Hire in haste and repent at leisure!

So true, and yet forgotten by so many, so often.

When you’re busy and short-staffed, it’s easy to glance through a resume and accept the first job applicant that looks half decent to fill the gap and relieve some of the pressure

While this might seem like a good idea at the time, have you stopped to think about the long-term ramifications of a hasty selection process?

Not only can a bad choice of new employee put your business in jeopardy in lots of different ways, but you are often left in a position where you will just have to start all over again a month down the track when things haven’t turned out for the best. (This also entails the dreaded “setting free” process).

Add to that, more advertising costs, training costs, and hair replacement costs (after you have finished ripping yours out in sheer frustration). 

This is just the short list of what you might end up losing, as you have to take into consideration the chance of your new, but less than an ideal employee, costing you customers and sometimes even other staff members.

So, what do you do when you need someone in a hurry?  You take the time to choose carefully because a poor selection will leave you even more time poor and frustrated down the track.

 

Here’s an overview of what you need to do before and during the hiring process.

  • Make a list of all the attributes and experience that are essential for your new staff member to have so that they can do the job successfully.
  • Follow this up with a wish list of what you would like them to have in the way of attributes and experience.
  • Develop a friendly, but clear and concise advertisement, that targets the essential attributes and experience that the applicant will need to have to gain the position.
  • Be prepared to do a short phone interview with all of the applicants to weed out those who do not meet the essential criteria.  (Prepare your checklist in advance).  Take notes.
  • Invite the applicants who have survived the phone interview to a formal interview process where they can fill in your application form and answer your questions.  Avoid the temptation to do most of the talking at this stage, and instead encourage the applicant to talk about themselves, and ask questions about the position that they’ve applied for.
  • If the position is skills based,  invite the applicants who have met all your essential criteria to undergo a skills test.
  • Check references, check references, check references.
  • If by this stage you have more than one applicant who meets all of your essential criteria (lucky you), now is the time to look at your wish list to see if any of your applicants can offer you that something extra.
  • If no one met your essential criteria, review your list to make sure that some of your essentials don’t really belong on your wish list and re-advertise. 
  • Whatever you do, don’t ‘take the best of a bad bunch’.  You will regret it in the long run, and it will prove to be a costly short-term solution.
  • Make your selection and notify EVERYONE of your decision. 

Employing and training new staff members is a costly business.  

Don’t fall into the trap of hiring and setting free employee after employee, because you don’t get this simple process right.

Take the time to get to know your prospective employee as much as possible before making a final decision. 

Sometimes this might even involve a second interview and bringing in a manager or senior team member to get a fresh perspective during the interview process.

Ensure you have a quality job application form to use for the interview process, so that you have good information to base your selection on, and take the time to prepare a job description so that your prospective employee has a complete understanding of what you expect from them if offered the position.

And remember, it’s not just about what you want or need in an employee. 

This is a two-way street, and you have to make sure that you can meet the needs of your new team member as well, otherwise, they may not stay long with your salon.

A little bit of forward planning can save a lot of trouble down the track, so it’s well worth the effort to invest your time into this selection process.