The next big tanning season seems to be only minutes away. Once the holidays are done we’ll be deep into the “show” and everyone will wonder “where did all the preparation time go?” To maximize the next season, salon owners across North America are making their lists and checking them twice to be prepared with the right equipment and lotions. Certainly, “the best beds” is something to brag about and a great line-up of lotions is a must. But all of the pre-season prep on anything and everything won’t insure success if your staff is stocked with the wrong people. My favorite joke about the typical salon associate interview is that it lasts about 20 minutes and metaphorically consists of three basic qualifier questions: 1) “Is your heart beating?” 2) “Do you like people?” And 3) “Can you start this weekend?” Because of last minute or hasty hiring practices salon owners often hire their problems!

In the last 15 years, I’ve guided many salon clients to correct their HR problems caused by faulty or impulsive hiring techniques. Here are some important thoughts and suggestions to consider in your pre-season new employee recruiting process:

• Any employee that’s a problem employee in your salon was most likely a problem employee somewhere else. You just did not catch that in the screening and interview process.
• Consider only candidates with some past retail experience. I never want to hire retail “rookies”. A good candidate with exposure in retail will have less “freshman” issues such as non-schedule compliance fear of selling or fear of customers in general.
• Look for interpersonal skills – their ability and desire to freely interact with you, the interviewer, to receive and express ideas and experiences.
• “Natural Warmth”. Does the candidate exude a real and natural affinity for other people? Does her personality demonstrate empathy and openness? Does she seem to be “inviting” into her world?
• How did the candidate handle an irate retail customer in the past. If they have retail experience, they should be able to say how they did, not what they would do. Past experience is the best predictor of future performance.
• Flexibility. Be certain that there are agreements with who you hire concerning work days, hours, current and future projected compensation levels and a good understanding of the job duties. (Avoid the a “bed cleaning shock”!)
• Reliability, responsibility. There is no substitute for maturity in judgment.
• “Customer delight” attitudes. Your best salon employees are those who see their first priority as delighting the customer.

Of course there is infinitely more details to the management of staff resources and I look forward to sharing more of them with you in future articles and webinars for GMS.