Most salon owners would agree that finding and keeping the right team members is a significant pain point.
Often owners find themselves hiring on impulse, desperately trying to replace a departing team member before their last day in the salon. Imagine instead having a list of potentially perfect team members who have come knocking on your door just to inquire about the privilege of working in your salon! It is possible if owners recognize that there are many different components involved in successful formation and retention of any dream team.
Below, Janine Argila, Eufora Business trainer and salon owner, shares advice on four techniques that have shown proven results for her salon.
1. Know your vision, mission and values
How can a salon attract dream team members if the owner does not know these three critical components? Establishing a clear vision and mission (your salon's personality) will help to identify people who share similar core values and set you up for success. Remember, a stylist who has a spectacular resume and a giant clientele may have very different core values, so while you may want that rock star stylist and their book of business, ultimately, if your values do not align it can create a major rift in your salon culture.
2. Be consistent with your messaging.
Social media channels and your website are more than just tools to gain new clients. They can also be very powerful recruitment tools. If a prime candidate is following your social pages, what are they seeing? Do they get to witness your culture, how your team interacts or the education you offer? Do your channels mirror one another, and do they speak to your salon’s personality? Most importantly, is there a way for interested stylists to apply online? If not, it is time to add a careers page to your website!
3. Share your search.
Tell your guests, your team, your family and your friends. It is very easy for people to assume that a busy salon could not possibly have the need or the space to hire someone new, so make sure that your contacts know your salon is always looking to hire great people. You never know whose niece is in beauty school or who might be moving from another state and looking for a new salon home. Never forget the benefits of involving other stylists in your salon in your recruiting efforts, especially those who may know newly graduating stylists that you can mentor to success! Making the team part of the process can create excitement, giving them the confidence to share what your salon is all about. Ultimately, networking could entice the perfect candidate to check out your salon, and chances are that a candidate who comes to you via referral already knows and embraces similar core values.
4. Take it slow.
Remember, hiring is a marathon not a sprint. Just because a stylist fits the technical criteria does not mean that person is a fit for your salon. Take your time with the decision-making process as you look to recruit a new team member. Dive in and really get to know if a candidate’s values align with those of your salon. I use a four-phase interview process, requiring that possible new hires shadow in the salon four times before they are hired. This allows us to see their work habits and how they interact with other team members – hopefully, ensuring a good fit.
Putting together that “dream team” will always be a work in progress, and the rules to get there are ever-changing. While this may make it may feel like a daunting leadership task, it is critical to any salon’s success, so time invested in learning and then honing best practices is definitely worthwhile.