Marina Dock Age, Winter 1997

Hiring Your Best Asset, or Your Worst—The Manager
by Damian E. Buckley

How do you ensure that the position you need to be filled is filled with the correct person? A hiring mistake can be very costly. It usually takes up to three months to find the right person, and a mistake in hiring may take a few months to discover, after which the recruiting process has to start all over again. This leaves the marina owner back in the same position, or worse, just assigning the position to the nearest warm body. Employee mistakes just do not grow; we let them in with open arms through the hiring process. There is only one valid criterion—is this the right person? The challenge is getting the right person in the first place, knowing when you have the person with those basic qualities; knowing that the person you are looking for has the necessary competency and can be trained to your own methods.

It has been my experience (through personal trial and error) that there are certain traps into which we can all fall. This article is intended to aid those marina operators who do not have their own personnel department helping them through the maze of hiring techniques. Please note also, that as this is an international publication general guidelines only have been given. The respective marina operator should take employment and hiring practices in various countries into account.  

Finding the right person for the job starts off with describing what the functions of the job will be, in writing, for your own recall as well as the basis for a job description, if you do not have one. This should include a job summary, duties and responsibilities; supervision (both given and received); minimum experience required; knowledge; skills and abilities; any necessary physical standards. With this in hand the process can begin.

Cast the recruitment net as widely as possible. Some methods are the usual classified advertising in newspapers and trade magazines. Through the Internet, try to search on “marina employment.” Job experience does not matter; the individual is more important. Conduct brief telephone interviews as soon as responses start coming in. Give yourself a time limit, and do not forget that trade magazine classifieds will take longer to reach their target.

Be aware of traps that will cause problems. Replication of the workforce is not healthy and will create an unbalanced organization. Do not hire somebody because “they are just like you.” Other strengths are necessary for a successful organization. Hiring in your own likeness is rather like having eleven goalkeepers on one soccer team. Education is not always that important. A good education is not always an indication of your best future asset. Applicants with multiple degrees may not have the flexibility of thinking that is required in your operation. Honest, flexibility and intelligence are qualities that are of great importance. Do not sell the position available; let the candidates sell themselves to the position. Continue »