Ready to bring an employee into your beauty business? 

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After 4 years of owning a thriving home beauty business, I fell pregnant and decided to hire so I could maintain my client base, have time off to bond with my baby, maintain a stable income, and have flexibility with hours when I decided to return to work. 

Hiring seemed straightforward enough but it was deciding on the right person that was challenging.

Following a few employees loved and lost, I realised my hiring process needed improvement and I started working on creating a process to help me identify the best people for my business. 

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“The key to having great employees is developing a hiring process that’s unique to your business vision. From there you can grow a team and business you can manage effectively.” 

- Trina Carter

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Finding your next staff member is about knowing how to strategically ask questions to determine the right match for your salon culture. And the best way to do that is to design them yourself!

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The tips I’m sharing are going to help you put interview questions together that’ll reveal the superstar you need for your salon. The 3 areas to cover are Ability, Motivation and Teamwork.

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Ability

Ability based questions are the “must have” skills necessary to deliver the outcome the job was designed for. 

You’re designing questions that’ll give an indication of whether they know and can perform the skills required for the role. You’re also looking for whether they demonstrate any transferable skills. These include: communication style, technique, creativity, where their inspiration comes from, how they go about problem solving and multitasking, how resilient they are when faced with something challenging, and leadership skills.

Overall, the purpose is to determine they have an understanding of what’s required for the role and whether that fits in with your business values.

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Some of my favourite questions are:

"What part of your job do you consider as the most important"

To determine if they have knowledge of the key skill required and if it aligns with your business values.

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"Tell me about the part of the job you find most challenging?"

To determine their technical knowledge and understand their reaction when faced with something they don’t like.

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"What are you looking for in a new role that you aren't getting from your current one? 

To understand if the level of support required is a match to the position description.

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Motivation

Knowing a person has the ability to do the job is the first step.

But we all know that “can-do” and “will-do” is what makes the difference! 

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Successful salons are built from teams who strive to make a difference with their presence every day, not the ones who do just enough to get by and keep their job.

- Trina Carter

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The goal here is to design questions to see whether they’ll have the attitude, commitment, and energy to remain consistent through smooth and tough days. You want to see their willingness to show up as a professional and remain reliable and determined to be at their best. 

Look for their enthusiasm to grow, learn, and face the challenges of the role, because that’s the attitude of someone who wants the opportunity you’re offering.

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Some of my favourite questions are:

“How do you feel about your progress so far?” 

To determine their level of self awareness and how much responsibility they take toward their progression or lack of.

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“How do you best learn a new skill?” 

To determine whether this is aligned with the job role and culture.

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“How do you handle yourself when a sudden emergency comes up?” 

I usually give this in a personal situation context, but this is so interesting to see how serious they are about their commitments.

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“Are there any questions you have to ask me?”

Someone who really wants the role should have a question about what and how they will learn on the job or about the business.

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Teamwork

A salon environment can only thrive if everyone in the team is willing to share the load and take care of each other.

For this stage, the goal is to design questions to see how well they’ll complement your existing team. You want to know whether they’ll thrive in the work environment and culture you've created, as well as how manageable they are.

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Some questions I’ve used in the past have been:

"How do you like to be managed?" 

To determine whether it suits the role description and your management style.

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"Have you ever worked with someone who was difficult to work with before and how did you handle it?" 

Learning how they judge a situation and another person gives so much insight into their character and whether it’ll work in your culture.

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"If a colleague who'd been there longer than you did something you knew was wrong, how would you handle it?" 

I try to give a specific scenario here. It shows whether they’re upholders, an outright dobber, someone who’s loyal to their boss, or someone who shows leadership qualities and effective communication.

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The key to effective interviewing is being intentional with the questions you ask to reveal the candidate who’s consistent with your business values. 

Planning the questions that are meaningful to the role and your business will result in consistency in the people you hire and maintain the standards that cement an effective salon team.

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I share loads more free tips on my socials. Please join my private group on Facebook and follow me on Instagram for advice on how to create a harmonious and high performance culture in your business.

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Sending positive business vibes your way, always,