Culpeper, VA 22701
540-212-4546 (tech) or (826) 225-3144 (appt)
Employment Opportunity
Apprentice/Journeyman
Starving/budding artist? Antique lover who sheds tears while hearing the history of a family heirloom? Does hearing the words “there’s no way that can be fixed” drive you harder? Keep reading. If not, please stop now… The ideal candidate will want to own this business in the next few years (details to be figured out).
This is not a typical job ad. This is intended to weed out the “I just want to come in and screw around for a few hours a day and get paid to do stuff I am micro-managed to do”.
We are looking for an apprentice or journeyman in furniture repair/restoration. We also work on other things besides antiques so ability to learn/adapt is critical. Color replacement is a critical part of what we do, so you must be able to identify tones and hues. Please take the tests at https://www.xrite.com/hue-test and https://color.method.ac/. Send screenshots of your results.
Passion for excellence and desire to continually learn (and apply learning) are the most important requirements. I can/will teach skills but the candidate must bring the passion. 95% of our work is done in the customer's home, so you must both be (able to become) comfortable with this, and capable of representing in a professional manner. The primary area is a 50-mile radius of Culpeper, and the shop (for shop work) is in Culpeper. Shop days are twice a week.
This is not so much a position as it is a lifetime opportunity. Pay for apprentices starts hourly (typically $20-25), then increases. Bonuses are paid twice a year as well as for specific projects where appropriate. After journeyman status is achieved, pay is on a commission/project basis where appropriate. This can be full-time or part-time (minimum 25 hours/week due to training requirements).
If you bring the drive to learn and apply learning, I will teach the skills. Earning potential is much higher than the hourly rate, especially when on the commission/project basis. Company benefits include bonuses, guaranteed minimum pay, a 401k and paid time off (holidays, vacation, flex/sick time). You bring the potential, I will help you unlock it... Please do not waste your time or mine if you are simply looking for a paycheck or cannot pass a background check.
Really important stuff intended to weed out all but the best candidates. If you are offended by any of the below, you are not a fit so please do not bother applying.
· This is not a typical “job” where you will be supervised every step for eternity.
· You will be expected to become a self-motivated critical thinker who can learn to do things on your own and make your own decisions.
· I can be a challenging person to work for/with, especially when it comes to quality and perseverance.
· I will “hold your hand” in the beginning, but will also challenge you to stretch your abilities when I know you have the skills to do so.
· I expect every failure to be followed by success, and I expect you to fail a lot.
· I have a lot of patience for learning, but zero-tolerance for a lack of integrity and ethics.
· We are extremely “tell it like it is” communicators yet do not tolerate the “blame game”. You must be able to (learn) to work out a way-ahead after you finish venting (5 minutes max). If you are afraid of difficult conversations or unable to turn adversity into opportunity, this is not going to work for you – or me.
· We are a service-based business so the hours are not always “perfect world” “9-5”. We strive to keep consistent hours but that is generally only possible on shop days. Even then, if you are in the middle of gluing something, the expectation is that you will finish.
You are apparently still with me and interested... Apply using the section below.
