Hiring manual laborers

FSB -- Dear FSB: I'm interviewing applicants for unskilled jobs in a commercial bakery in a rural community. I've never hired manual laborers before, so I'm wondering if there's a list of questions to ask that will help me get some insight into whether these folks will be good workers? - Jeffrey Kaufman, Co-Founder, Old Colony Baking, Spring Valley, Ill.

Dear Jeffrey: Hiring experts say that employees with less skill and education are more likely than others to present disruptive absenteeism problems. So veteran recruiter Lou Adler (adlerconcepts.com) says it's crucial to ask whether your candidates have shown up for work in the past. Adler has devised strategies for hiring hourly workers at YMCA camps, Taco John's, and other employers.

"Ask applicants, 'How would your last boss describe your attendance?' " Adler suggests. "Then call that boss." Employee lawsuits have made firms leery of revealing more than the worker's employment dates and duties, but check anyway. A reference's tone of voice and other subtle cues can say a lot.

Adler says he also asks applicants for all sorts of jobs to describe any special achievements: "Maybe this person was the top cookie salesman in his high school band. If you get candidates talking, you may see traits that show reliability."

And don't skip background checks. "Having a third party screen for criminal records and other red flags can eliminate 90% of your problems," Adler says. "At $80 to $100 a pop, it's worth it." Most of Adler's clients use HireRight (hireright.com), but if you type "employment verification" into a search engine, you'll find other services that run basic checks - some for as little as $20.