Hiring in the Rain Gutter Industry

In the world of home improvement, hiring the right team is perhaps the most important ingredient in leading a successful company. The Rain Gutter Association recently had the pleasure of speaking with RGA member Shawn Thompson from Southern Star Roofing and Gutters about her unique approach to building and leading their team. Shawn’s insights, drawn from her background in insurance adjusting and counseling, offer valuable lessons for any gutter company looking to hire effectively.

What You Need to Know Before You Start Hiring

First and foremost, you need time to prepare before you start hiring—or as Shawn emphasized, before you even make your first sale. Shawn emphasizes the importance of a solid infrastructure for any new business. "Not very many people lack motivation, inspiration, creativity and excitement when they start their business. What most people lack is the foundation of a business. That includes a CRM, a calendar, the ability to schedule appointments, and billing. If you don’t have those all set up and ready to go before you start, then even your best dreams can crumble.”

“Make sure that before you go door knocking and signing someone up that you have all your pieces in position. That way when you make your first sale, everything falls into place, and you're not gonna be chasing your tail just trying to make it happen.”

According to Shawn, dedicating time to research and setting up systems is critical. "…if you're really committed to putting a foundation into place and working out all the kinks, I would say you need at least six months to research, understand, and interview people who have done this before or done something similar. That way you know which platforms to use and what works and what doesn't. Practice and make sure everything runs smoothly.”

Finding Quality Candidates

When it comes to hiring, Shawn's approach is both unconventional and highly effective. Traditional online job boards (like Craigslist or Indeed) haven’t yielded the best results for her. She’s usually found that people coming in from websites have criminal backgrounds or poor attendance records that prevent them from panning out. Instead, she recommends going shopping."The best place we have hired are actually at Home Depot or Lowe's, where we’re picking up material," she shared with a laugh. "Our crew leaves shopping for material and spots someone who looks promising, and they end up joining our team."

“We have four to five guys on our crew right now…and almost all of them came from Lowe's and Home Depot. We see guys and just ask ‘Hey, do you want a job?’ And sometimes they say yes! So we bring them in for an interview, and as long as they qualify for the position, we hire them. They're great because they can take the heat, they can work long days, and they're excited to hang out with each other and do the job. And so I would say word of mouth referrals and the parking lot in Home Depot and Lowe's are the best places to find good candidates.”

What to Look for in Candidates

Shawn’s hiring strategy goes beyond typical qualifications. She incorporates her background in counseling and, oddly enough, astrology, to identify the right traits in potential employees. "Your hardest workers are going to be people that are Capricorns, Virgos, Aries, and Leos," she noted. "They like structure and routine, and they work hard. But I understand not very many people are going to take that perspective in hiring.”

Other than their sign, Shawn looks for some more conventional traits in candidates. “The other things that I look for is if they can speak well and if they have ambition in their voice. If they're just showing up to get a paycheck, or to just have a job, you can tell. For example, if they don't come prepared for the interview.”

Shawn shared an example to help illustrate her point. “I had a sales guy come in the other day, and he got the appointment time wrong. He gave me an out-of-date resume. And he could not tell me what I put in the sales ad. I just said, ‘Look, you're not prepared for the interview, this is not the job for you.’ I asked him to leave and he was offended. I really look for somebody who can be present, and who can ask me questions about the job as well. If you check those things off, I'm typically going to hire you.”

Reducing Turnover and Keeping Your Team Happy

Maintaining a low turnover rate is essential for any business. Shawn has implemented several practices to ensure her team remains motivated. "At the end of the day, I check in with my guys to see how their day went," she explained. "This helps address any issues early on and keeps everyone happy."

Shawn also creates a positive work environment by organizing weekly and quarterly events. "Every Monday, we have a meeting with breakfast sandwiches." she said. "We also have quarterly cleaning days with pizza and golf outings to show appreciation for our team."

Unfortunately, even the best employee culture is going to have some turnover. Sometimes, hires don’t work out for reasons you don’t expect. “...we had two employees walk out on a job because they didn't want to climb a ladder. That left us stranded with one person on the job.”

Handling Emergency Hiring

Unexpected situations like that require quick hiring decisions. Fortunately, Shawn had an interview scheduled that day with a candidate who had five years of gutter experience, but who faced personal challenges.

"He did not have his life together. He was pretty much homeless. He had a wife and three kids, and they were living in their van. He was living day to day and dollar to dollar. He was a nice enough guy, but he had a felony. But he had experience and we needed a body. We needed somebody who knew what they were doing. Literally, those two guys walked in and quit as I was interviewing. So I looked at this individual and asked ‘Can you start today?’ And he said, ‘Can I change in your bathroom?’ And he started right away.”

“He lasted here about three to four months because he was chasing his tail. We had to pay him cash every day because otherwise he literally wouldn't have gas to get to work. We tried and tried and tried to help him. But in the big picture, he was just a liability.”

From this experience, Shawn learned the importance of always having enough team members to handle sudden departures. "Never let your crew get down to three people," she advised. "Always have a backup plan and be ready to step in if needed."

Red Flags in New Hires

We also took some time to discuss some early red flags that indicate a new hire might not work out. “The guy that we hired on the fly had a bit of a know-it-all personality. But he did bring a lot to the table because he had five years of experience. So he really did know a lot.”

Shawn notes that this experience comes with its own drawbacks.“It wasn't that what he was bringing to the table was wrong, per se. Just sometimes when you have a system and a new person comes in and says, oh, you should do it this way instead, it can feel threatening to other employees.”

The takeaway? Even if the new employee has a good idea, tread carefully. Conflict over systems can create tension in the company. Employees need to earn their stripes before they start changing things.

Other red flags? “Look at how they show up to work.” Shawn notes. “Are they 5, 10, 15 minutes late? Do they have excuses all the time? Are they asking for money here and there? Are they just not being professional?”

“We had an installer who would wear his pants down to his knees. To the point where we got him a belt. He also had tattoos, which I’m fine with, but you should wear a shirt that covers your tattoos so you can look professional.”

If you have employees who don’t respect your dress code and your time, then “...you know they’re just going to be more trouble than they’re worth.” Shawn asserts. “It doesn't matter if you’re rich or poor, so long as you have respect for each other and our customers when you're on the job.”

Employee Onboarding and the Rain Gutter Association

Coming out ahead of these issues is key when training new hires. Shawn uses Rain Gutter Association coursework to help her train new hires. “We give new hires a couple of shirts that have our brand on them, and then we send them out with the crew. And they are just kind of the go-to helper for a couple of days until they find their position in the crew. We also give them two-to-three weeks to go through all the coursework that you have in the Rain Gutter Association so that they understand what gutters are and how they come together.”

For Shawn, the online training provided by the RGA and the in-person training at Southern Star Roofing & Gutters come together to create a comprehensive onboarding experience. “Within two weeks of being in the field we can ask new hires ‘Have you gone through the RGA training?’ If they haven't gone through it, we can tell. For example, they’ll ask dumb questions like ‘What’s a miter?’ when the answers to basic questions like that are covered in RGA coursework.”

Final Thoughts

Shawn’s final advice for gutter companies emphasizes the importance of respect and vetting in the hiring process. "When hiring, ensure your team represents your company well," she said. "Train them properly and make sure they show respect on the job."