If you own a business that uses many younger employees, such as a restaurant or retail shop, you know how valuable these individuals can be to making your business a success. But just as it is when hiring any new employee, there are certain things you look for when making your decision. Since most younger people have little if any job experience, here are some other important things to look for when hiring young employees for your business.
Dependability
Once you hire someone, the last thing you want is for them to always be late or not show up at all for their shift. Therefore, always make dependability and reliability one of your main criteria for choosing a new employee. If the younger person you are interviewing has no job experience, ask them to tell you of a time when they were depended upon by others, such as if they were put in charge of a project at school or church.
Integrity
Since many younger workers begin as cashiers and are responsible for handling money, you should hire employees who possess high levels of integrity and honesty. To find out if your applicant has this, ask them of a time when they had to make a tough decision related to their ethics, such as if they witnessed a person cheating or returned a wallet to its rightful owner.
Team Player
Whether you are hiring young employees on your own or are having your hiring handled by temp agencies, always make sure any new employee is a team player. This is critical, since one bad apple in a workplace can lead to numerous distractions and other issues. Therefore, have potential employees describe a situation when they were part of a group project, what they did, and if they enjoyed it and why.
Respect Toward Others
Finally, since today’s modern workplace is filled more and more with people of diverse backgrounds, you should ensure any and all young employees you hire for your business are able and willing to show respect to their coworkers and your customers. Since it is likely your younger employees will be working with older coworkers and waiting on customers older than them, making sure they are respectful to everyone will help your business continue to attract new customers.
Once you’ve hired the best young employees for your business, you’re sure to find their energy and enthusiasm will be a welcome addition to your company.