Have any of you hired a painter based on an interview, and discovered a day or two into the job, that person wasn't the right fit for the position? I have seen it many times. This hurts everyone involved. That includes you, the customer, the other shop staff and the prospective employee who may have left a job to come to you, only to be let go days after staring.

In the case of a painter, a pre-employment test can consist of several things. After you have interviewed the prospective employee and feel the fit may be good, do a reference check. This is very important but is seldom done in the collision industry.

Once satisfied with these results, contact your paint jobbers or suppliers, and ask them if they will work with your prospective hire a day or two at their training center (most big companies have one in every market) or at your shop. The times for these sessions can be arranged with your prospective employee to avoid as much disruption as possible in that person's life. Consider using evening hours, after normal work hours. Suppliers and jobbers are generally unbiased and will give you an honest opinion of the prospective employee's viability.

Obviously, the prospective employee will need to agree to perform this type of testing; however, it has been my experience most will with no issue. It also shows your prospective employee you really care about what you do. You can do this same type of testing with detailers as well.

This type of pre-employment testing is much more difficult with collision techs, however. In the case of metal techs, I suggest a series of interviews to help determine a potential employee's viability. The first interview should be performed either by you, a manager or a human resources person. If the candidate passes the first interview, pass the candidate on to an interview by a production manager or shop foreman. The final interview should involve a conversation with a lead tech.

All these interviews should be supervised by a manager or a human resources representative to make sure the proper questioning is followed. The purpose of these multiple interviews is to address questions from every possible different perspective. The tech may be able to ask specific repair methodology questions, while a manager may ask more general ones. The answers need to be documented and should present a well-rounded portrait of the potential hire's level of knowledge.

Ask the candidate about what types of training he or she has participated in. Does the candidate have the required number of I-CAR points for the position? Verify through the school the prospective employee's answers.

Estimators, managers and customer service reps can take written exams to determine if they have the basic traits needed for their positions. Many companies offer these types of tests for a very reasonable fee structure. Yes, there is a cost to doing this type of testing, but it is far less expensive than hiring the wrong person for an important position. I know three interviews may seem like overkill to hire a metal tech. In reality, with the responsibility that lies on a shop when doing repairs on a modern vehicle, hiring the right person is critical. To find one of the companies that does this type of testing in your area, ask a local employment agency, or take a look online. You can purchase an entire suite of tests for use in every position on several Web sites for a reasonable fee.

You might also want to consider performing a pre-employment drug screening as well. These tests also are relatively inexpensive and will help keep people that are dealing with drug problems off your payroll. This type of employee can be a very real liability with regards to vehicle safety and keeping your shop safe. Collision repair involves the use of some pretty dangerous tools that can cause a great deal of harm to all shop personnel if handled incorrectly. One serious accident could hurt innocent people and shut down an entire shop or company. I recommend all companies utilize this type of testing before hiring.