JimmyCast

Podcast: How to Find Good People and Avoid Employee Nightmares

And, by the way, why can’t millennials fill out job applications?

Published

6 years ago

January 25, 2019

Jimmy DeGroot

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HIRING. IT’S ONE of the most important things you do. Hiring the right person can lift your store into the stratosphere; hiring the wrong one can drag you into Dante’s 7th circle of hell.

Finding and hiring people who can become high-quality employees is the topic under discussion in the third episode of INSTORE’s new podcast series, JimmyCast, from jewelry-store trainer Jimmy DeGroot, along with co-host Doug Meadows of David Douglas Diamonds in Marietta, GA.

Some of the topics covered in the podcast:

Why people today can’t fill out job applications
Why restaurant servers are often great candidates to attract into the jewelry business.
Doug shares how he has found some of his employees. These include Craigslist, spreading the word amongst friends, hiring a family member (who didn’t have a choice); and several from Facebook. Doug has even used divine intervention, praying for a good employee to arrive at a critical moment. (Guess what? It worked.)
How Jimmy took a coffee-shop barista and turned her into a half-million-a-year seller.
One question Doug used to weed out applicants for available jewelry sales positions: “If we had two positions available — one in the backroom, working with inventory, and one out on the floor, working with customers, which would you prefer?” He was surprised to see that numerous people who, we want to remind you, were applying for a sales position, said that they would far prefer the back-room job. “You don’t even call those back,” says Doug.
When it’s appropriate to use a headhunter.
Why it’s almost always smart to hire a good candidate even if you’re not looking for someone new.
Is it smart — or not — to hire your good customers?

Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success

After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone. Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently. The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.