A true life story by Mr. Wilfred

I quit. I’m in Third Mainland and leaving the van with the keys here.

That was the call I received one weekend not long after launching my first business. To the bitterness situation, the van referenced was full of valuable merchandise, and I was 9 hours away in Enugu state.

And so started my long history of terrible hires.
Some background. I had started a business with a partner, and we were already stretched to the limit with time, money and stress. The van in question was in route to Lagos to deliver merchandise to new clients and needless to say, it never made it to the clients.

Immediately after receiving the call, I drove with my business partner overnight to Lagos Island to retrieve the van. Of course, like very entrepreneurial story, this one was more complicated. The delivery driver who abandoned our van and the merchandise was actually on his third task with our company. Yes, third.

When the driver originally applied for the position, he was a well-spoken, ambitious and genuinely seemed enthusiastic to join our smooth startup team. The first time we hired him, however, he did not show up for his first day, though he did call later and had a reasonably good excuse for missing. He demonstrated remorse and continued to express enthusiasm to be part of our team, so I gave him another chance.

Fool me once, shame on me. When his first day again came, he again never showed up. And again he called and had a seemingly valid reason for not coming. He begged for one more opportunity, and although I declined originally, but he was persistent. Again everything I knew had been taught, I gave him another chance.

Fool me twice, shame on me. This third time, he did show up for his first day and after a couple of months on the job and getting to know our operation, he seemed reliable. We then decided to give him the van keys to make the 9 hours trip to Lagos, meet with clients and deliver merchandise. He left and the next day, he called to tell us he quit.

Fool me thrice, shame on me you would say. Well what I remembered most about this incident were the debates between me and my business partner. Who from the start disagree with hiring this driver and certainly disagreed with giving him two more chances. It was a long quiet drive together down to Lagos and I left any remaining pride I had at home, because it will be sad to argue with my partner knowing fully well I was wrong from day one.

While everything turned out fine, we recovered the van with the merchandise intact and paid some Lagos hoodlums (Agbero) before our clients even knew anything was amiss.

Looking back on this delivery driver Mr. Tosan, I remember also having a bad feeling about him from the start, and certainly after not showing up the first time. My pride and desire to be right however got in the way of the rational decision to move on.

Today, I go more with gut feeling and will be the first person to admit when I am wrong.

What do you think about hiring? Please share your hiring story.

For once in my life I hired competence over familiarity and it paid off . my first gaze at him, I saw responsibility and trust . I already hired him in my mind before the conversation started.

Nice tips for employers. I love nairaland for life.

Dear NL brothers and sisters, i lost my mother on Monday such a hard knock on me . I just hope God comforts myself and 3 sisters. I promise to make her proud for life. please help me with your words, I'm really down.

99.9% employees want to rip you off. the best way to recruit a Nigerian without story that touch the heart, they must swear by Ogun or any Oracle before been employed. My brother if u do that 90% won't collect the job even if you pay them 300k monthly

J

Don't ever hire out of pity

Om

Our intuition and instincts are always right

Ask our presido about hiring, he prefers stupidity over competence, he is the type tgat will hire a taxi driver to fly a jet so far as he is loyal, and you all can see how wonderful the country is..

Sometimes you never can tell

Hiring at times with emotions can lead to disaster.
Take the case of my wife's school. This employee came, looking sober and showing enthusiasm to work.
First day she turned up on time, second day she came late and attributed it to some reasons.
Second day it was due to her children not waking up on time, third day she didn't call and didn't bother to inform the management and the children in her class were suffering academic activities.
I only told my wife to have a heart to heart discussion with her if she is still interested in the job.
If she's sacked now her type will go everywhere and even on Nairaland to twist stories in order to attract sympathy not knowing where the fault lies.

I failed to fire her early when I saw all her errors I thought giving her another chance will make her change.

But people doesn't change if they don't want to.

She abandoned the job when I needed her most.

Hire

Yes. Hiring the right person is difficult.

Trust your Experience and instinct.


The world winds down.

Where will you spend your eternity?

With God?

Or in hell?

See this;

“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”


What an assurance!!!

If you believe him as the begotten son of God, and as your Lord and saviour,

You are saved.

Else,

.......

I am one person that puts sentiments aside when anything has to do with me business..

But this time,I hired out of sentiments,the new staff was a brother to my must trusted staff.so I didn't think twice hiring him...

My Brethren,it back fired.....Then I fired him straight away .

I have had some funny experience too. The guy basically left my company joined with my competitors and started visiting my customers in the hope to win them for my competitors.

WalkerMichael:
Nice tips for employers. I love nairaland for life.

Dear NL brothers and sisters, i lost my mother on Monday such a hard knock on me . I just hope God comforts myself and 3 sisters. I promise to make her proud for life. please help me with your words, I'm really down.

Even though this is not related to the topic, but I sympathise with you on the transitioning of your mother. Please stay strong and make your promise of making her proud come to fruition by doing legitimate work only. You can relish on her experiences and set up a memorial around something that she does effortlessly and gives her joy. God comfort you always.
Much love...

In hiring, bypass familiarity to embrace competence and responsibility with little or moderate sense of ownership....And it has never failed me.

Don't hire out of sympathy, familiarity or strings attached...You will live to regret.

WalkerMichael:
Nice tips for employers. I love nairaland for life.

Dear NL brothers and sisters, i lost my mother on Monday such a hard knock on me . I just hope God comforts myself and 3 sisters. I promise to make her proud for life. please help me with your words, I'm really down.

The ALMIGHTY GOD will comfort you. It is well with you bro

[quote author=WalkerMichael post=102393951]Nice tips for employers. I love nairaland for life.

Dear NL brothers and sisters, i lost my mother on Monday such a hard knock on me . I just hope God comforts myself and 3 sisters. I promise to make her proud for life. please help me with your words, I'm really down.[/quote sorry for your loss bro, it's hard loosing a loved one,God comfort you and your family in this trying times, Cheer yourself up and still make her proud by doing everything possible to hold the family together,take heart bro.

Behavioural consistency is one of the things I look out for. However, we will always be exposed to these kind of things however careful we are in hiring. I hire alot of people from time to time and I can tell you, there's alot in how people behave that foretells what they will do after they have been hired.

Lol

Na God go help you

[quote author=Maestroedem001 post=102394272][/quote]
Sorry for your loss