Hiring
How to Hire New Spooky scary souls!
Welcome!
In this section, you will find all the info you need in order to hire.
Organizing Applications
All applications get sent to the staff emaiil (staff@fearcolumbus.com). They also all go to JotForm.
- Before opening the email, sort it into one of these categories on the side (based on what position they’re applying for)
- As the application process progresses, you can use the other labels to sort the applications into.
- When we are actively hiring, you’ll move all applicants into “Current” Folders.
- When we are not actively hiring, all applicants can get moved into “Future” folders.
- Once we begin hiring again, all “Future” Applicants can get moved to “Current”
- The “Future” folders can also be used for applicants who want to be reached in the future and not present.
Reviewing Applications
- Once the application has been sorted into the correct folder, you can open and view it.
- Essentially, everyone should be contacted about coming in for an interview, except in these very few circumstances:
- Applicant has very limited availability (like, only a few days)
- Applicant does not live close by (like if they’re applying from another city such as Cleveland or Cincinatti)
- Applicant does not have reliable transportation
Hiring Emails
- Once the application has been reviewed, we’re ready to send out the first hiring email!
- We have templates for all the hiring emails that are updated by event. You can access all the hiring emails in the drafts folder of the staff email.
- Just make sure to change certain aspects, such as adding their name, your name, and your job title when introducing yourself, before sending the email!
- This initial email will have some more information as well as how to schedule an interview.
- Once you send out the initial email, give them two business days to respond before sending out a follow up email if you have not heard back.
Setting Up an Interview
- Once you’ve reached out to your applicant, you’ll head over to the spreadsheet to fill in their information.
- This was shared with you via email.
- Put in the applicant’s info according to the column label.
- Application and contact dates are so important to keep updated so we all know when and how many times an applicant has been contacted.
- Once your applicant has scheduled an interview, you’ll get an email from Calendly with their interview date and time.
- Mark their interview date and time on the spreadsheet.
- Once that’s updated with their interview date and time, send them an email in your existing email chain confirming their interview date and time.
- Let them know to come to the front door and to ring the doorbell when they arrive.
- Ask that if they need to cancel or reschedule to just let you know by emailing.
- Finish the email with your signature which will have the address and contact info included.
- Once you’ve emailed them to confirm, highlight their row green.
- You get to decide what times you’re available for interviews.
- Typically we do interviews between 12pm-5pm, but you can adjust these hours based on what you’ve got going on.
Interviews
- Once their interview is set up, you’re good to go!
- If an applicant needs to reschedule, they need to do so before their interview time and will only get one chance to reschedule.
- If an applicant is more than 10 minutes late, they forfeit their interview and will no longer be considered for the position.
- Upon arrival, greet the applicant at the door.
- Show them the Staff Lounge
- Show them the Costume Room
- Show them the Makeup Room
- Give them a quick rundown on how things operate here.
- Show them Staff Bathrooms and Egresses.
- Show them some scenes (if they’re Performance)
- Show them the Store and Event Staff Spaces (if they’re Event Staff)
- Show them the Makeup Room more in depth (if they’re a Makeup Artist)
- Once their interview is over and questions are answered, let them know you’ll be in touch sometime in the next few days.
Hiring
- If everything went well and you want to hire the applicant, send the FIRST follow up email that contains the paperwork ONLY.
- Once this is filled out, we’re able to run the background check to make sure everything is clear.
- Highlight their row purple if you’ve sent them the welcome email and select the correct option from the drop down menu on the last column.
- Give them a deadline to get their paperwork finished.
- We’ve got a little time now until the season, so I’m saying by August 28th right now.
- As we get into the season or close to events, basically as soon as they can get it done.
- If the deadline is approaching and you haven’t heard from them, follow up one more time and tell them their position will not be held past a certain (close) date if they do not get it filled out.
- If you don’t want to hire someone, no worries. Send them an email to let them (nicely) know, and mark them as “Not Hired” on the last column of the spreadsheet.
- Highlight the rows of people who were not hired in Orange (this could be for no shows or people you don’t want to hire)
- Once you send the initial hiring email, click the tab on the bottom of the spreadsheet that says “Hired”
- NOTE: There is a tab that says “Old Hired”. You can disregard this.
- Add their information and check off the boxes as the applicants complete them.
- Once “Paperwork”, “I-9”, and “Background Check” are complete, that’s when they’re good to get the final hiring email.
Background Checks
- Once an applicant has filled out their I-9 AND New Employee Paperwork, they will need to be submitted for a background check. We use Checkr.
- To submit a background check:
- Login to Checkr (login info was emailed to you)
- You’ll click this button in the top right corner to order a new Background Check.
- You’ll be taken to this page.
- Make sure it says “United States of America”, “Ohio”, and “Columbus, OH”. These will all pop up as drop down menus for you to choose from.
- “The Candidate” and “Enter Manually” should already be selected.
- Enter all the emails of the people you want to submit checks for (I just copy and paste them from their applications).
- Once you hit continue or next, you’ll be taken to the page with background check types.
- You’re always going to select the Basic Plus Criminal package.
- Once you hit continue or next, you’ll be taken to this page that offers more stuff. All you have to do is hit “skip”.
- Now you’re on the last page!
- Double check all the people are in there.
- Make sure the box at the bottom is selected (it won’t let you submit the order if it isn’t).
- Hit “Submit Order”
- Once you submit the check, the applicant will receive an email to fill out their information from Checkr (this is already told to them in the pre-written email they get).
- You’ll check their status on the homepage.
- I can’t include a screenshot for privacy reasons, but it’s literally the first thing you see when you login.
- People who come back clean will have a green check.
- People who have stuff will come up with a red X or a prompt to review.
- Usually, misdemeanors aren’t an issue, but criminal and violent charges are. In extreme cases, Checkr is already prompted to automatically send them a response telling them they cannot work for us so you don’t have to worry about it!
- I can’t include a screenshot for privacy reasons, but it’s literally the first thing you see when you login.
Final Hiring Email
- Once their paperwork is complete and background check comes back clear, we’re good to send the final email.
- This email contains the links to all staff resources and some other final information. Yeehaw!
Creating New Employee Materials
- Once an employee is sent the final hiring email, you’ll be able to check off the remaining boxes.
- These are in order to make sure everything is going accordingly.
- After you send out the final email, they will be able to create their Haunt Scheduler.
- Once their Haunt Scheduler is created, you can add them to the email list.
Email List
- Go to the top right corner of the Staff Email.
- Click the dot grid and select “Contacts” from the drop down menu.
- Once you’re here, click “Create Contact”
- Fill in the information.
- You really only need first/last name and email address.
- If they have a preferred name, use their legal name and put their preferred name in parenthesis.
- Once they’re created, make sure to add them to the “Fear Columbus Staff” label so they’re on the email list!
Name Tags
- Every employee (except Makeup Artists) will get a name tag. We use Avery for this.
- Login info will be in your email.
- Start by logging into Avery and clicking the NF circle in the top right hand corner.
- Select “Projects”
- You will be taken to the page below.
- Select “Create A New Project” in the top left corner.
- Type “5160” in the bar up top. This layout will come up.
- Select the fist design (blank)
- Make sure to select “EDIT ONE” in the boxes above the label preview.
- It’s easier to select your text and copy and paste to the boxes that need to be printed instead of trying to delete all the text out of unused labels.
- Next, add your text.
- You may have to adjust sizing based on the length of the name, but typically we do:
- First Name: 30 point, Creepster Font, Purple (specifically #831ceb)
- Next, add your text.
- You may have to adjust sizing based on the length of the name, but typically we do:
- Last Name: 20 point, Special Elite Font, Black
- Once everything is typed, center both fonts. Select both lines but holding down “Shift” to center them completely together.
- When all your labels are done, hit “Preview and Print” at the bottom.
- Select “Print It Yourself”
- It’s going to prompt you to save and name the project. You don’t have to save this.
- It will take you to a PDF where you can print from.
- When printing, you need to use this tray of the printer.
- Make sure the normal tray is completely empty so the printer pulls from this one.
- I’ve found it works best to load just one paper in at a time to avoid jams as much as possible.
Placement Board Tags
- Finally, every employee (besides Makeup Artists) will need placement board tags.
- Start by logging into PicMonkey
- Login info will be sent to your email!
- The homepage should look something like this.
- We’re going to click the first thing that says “Placement Tags”
- Once you’re in, the font settings should be good to go. All you need to do is put the correct name in.
- Just make sure the first name is on top and the last name is on the bottom.
- This is a good place to use their preferred name and not their legal name.
- As long as their legal last name is there, we are good to go! Use the first name they prefer.
- Sizing will probably range on these so they fill the whole canvas, so just adjust the size once the name is typed up.
- It’s saved as “Placement Tags” now.
- Click the name and change it to the Staff Member’s first and last name before downloading.
- Once your name tag is downloaded, open a blank Google Doc.
- Upload the file and adjust it to these sizes
- Print and cut all your name tags.
- Once they’re cut, find the magnetic sleeves in the filing cabinets under the printer table to put them in.
- They can then be taken and sorted into their correct file folders.
- The Performance file folder is located on the table under the garage door into the office in the Staff Lounge.
- The Event file folder is located in the Event Hub.