The salon recruitment process: a guide to finding the right people for the job

Salon management software is a great way to look after your staff and your customers, but it naturally needs the support of additional factors to build a successful salon. Much like every aspiring organisation, every salon needs a dedicated, hard-working team in place in order to better meet its goals and grow as a business. Having the right people for the job is essential in any business, but in the salon industry, not only do you need people who will be good at their jobs, but those who will be presentable and welcoming on the shop floor – the only thing you can’t rely on your salon software to do for you! The service you provide in your salon is one that includes taking care of your customers and offering them an enjoyable experience, so your staff need to be familiar with more than just hairdressing. If you are looking to hire new staff or are planning to set up a new salon, take a look at our helpful guide to recruiting the right people for the jobƒ

Where to look

While putting a sign up in the window, advertising in your local papers and placing adverts online are all good starting points, you might find that you have more luck searching for the candidates and approaching them yourself rather than waiting for them to come to you. This can also be far more cost-effective, as advertising can be quite expensive. By attending trade shows and career days at local schools and colleges, you are likely to come across potential candidates that have the right qualifications, experience or dedication to the job, and you will be able to speak to them directly before you consider them for an interview. Asking around in your industry could also result in an employee being referred to you.

What to look for

When seeking new employees, it is a good idea to write down criteria that you would like each of your candidates to meet before you begin your search. For example, are you looking for a person with a particular qualification or set of skills, or just someone with some salon experience? What kind of personality traits would you like to see and how flexible or self-motivated would you need them to be? You should seek an employee that can offer you viable references and who has a particular passion for working in a salon, to ensure that when you hire them it is likely to be a long-term appointment. Try to think beyond your immediate requirements too. When we built our salon management software, we realised people would need more than just an appointment booking system, which is why it can handle everything from text marketing to reporting, card processing and much more besides. A good hire will be someone who not only excels at his or her main job function, but also brings much more to the table.

During the interview

When interviewing possible candidates, try to avoid turning your conversation into a simple question and answer session. You will learn more about your candidate if you engage them in conversation. Take an interest in what they have to say and encourage them to talk freely; this way, you’ll gain a better understanding of their personality and are more likely to receive honest answers, as well as an idea of how your working relationship together might feel. You should also take note of the way they have presented themselves at the interview, as it will give you an insight into their style, which is important as they will be representing the salon.

Hiring & moving forward

You should already know that the candidate you have chosen can do the job to the standard you require when you offer them the job, so when they first start, all you need to do is ensure they are made to feel welcome by the rest of the team and are able to settle in happily. You should prepare a ïguide’ for all new employees that states certain rules you may wish them to abide by under your employment, as this will save any confusion over dress code, hours etc. While a trial period shouldn’t always be necessary, it is wise to set a probationary period, at the end of which you can assess the work your newest recruit has done so far and how they are helping your salon. It may also be worth getting them familiar with additional processes in their first few weeks even if they won’t normally be using them. Knowing that even the newest members of your team can use your salon booking system right from the start means that, in the event of everything going wrong, you’ll know they’ll be able to keep things running smoothly if you don’t have a system like i-salon anywhere.

Hiring new staff doesn’t have to be a particularly lengthy or stressful process, but interviewing and selecting the right candidate for your salon will take some time. To ensure that your business continues to run smoothly and that appointments, staff, sales and stock all continue to be managed effectively when you are away from the salon, you can rely on i-salon software. For more information, visit the website or contact a member of the team, today.