How much compensation for a employee with zero experience/competency?

[MikePro]

zero experience, minimum wage with incentives to grow: 90 days before benefits kick-in and renegotiation of wages based on effort & ability to learn/follow direction.

zero competence, don't hire at all.... why are you even considering this? why is this even being debated? this is why we have job interviews ...and our current president.

....and signbot, get sum thicker skin or stop asking for advice online. "stupid questions" get chippy answers, what did you expect?
its just like painting a sign and wrapping it in bubble-wrap before it was fully dry, and then blaming the client for "being too demanding".
you should know better, that's why YOU get paid.
better question: how much compensation do you get for your poor decision-making skills?

:Welcome:2:signs101:

 

[Signbot]

zero experience, minimum wage with incentives to grow: 90 days before benefits kick-in and renegotiation of wages based on effort & ability to learn/follow direction.

zero competence, don't hire at all.... why are you even considering this? why is this even being debated? this is why we have job interviews ...and our current president.

....and signbot, get sum thicker skin or stop asking for advice online. "stupid questions" get chippy answers, what did you expect?
its just like painting a sign and wrapping it in bubble-wrap before it was fully dry, and then blaming the client for "being too demanding".
you should know better, that's why YOU get paid.
better question: how much compensation do you get for your poor decision-making skills?

:Welcome:2:signs101:

HEY!
Firstly, thanks for the warm welcome.
Secondly, I never "blamed" the client. We had conflicting schedules and she was warned prior to shipment but was willing to take the risks. So your remark about "poor decision making" is besides the point.
Thirdly, I certainly wasnt expecting to be the subject of debate here. I was just curious how others compensated new employees but it sure didn't turn out as expected!
And lastly. There is no such thing as a "stupid"(dumb) question. -Carl Sagan

 

[neil_se]

I've got a new guy starting in 2 weeks. Age 23, zero experience but good potential, $20/hr + 9.25% superannuation + 50% overtime loading.

Gotta love Aussie labour rates!

 

[Biker Scout]

I find it amusing at how serious people take the graphics and sign field. It's glorified arts and crafts. It's not hard... that is if you already have the aptitude to even be in this field. What you do is give them a skills test when they walk through the door and ask for employment. A piece of vinyl, a substrate, an x-acto and squeegee. The rest can be picked up through watching, helping and pushing the broom. I can train you to do most of the basic functions of a sign shop, print shop or newspaper in about 12 hours or less. Gradually work on the finer points if you can make it through the first 2 days. You can pretty much tell right off the bat if a person can be left alone by the end of the week or if they are going to need you to hover all the time. Give them the tools, train them and the let them do what you are going to be paying them for.

Also, never offer a job at an embarrassingly low, demeaning wage in the first place. What kind of person do you think will walk through the door? If you advertise the position starts at $12 an hour, you will get people who feel they are worth that at least, and feel like they can bring something to the table in exchange for a paycheck at the end of the week. Simple strategy. It's all about mindsets.

Also, I should add... that I always give a personality traits test as well. I want to know that who I hire can get along with the other team members as well. Having a cohesive unit optimizes your chances for success.

 

[FireSprint.com]

We would never hire someone who is willing to work for $7.50 an hour. We start at $11 and move higher as quickly as possible, often within the first few months. Good people need to be able to go home and support their families. If we could pay them more, we would. We're a young, growing company, so we're working up.

We also have health insurance (long before it was mandated) and we are adding a 401k next month with a nice match. They get two weeks PTO and several paid holidays as well.

I'm just not interested in hiring someone who is "incompetent". I'm not sure if that's the word you meant to use and perhaps you retracted that word in the wall of text above. But if one hires someone whom he thinks is incompetent, there's bigger problems going on in that shop than just the quality of the employees.

You can hire competent people who don't have experience.

 

[OldPaint]

i have to go here.........
how much EXPERIENCE do you have in thw sign business?
and how many yrs have you been an EMPLOYER?
AND how did YOU wind up being the boss????
now iam 68.........i can ask these question as i been self employed 28 yrs)))))

and this guy just proves the point of why ............people who lack skills can and do work in this field))))

 

[grampa dan]

You get what you pay for and what you expect.

I prefer to hire young people right out of high school with little or no experience. That way I get to train them the way we like to do things. I do the interviews and look for positive can-do attitude and a sense of humor. If I can find young people with ambitious long term goals these prove to be the best. They often stay on through university and sometimes beyond. They know what they want and know they will have to work hard to achieve it. The deal I make with them is simple. I will help them achieve their dreams and they in turn will help me with mine. It works every time.

We start employees with zero experience at $14 per hour. They are on a 30 day trial period. Those who are good quickly get a raise of at least $1 per hour, sometimes more and as they gain experience and build their skills their wages continue to rise. Only a very few don't make the cut.

I love my employees as they work hard and help me achieve my goals. Overtime is paid at 1.5 times. They get stat holidays and holiday pay too. We bonus occasionally as well. We are very flexible in the employees working hours. we currently have seventeen full and part time employees and we see a dozen or so on any given day.

Our workshop is a happy place with great humor and friendship. I truly appreciate each of my crew and let them know that often. Each night as we leave the shop, I encourage them to turn around and take joy in what we have accomplished through the day. It is only with their help we could do the things we do.

I 've found that if you truly believe in someone, encourage them and equip them to do their work they will most often outperform your expectations. Most will be able to do things they themselves never dreamed they were capable of. It is fun to watch.

-grampa dan

 

[dawg]

dan

what youre creating that require soul.. making yardsigns, coroplast signs and sticking letters on shopwindows, only require hours..

just because someone has zero experience to cutting a word with a kinky plotter doesnt mean that person worth only 7.50 an hour..


ok.. heres an example.. before a years ago or little more i cutted a set of letters out of sintra,,

before that i never used really plotter for cutting.. tough i knew how it works.. i used only for plotting from autocad..
so by this i can be evaluated as inexperienced

to draw drill patter for letters with a router very slow..
i was going out and bought a plotter from uscutter... after unpacking took about an hour to hook it up, slapped into a pen and draw out a few stuff with autocad and corel..

nighttime i had more time and cutted some vynil i got from a local signshop..

so my question...

before i got the plotter i was inexperienced... however after an hour when plotter was running and made drawings ... then i was experienced?

so if one like me apply for a job at the original poster.. on the first day, the first hour he got paid 7.50, then in the second hour he becomes experienced.. so he deserves 10 dollar per hour?

please someone tell me the original poster just joking with us...

 

[FS-Keith]

dan

what youre creating that require soul.. making yardsigns, coroplast signs and sticking letters on shopwindows, only require hours..

just because someone has zero experience to cutting a word with a kinky plotter doesnt mean that person worth only 7.50 an hour..


ok.. heres an example.. before a years ago or little more i cutted a set of letters out of sintra,,

before that i never used really plotter for cutting.. tough i knew how it works.. i used only for plotting from autocad..
so by this i can be evaluated as inexperienced

to draw drill patter for letters with a router very slow..
i was going out and bought a plotter from uscutter... after unpacking took about an hour to hook it up, slapped into a pen and draw out a few stuff with autocad and corel..

nighttime i had more time and cutted some vynil i got from a local signshop..

so my question...

before i got the plotter i was inexperienced... however after an hour when plotter was running and made drawings ... then i was experienced?

so if one like me apply for a job at the original poster.. on the first day, the first hour he got paid 7.50, then in the second hour he becomes experienced.. so he deserves 10 dollar per hour?

please someone tell me the original poster just joking with us...

what did you just english

 

[dawg]

do you asking """"wot ive dun """"

im not a born english and happy to get this level.. certain way i have to learn a lot more...

 

[OldPaint]

fskieth........DID YOU STOP AND THINK.... maybe the poster with the bad english............just might be from somewhere THAT DIDNT SPEAK ENGLISH.....when they was going to school?????? but naaaaaaaa.......since you have mastery in ONE LANGUAGE ......everyone else should to??? and since iam from PA....of an italian mother, that spoke read, & wrote ITALIAN & ENGLISH........... a russian father, who SPOKE IT and myself at 5, living next to my my fathers parents....who spoke Russian and SO DID I..... as i grew up i learned a little Hungarian, Lithuanian, slovok and i go to mexican restaurants....and they teach me spanish))))))

 

[dawg]

ol paint

i think keith wasnt offensive.. he only picked up my strange word order..

i came very late in this country the end of 2000... now im 55 and dont think i get any better of english.. it is little hard to assimilating perfectly in this country..
however i love over here.. im hungarian originally.. my wife after 10 year still cant pronunce my family name.. but its ok..

i could enter into signbiz after got all my equipment and made my own stuff.. before that folks around me evaluated me as im ""incompetent"" for signs

today they asking me how we could solve an idea..

so... life is just about beautiful..


ps: im not sure about, but i think keith is missed something..


he wrote "what did you just english""

i feel missing the "in" ""what did you just in english"

but again im not a born english..

 

[OldPaint]

RA-PUESH-A??? i learned that in hungarian.....and a couple other phrases.....not nice.....when translated... like
LO FAS DE SHEG A NE BEM.........hahahahahahaha the old hungarian guy used to say this to me when i would take apples off his tree)))))
my point to keith was......he dont know where you came from.....and for older people english is a hard language to learn....
theguy i used to seal his apples name was FEDOR.......my gramdmothers maiden name was BOKAUSH...my dads last name is PRIBISH... and living in the MISS/ALABAMA/FLORIDA area....i have an odd name.

 

[MikePro]

RA-PUESH-A???

that's hungarian? Sounds like "rupūžė" as Lithuanian for "Toad".

 

[coastguy111]

Just another way of thinking about it(sorry if already mentioned)..... Hire someone that you feel will be the best candidate for the job, experience or not. If your not comfortable making them a W-2 employee right from the start then go the 1099 route. Give them a trial period starting out and pay them atleast 10hr. Say 30 days(example) to show that they are capable to learn what your training them.

After that you can bring them on as a W-2 employee or keep them as a 1099 and adjust their pay up accordingly. Also, if your worried about them taking the skills they learned from you and either leaving for more money at one of your competitors, or starting their own business, make them sign a 2 year or whatever is allowed, Non compete contract.

 

[eahicks]

Yes, zero experience is not zero competency. We hired a guy with no experience, yet is very competent. He came from a sign supply company, he knew about materials but nothing of how to make a sign. He is now easily installing lobby signs, making pretty much whatever we need him to. It's all about how you train, giving the proper tools, etc. And knowing what they are capable of. I've worked with so called "experienced" sign people, only to find out they can barely tie their shoes.

 

[Jackpine]

as Firesprint said......"You can hire competent people who don't have experience." As they work AND learn they deserve the appropriate compensation.

 

[Gino]

:ROFLMAO:...... I know this is an old thread, but where are the people now who say...... ya gotta start somewhere. Did you know everything when you first started ??

 

[Solventinkjet]

I started at my first sign shop straight out of high school at $7 an hour. I had no sign experience but was trained in the Adobe suite. Ended up at $14 after 2 years. I felt that was fair as I was a complete newbie to the world not just signs but I proved myself early on and was rewarded. Now that I am older, even if I had no experience or skills, I would never even think to take $7. You can't pay rent on $7 and it's as simple as that.

 

[Andy D]

I prefer to hire people no sign experience so that I can train them the right way and not have to break bad habits.
What I look for is a person that can express themselves intelligently, is mechanically inclined, is computer
savvy, and has a good attitude.

Just as people say "Nobody owes you a job".... nobody owes me a competent, loyal employee, I have to hire the right person
and pay them what I need to pay them so that they won't quit after the 1st bad day, and show them what they can expect to make
after 90 day, then after a year, etc.

Also, if you can't pay well you need to be inventive with benefits such as free cokes or energy drinks.
Remember it cost's nothing to be a decent human being. I don't care how much they pay, most people won't work for a hard nose a$$hole.

 

[threeputt]

Guess I'll jump in.

We just hired a person (four months now) full time at starting wage of $13.00 (we have no part timers, everyone here is full time). She had no skills in signmaking, but a tremendous attitude, such that I hadn't seen in quite awhile in a job candidate.

We are currently looking for yet another person.

I have been an employer for nearly 45 years. Seen it all. I know a little bit about which I speak.

Wouldn't dream of hiring at minimum wage, which by the way, in my state is $9.47 per hour. That person can easily jump ship after a few months, and then what? All of the training you've put into that person...gone.

Anyone with any aptitude and bearing about themselves is going to be looking for a job that has a future and stability. (when fully trained, this industry pays a living family wage). Benefits too.

My advice Shopbot, is to spend more money, attract a better quality person, invest in them. Hire the attitude, train the skill.

By the way, your interviewing skills have to be top notch..or you waste a lot of time with people who will use your shop as a mere stepping stone to something else.

My two cents. Good luck and prosper!