Have you started your pest control business lately? It is imperative to build a suitable Pest Control Team, too.
As a service company, you could focus on specialized areas. So, your pest control team should have the same skills.
At the ground level, the Pest Control Team will remove pests infesting buildings and areas around. But that is certainly more challenging than it sounds.
If you’re dealing with invasive pests, there are specific techniques and scheduled drugs you need to apply. Hence, a set of niche skills comes in handy.
Your client expects the Pest Control Team to possess these skills by default.
I have explained how to recruit an expert Pest Control Team from scratch in my previous articles.
The specialties of your Pest Control Team should match your service areas, too. This article sheds light on these specialties as well.
Specialties of a Pest Control Team
A pest control team identifies, sorts, and plans ways to eliminate pests from a target area. In the future, they must select, mix, and apply chemicals to prevent re-infestation in the area.
You need to separately apply for a license to use these chemicals while applying for your Pest Control Business License.
Here, I have explained all the components of an ideal Pest Control Team, from skills to qualifications required.
What are the Prime Responsibilities of a Pest Control Team?
Their job starts with the identification of the kind of pest. If you want a better idea of the possible kinds of pests that need treatment, read about Pest Control Business Idea.
After detecting the kind of pest you’re dealing with, the real work starts. I have created a step-by-step record of the activities that follow:
Step 1
Check which sites are infested; conceive ways to axe the pests and plan how re-infestation can stop
Step 2
Invading pests need special care. So, check if mice, snakes, wasps, and spiders exist. Often, mosquitoes and bed bugs can be a peril, too.
This year, mosquitoes are quite a force to reckon with. Already, 25 cases of West Nile virus have been recorded this year1.
While contacting pest control, you may check out some effective mosquito repellants for personal safety.
Step 3
There can be more than one type of pest at a single site. During pest control, you must treat them all.
However, each pest control team specializes in dealing with a specific pest. Hence, dedicated teams may be allocated responsibilities to deal with invasions, wood destruction, and diseases spreading pests here.
Step 4
Measure the infested area so that you can allocate enough men to tackle the site. Measuring is also essential for making a detailed budget for the pest control project.
Step 5
Discuss treatment plans and budget with clients
Step 6
From this step onwards, the hands-on work starts. Applying chemicals comes first, followed by powders and granules on the surface.
Step 7
A pest control team should be aware of the safety of residents or other people around the infested site. They need special skills like equipment handling and site evacuation during treatment. These skill sets help them to ensure people’s safety.
Step 8
Each member of your Pest Control Team should wear adequate PPE2.
Step 9
Often, it takes work to access some sites. So, you need to either bore or drill through. So, the team should have the skills concerned.
Step 10
We move to the third step of the pest-controlling process. After the treatment, the Pest Control Team must remove the pest corpses.
Step 11
You need a team to drive service vehicles to and from the project site.
Step 12
A significant share of your work is keeping your work professional and your appearance clean. That’s another thing the Pest Control Team needs to be mindful of.
Step 13
Other than special skills, the Pest Control Team should have a good knowledge of applicable TDA regulations while working. At the same time, they need to be aware of the label instructions.
Steps to Build a Specialized Pest Control Team Like That!
In the US, there are about 32365 active pest control companies3. Hence, you need practical business management skills to stand out. That starts with hiring the best men for your business.
HR is the foremost thing to consider while brewing a Pest Control Business idea.
We already know the level of skill and specialization a Pest Control Team needs. So, let’s quickly figure out how to recruit the right people and build such a team.
It is only possible to inculcate some of the skills from scratch. So, recruiting skilled people is the best thing to do here.
The following steps will help you recruit ideal profiles for your team.
Figure out the positions that need recruitment.
Having clinical HR skills may be a challenge if you’re a new business. That’s why you must keep it methodical.
You can start by evaluating the recent performance of the pest control team. Hence, you may figure out what needs to be added to the team.
Accordingly, create new positions to consider filling in more people for a post. For example, you might need more people to clean sites after pest treatment. Or you may need more skilled project managers who can coordinate among the field staff efficiently.
Often, small companies need more technicians for tasks like catching snakes, mice, and bees. Especially you would want people who can handle pests with chemical-free treatments.
The bottom line is figuring out what skills you lack and roping in people with the abilities concerned.
Post a Visible Ad
A visible post is not shared over 20 sites and advertised through a giant cut-out. Instead, you need clear objectives and a prominent set of criteria for the candidate. There’s more.
Pest control tasks can be pesky. So, thoroughly describe what the job role will entail.
To create a job post like that, you may explain the traits of the job in your ad. You can also specify the educational qualifications and/or experience required.
However, you should also say something about your company. If your job post reflects the company culture, it will aid the candidate.
Only those who can relate to the company will apply. As a result, the attrition rate will go down.
For better ideas on recruitment for your small business, you may read the blog on startup consulting.
At the same time, your pest control team will be more synced, as there will be primarily like-minded people. Certainly, it will elevate the quality of the projects handled.
I bet you don’t want people on the team who don’t watch other’s backs.
Consider Internal Ad Posting
Your employees should also know about the vacancies. They handle the pest control projects frontline. So, they understand the importance of the new joining.
They also have a concise idea of the skills required for filling the new positions. So, they can recommend capable candidates on their radar to HR.
That may save you the cost and effort to seek and screen a deserving candidate.
Screening Candidates
There are many ways to screen a candidate. But we wish to keep it plain and simple. That’s why we urge making a detailed job post.
Your work is half done there. If you post a detailed list, you may only ensure that the most relevant candidates apply.
Next, I suggest using an AI screening tool. If you’re a new company, you may have few people to screen for CVs. So, let AI do that for you.
But I don’t get the idea that I am undermining manual screening.
Instead, I suggest screening the most deserving candidates manually. You need to be sure that candidates have the skills and experience for the job they are signing up for.
Recruiting Freelancers/Remote Workers
It would help if you had people with a wide range of niche skills for your pest control business. However, recruiting so many people with specialized skills can be cost-effective.
Foremostly, pest control can be a seasonal affair. During winters, the level of pest infestations is low. Most pests are active during the other seasons.
So, you may have limited projects and, hence, enough earnings to support a large team.
Here’s the solution. Recruit freelancers whenever needed. There are ample pest control workers who work as freelancers across the US.
Create a project pool where freelancers can apply for the work that suits them. Alternatively, you can also run the pay-per-project scheme.
As the scheme goes, you’ll have remote workers under contract. However, they will be contacted when there is a relevant project. They will get paid on a project basis.
Some of the roles in the Pest Control Team that you may fill in this way are:
- Cleaners
- Chemical sprayers
- Project coordinators
- Specialized staff like snake catchers
The Bottom Line
Creating a Pest control team takes time and toil. It also requires careful planning and strategic promotion of your job ad. But it would help if you had a clear idea of who to recruit before starting a recruitment drive.
You may read the section on specialized skills of a pest control team in this article.
Despite all the preparation, finding deserving candidates may be effortful. Firstly, you need to create an effective brand. Most strong candidates want to work under a brand that speaks for itself.
That’s from my end. Comment below if you need more suggestions on creating a pest control team.
