Key takeaways
- Performance coaching is regular one-on-one work toward a clear goal, with feedback along the way.
- Coach the people who interview: you, your office manager and your crew leads. Agree on the questions and ask every candidate the same ones.
- Give every candidate a clear answer and, where you can, one honest note on what would make them a stronger fit.
- Track time to fill and how many new hires stay past 90 days, before and after you start coaching.
What performance coaching means in a small business
Performance coaching is ongoing help that improves how a person or a team works. It’s different from a one-day training class. The coach and the person being coached meet regularly, set a goal, try something, and talk about how it went. You already know the pattern from the field: it’s how a good lead tech turns an apprentice into a tech.
The same approach works in hiring, in two places: the people who do the interviewing, and new hires in their first months.
Coach the people who interview
In a small shop, the interviewers are usually you, an office manager and a crew lead or two. Few of you were ever taught to interview. Without practice, interviews drift into small talk, the candidate who talks best gets the job, and nobody writes anything down.
Coaching fixes the basics. Practice asking about past behavior, like “Tell me about the last time you ran late to a job. What did you do?” Practice listening more than talking. Agree on the questions, ask every candidate the same ones, and write down what they said. A crew lead who sits in on a few interviews with you, then runs one while you watch, learns faster than one who gets handed a list of questions.
The same questions for everyone also make hiring fairer. You end up comparing answers, and the candidate who reminds you of yourself gets no head start.
Make the interview a two-way conversation
Good candidates are interviewing you too. Leave time for their questions: the pay, the van, the on-call rotation, who they’ll ride with. Be honest about the hard parts, like summer call volume or early starts. A candidate who hears about the real job and still wants it is more likely to stay.
Treat candidates well, including the ones you don’t hire
In a local trade, candidates talk to each other. A tech you turn down knows other techs, and some will apply again in a year with more experience. Tell every candidate where they stand, even when the answer is no, and tell them soon. A short text works.
When you can, add one honest note about what experience would make them a stronger fit next time. Keep it about the job.
Coach new hires through the first 90 days
Coaching doesn’t stop at the offer. Set two or three goals for the first 90 days, like running service calls alone or learning your pricing. Check in every week at first, then every two weeks. Talk about what went well and what to change, and write down the next goal.
How to tell whether coaching is working
Pick a few measures before you start: how long it takes to fill a seat, how many new hires are still with you at 90 days, and what candidates say about your process. Compare people hired before you started coaching with people hired after. If the numbers don’t move, look at where the coaching falls short.
