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Mr Grumpy and Miss Slow need not apply to family business that uses Mr Men to recruit

John Timpson, Chairman of Timpson shoe repairers - Rex Features
John Timpson, Chairman of Timpson shoe repairers - Rex Features

The boss of a family shoe repair business has revealed how he shuns traditional CVs in favour of comparing job candidates to Mr Men characters. 

John Timpson, who has run the Timpson key-cutting and shoe repair chain for 42 tears, says candidates are selected on the basis of their personality.

Recruiters at Timpson branches are asked to decide if a job applicant is more of a "Mr Grumpy" or a "Mr Happy", they are given a half-day trial on the shop floor.

Mr Happy
Potential Mr Happys would fare better than Mr Grumpys

Mr Timpson, who was a prominent Brexit backer during the referendum campaign, said he works on the basis that you can teach someone how to do the job but you cannot shape their personality.

Interviewers are given pictures of Mr Men-style characters such as "Mrs Keen" and "Miss Slow" and asked to tick boxes based on the characteristics of the candidate. 

He told the BBC: "We're not bothered by qualifications or CVs. We just look at the candidate and work out who they are, are they Mr Grumpy, Mr Slow, MrHappy?

"If they tick all the right boxes then we put them in the shop for half the day. That's it, I dreamt that up years ago."

John Timpson - Credit: Rex/Shutterstock 
John Timpson Credit: Rex/Shutterstock

He operates a system of "Upside Down Management" where senior employees are expected not to give orders but to provide help and support colleagues. 

He added:  "You can't train for great service, it's not by issuing rules or notices in the back of the staffroom. "You only get great people when you give them the freedom, so we let them [staff] charge what they want."

Timpson also hires workers who have a criminal record. People who have spent time in prison make up 10 per cent of its staff. 

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