Want to assemble an effective screen printing team? Learn how to find the best-fitting employees for your business!

For those charged with hiring new employees, there are some traits to look for in applicants that are excellent indicators of their future success.

Trainability

Screen printing is a skill, which makes it tempting to hire the applicant with the most experience in screen printing. That isn’t necessarily the best route, however. An applicant with great skill in screen printing still can be a subpar employee. Or, they can have a set way of doing things that doesn’t jive with your screen printing operation. That’s why you’re better off looking for highly trainable candidates rather than highly skilled ones. You always can train an eager learner to be a skilled screen printer. It’s much harder to train an experienced screen printer to be a good employee.

Self-Sufficiency

You can’t beat a self-sufficient employee. Self-sufficient employees are your go-getters. They’re the ones who don’t need a lot of direction. They’ll see something that needs to be done and they’ll do it. When you hire someone who is willing to tackle any job head on, you’re bound to get an employee you can count on to keep your shop moving.

Dependability

You need to know that your employees will show up on time, ready to work. That means hiring employees who are dependable. You want to focus on applicants whose resumes show that they have a track record of holding regular jobs with regular hours.

Ingenuity

As a screen printer, you face a lot of challenges – whether it’s using a new substrate or new ink, or creating a unique look for a customer who wants a one-of-a-kind design. This business takes ingenuity. Employees need to be able to troubleshoot and find creative ways to address new projects and printing challenges.

Positivity

Nothing drags a workplace down like a negative employee. That means that no matter how good an applicant looks on paper, no skill set or traits can outweigh a negative outlook. As you interview potential hires, make sure you gauge their approach to the workplace. While you don’t have to look for someone with an overwhelmingly sunny disposition, you should be asking yourself whether your potential hire will uplift or weigh down your print shop’s environment.

Affability

Similarly, you want employees who are personable. They need to get along with their coworkers. If they’re dealing with your customers, they need to be friendly and approachable. You want to hire someone whose personality will mesh well with your existing staff and with your customers.

Compatibility

One of the most important attributes you can look for in a potential hire is their compatibility with your team. It can be tempting to hire new employees whose strengths are similar to your own, or to your top team members’, but you’ll likely be better served looking for an employee who brings a complementary skill set to your shop. Are you detail oriented? Do you have a staff member whose attention to detail keeps your shop on schedule? You might be better served hiring a new employee who’s a creative thinker and looks at the big-picture aspect of a project. Conversely, if you’re the creative type, it would serve you well to augment your team with a new hire whose detail-oriented mentality will help you to execute your create concepts on time and with a high level of quality.

The hiring process can be an intimidating one. By choosing the right new employee, you can bolster your screen printing shop’s performance. That means focusing on the right set of traits as your review and interview potential employees.

For more helpful info on hiring new employees for your screen printing business, check out this blog post:

How to Hire and Retain the Best Employees in Your Screen Printing Shop