride-alongs. We tell these individuals up front that we are hiring them for a provisional period to give them the opportunity to earn the job. Then we watch their behaviors. Do they arrive on time? Are they passionate about getting to the heart of customers’ needs? Are they eager to learn about our processes and solutions? Are they respectful? Friendly? Kind? Compassionate? Do they have heart? We make certain they are great for the job and for our customers before we invite them to join our team and wear our brand on their chest.

WHAT WE ASK AND TEACH. At the interview, we ask more about who a candidate is as it relates to serving people than their pest management experience. We can teach them the technical skills; we want to know if they have the right character for the position. We strive to learn more about their values and outlook. After the interview, we ask ourselves, “How will they represent our brand?” We gauge that by how well they represented their own “brand” during our conversation. How they represent themselves is a great indicator of how they will represent us.

Once we’ve chosen a candidate, the onboarding process begins. In addition to technical training, we instill a sense of Edge’s culture. Every person who serves as a trainer or mentor for new employees, whether a human resources representative or a member of our management team, is committed to our culture of lifting and blessing others not only at work but also at home and in the community. They set an example for our new employees, who quickly adopt this positive outlook.

What we’ve learned over the years is that growth and service make people happy. We aren’t looking for employees who come to work just to earn a paycheck. We identify and hire high-potential employees and provide opportunities for them to thrive. Happiness and fulfillment on the job leads employees to give it their all. That’s good for their well-being and success, as well as for the success of our company.

As told to Donna DeFranco.