09/13/2024

The Art of Interviewing: Building a Strong Pest Control Team

Seth Garber, Pest Daily

In the pest control industry, having a reliable and skilled team is essential to providing top-notch service, protecting your reputation and supporting your company's growth. The hiring process can be challenging, but by mastering the art of interviewing, you can build a strong team that upholds your company's standards and drives success.

“Interviewing can be a little stressful, especially if you haven’t done it before,” said Seth Garber, Pest Daily CEO and a leading industry consultant. “But once you get a few under your belt, you’ll feel more comfortable with asking questions. Plus, you’ll learn how to read between the lines and figure out what candidates are actually telling you about themselves. That’s huge in helping you make the right hire.”

Let’s back up for a minute, though. Before you even post a job listing, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the role you’re hiring for. Whether it’s a brand-new position in your organization or an existing one, Garber recommends outlining the specific duties, responsibilities and expectations of the role, along with any skills, certifications or levels of experience that are required. You’ll also want to include a list of personality traits and values that align with your company’s culture.

“The clearer you can be with your job description, the better,” Garber said. “That way, you won’t waste your time talking to people who won’t be a good fit for your company.”

Your next step is to craft an engaging job listing. After all, if you don’t generate interest in your company, you’re probably not going to get many applications. So what goes into writing a great job listing? Well, Garber said, you’ll definitely want to mention the perks of working for your company. Do you have a great training program? Limitless growth opportunities? Awesome health benefits? Make sure to include that information in your listing. It’s also the perfect place to share a little bit about your company’s culture and why it’s a fantastic place to work.

“This is your chance to shape the first impression a potential candidate will have about your company,” Garber said. “Make it count.”

Once you start receiving applications, it’s time to begin screening candidates to refine your selection pool. If you’ve included any specific questions in the application process (which is always a good idea), review the candidate’s responses to assess their problem-solving abilities and interest in the industry. Take a look at their resume to get a sense of their employment history, experience and relevant certifications. When you’ve narrowed down your list of applicants, Garber suggests doing a brief phone screening interview. This will give you an idea of how well the person communicates and whether it’s worth bringing them in for a formal interview.

And speaking of the interview, we’re almost at that point in the process, but hang on one second. If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to prepare yourself for the interview. If you go in hoping to wing it, Garber noted, it’s probably not going to be a good use of your time - or the candidate’s. To get ready, you’ll want to prepare a mix of technical, situational and behavioral questions to evaluate candidates’ skills, experience and cultural fit. You’ll also want to reach out to other members of your team so they can plan to sit in on the interview or spend some time with the candidate after your meeting. That way, you’ll be able to get multiple perspectives, which can inform the hiring decision. As you do your preparations, be sure to develop a structured, consistent format that you’ll use for all interviews. This will not only make the process fair for everyone, it’ll also make it easier to compare candidates.

OK, now that you’ve gone through all these steps, it’s time to actually conduct the interview. Wondering what you should do to make the experience positive and productive? Here are some of Garber’s recommendations:

• Build rapport: Start with some small talk to make the candidate feel comfortable and relaxed before diving into the meat of the interview.
• Ask open-ended questions: Encourage candidates to provide detailed responses by asking open-ended questions that explore their experience and thought processes.
• Assess the cultural fit: Pay attention to how candidates’ values and attitudes align with your company culture. If it seems like they won’t mesh well with the structure you have in place, they may not be the right hire.
• Evaluate their problem-solving skills: Present hypothetical scenarios related to pest control challenges and see how candidates would handle them. This can provide you with valuable insight on what this person might be like on the job.

After the interview is over and you’ve found the person (or people) you’re potentially interested in bringing on board, the job isn’t over yet. Before making a final decision, it’s important to check references to verify candidates’ backgrounds and work ethic. When contacting references, Garber recommends asking about the candidate’s reliability, technical skills and ability to work as part of a team. You’ll also want to discuss the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses.

“Find out where they excel and areas where they might need improvement,” Garber said. “Understanding how they performed at a previous job can give you a good sense of what they’ll bring to the table once they become part of your team.”

Ideally, through this process, you’ll have identified the right candidate and now it’s time for the fun part - making the offer. To help it go smoothly, clear communication is a must, Garber said. Even if you did it during the interview, go over the role, responsibilities and expectations along with the salary, benefits and any other perks. And don’t forget to express your enthusiasm about having them join your team.

“Everyone likes to feel appreciated and wanted,” Garber said. “Use this conversation to let the candidate know how excited you are to welcome them aboard and why they stood out to you. It’ll make them want to say yes on the spot and sets the stage for a positive working relationship.”

OK, great, you’ve found someone who will be an asset to your organization and they’ve happily accepted your offer. But don’t forget that the hiring process doesn’t end there. A strong onboarding process ensures new hires feel welcomed and prepared. Hold an orientation session to introduce new team members to their new coworkers and get them acclimated to the company culture. Provide comprehensive training to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. And consider pairing new hires with experienced team members for guidance and support.

“The onboarding process is critical to getting new people up and running as soon as possible,” Garber said. “By making the experience meaningful and practical, you’ll be setting your new hire up for success. That’s always a good thing.”

The bottom line

Building a strong pest control team requires careful planning and execution throughout the hiring process. By defining roles clearly, crafting engaging job listings, screening candidates effectively, preparing for and conducting thorough interviews, checking references, making thoughtful job offers and providing robust onboarding and training, you can hire team members who will support your company's growth and uphold your high service standards. Good luck!

Pest Daily is proud to support more than 1,500 pest and wildlife control companies across the U.S. through continuing education on topics including sales, marketing, finance, HR, operations and many more. To learn what we can do for your organization, please visit our website at https://growing.pestdaily.com/.

Seth Garber, the founder and CEO of Pest Daily, has been an active member of the pest control community since 2008. A former owner/operator himself, Garber is now considered to be the top consultant in the industry and has developed unique, innovative methodologies to help pest control companies grow strategically and intentionally. To learn more, visit www.pestdaily.com.