A Facility Manager Can’t (Or At Least Shouldn’t) Do It Alone:
Businesses of all industries and sizes find themselves in familiar predicaments: exhausted, items slipping through the cracks, needlessly frustrated, and short on time. Sounds like you need an office admin.
Administration is a broad field, and titles are often vague among people who have little experience with it. There are receptionists, administrative assistants, executive assistants, office managers, and the list goes on and on.
No one likes to admit they need help or are feeling close to burnout, but the sooner you do, the sooner you can get the support you need to push your business goals forward without being stuck in the weeds of every decision and every interaction. The sooner you’re willing to admit you could use some assistance and support, the more precise the position you need to hire will be.
Dream Work Makes The Team Work:
Once you know you need help, it’s time to daydream. What does this ideal candidate look like? No, we aren’t asking you to think of your celebrity crush list. We are asking you to look at the candidate and what they could offer. If you could have your ideal day at work, what does that look like to you? Really get niche and small with this. Everything from “I wouldn’t have to be on every committee” to “I would want to have time to sit down with my kids and have breakfast with them” indicates the kind of help and level of support you need. It even shows the hours this person would ideally work for you. Get really focused on carving out a few lists for yourself:
- What does my ideal workday look like?
- What prohibits me from having that perfect workday?
- How many hours a week am I doing tasks that I can/should delegate?
Review your lists and determine what qualifications a candidate would fit that view. Sometimes, it’s hard for a facility manager to admit they can’t juggle everything. They are so used to being in charge that it’s easy to think, “Training someone would take too long; I should just do it myself.” You’re right, and you’re wrong. Training someone should be thought of as an investment. If you hire a qualified administrative professional, you should only have to train them on company-specific requests, software, and nuance. Yes, it’s time-consuming. Professional burnout is also time-consuming. It can also lead to many work environment issues when the person at the top of the chain is burned out: high turnover, job dissatisfaction, cluttered office areas, and files, and unclear expectations of role or who is doing what.
When you determine how much time you need, that can help you determine other factors. Do you need full-time help or part-time, whether you need to hire more than one person, do you need in-office support or can they work from home, what skill level are you looking for or could this be entry-level. With so many levels of administrative support, you can get a myriad of job experience and expertise.
Craft Your Ad: Grow Your Facility Management Team Wisely!
Craft your advertisement as transparently as possible. Be transparent and include a pay range; many qualified applicants won’t even apply if that is not listed. It also can make you look like you are trying to hide or be obtuse. Research the level of support and be competitive or better than those positions in your area. Have the skills and qualifications match the pay scale. For example, many businesses will require five years of experience or more, a college degree or experience equivalent, and a lofty, comically long list of qualifications. Then, they will offer a salary similar to gas money. Be realistic in what you’re willing to pay for the experience level in return.
Include an overview of the job tasks you hope to get, crafted in an inviting and exciting tone. No one wants to read an ad that seems harsh or too militant.
Decide your ideal hire date, how many interviews you wish to have, and who will be involved in the hiring process. In the interest of efficiency, keep that number low. Have someone do the phone and initial in-person interview and save the 2nd interview for the upper management team if necessary. Being clear about your intentions during the interview process with candidates is essential. Discuss how many interviews will be, the following steps, and your ideal hire date early on. Candidates have bills to pay and notice to current employers to give to gracefully leave their jobs if selected. Being efficient with people’s time is essential as it reflects on you as a company.
Limit your pool of applicants. Many programs allow you to utilize a candidate cap. Take advantage of that. Many resumes will seem similar and can blend together.
Interviewing Office Administration for Facility Managers:
Have 30-minute phone interviews: 30 minutes is a good amount of time for an initial phone interview with a potential candidate. You can shorten your time if you sense the interview is not going in the direction you need it to. However, 30 minutes is a good goal to determine whether you want to invite the candidate to meet in person.
Ask interesting questions. Applicants (or at least good ones) have prepped for the same 10 questions often thrown at them.
“I’m seeing a lot of applicants with similar backgrounds and skills; what about you sets you apart from the other applicants?”
“If you had been your former boss or CEO, what changes would you have made, or how would you manage things differently?”
“What would your former bosses say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”
“What is the last movie you saw that made you feel emotional?”
Asking questions that are outside the box or slightly unconventional lets you get to know the personality of the applicant in addition to just reading stats off a page.
Finish up your interviews by telling them a “by when“ date and next steps, and try to honor that. It reflects on your company and the team they would be joining that you have best practices in place.
Armour is growing and expanding every day. We want to ensure everyone can work and grow within their own individual set of talents. Having our in-office team allows everyone to fly a little higher, and we like being up high (we’re roofers, after all).
