William Bocast owns a Culligan franchise in Chico, California, and is what our team lovingly refers to as a “CareerPlug power user.” William combines the tools available in CareerPlug’s software, our proven hiring playbook, and his passion for his business to create a winning team.

Culligan provides water treatment systems and solutions for homes and businesses. William’s journey with the Culligan brand began when he was just 20 years old. Starting from the ground up, he’s worked in nearly every role within the company. This hands-on experience gave him a deep understanding of the business and a passion for creating career opportunities for others.

When William was given the chance to purchase the business, he seized it and became a Culligan franchisee. He believes in providing his employees with the same opportunities he once had, fostering a work environment where growth and advancement are not just possible but encouraged.

We sat down with William to learn more about how he’s using CareerPlug. He also shared some of his best tips for evaluating candidates and growing your business with the right people.

The challenge: Updating a manual and inefficient hiring process

Prior to using CareerPlug, Culligan of Chico faced the same hiring challenges felt by many others: They had no clear hiring process and hiring decisions were often made without much evaluation.

When an opening popped up, the office would often make a hire based on a stack resumes that were dropped off and who showed up at the store most recently. This hit-or-miss approach was neither efficient nor effective in finding quality candidates.

William acknowledged the flaws in this system, comparing it to “rolling the dice,” but also shared that sorting through a large number of applications can be incredibly time-consuming and daunting. William found himself often putting off this task because it felt overwhelming to start.

The solution: Using CareerPlug to narrow down the applicant pool

The introduction of CareerPlug was a game changer. It brought structure and efficiency to the hiring process, transforming it from a chaotic and overwhelming task into a streamlined and manageable system.

By using pre-screening questions, CareerPlug helps narrow down the pool of applicants right at the beginning. This makes the process less daunting and more manageable, allowing William to focus on the most promising candidates without wasting time on those who are not a good fit.

More than just resumes: Taking a holistic approach to candidate evaluation 

William quickly realized that hiring based solely on resumes wasn’t enough. Many potential candidates might not excel at writing resumes but could still be a great fit for the team. To address this, he started conducting informal phone screens to get to know applicants better.

“I love being able to ask questions in an informal setting. It’s different from coming into an owner’s office, sitting down with your nice clothes on, when you’re sitting at home answering the phone.”

This holistic approach allows William to assess candidates based on their potential and fit within the company’s culture, rather than just their ability to craft a polished resume. This method has proven to be more effective in identifying candidates who are truly passionate and capable.

How William creates a better candidate experience

We define the candidate experience as the experience someone has with your company from job posting to job offer. It can make or break your ability to hire the right people for your team.

William uses CareerPlug and his own best practices to provide all candidates with a great experience and positive impression of his company. Let’s go over some of his best strategies.

Keep all candidates informed

Communication is key during a hiring process, and it’s important to keep all candidates informed. William personally calls everyone he interviews to give them feedback and let him know why he isn’t moving them forward.

If this level of time commitment isn’t feasible for you, you can automate communication with CareerPlug and send polite rejections emails to candidates you don’t want to hire.

Have empathy for candidates

We all know job hunting can be tough! It’s good to put yourself in the candidate’s shoes and make them feel at ease. William shares that he often prefaces interviews by saying, “It’s ok to be nervous. Nervousness is good; it means this is something important to you! Let’s just have a conversation.”

Be honest about job expectations

Finding out that the role and responsibilities are different than they expected is one of the number one reasons candidates turn down a job offer. It can also lead to turnover down the road for those you do hire.

It’s important to write thorough job descriptions that accurately reflect the role. Be sure to spend some time during interviews to explain the role in more detail. William shares, “It’s a job. Don’t sugar coat anything. People appreciate being told what the job is going to be like and what the culture of the company is. Tell candidates what it feels like to work for your company.”

“If you’re not using CareerPlug, what the heck are you doing?”

Finding the right person is infinitely valuable and even has an impact on the retention of the rest of your team. When asked about some of the measurable impacts of CareerPlug, William explains:

“I don’t think it’s quantifiable how important a good hire is. We are a small company. If we have a revolving door because of bad hiring… it impacts the current team. You have to find good people because your employees will question whether or not you make good decisions, and it will make them question whether they want to work for you.”

He also said, “Make sure you’re using all the resources that CareerPlug provides. You have to put the effort in. The more effort you put in, the more it’s rewarded.”

And some final parting thoughts for his fellow business owners… “If you’re not using CareerPlug what the heck are you doing?”