Complete Guide to Salon Hiring: How to Hire Top Employees

Are you looking to hire the best talent for your beauty or hair salon? Salon hiring can be a challenge, as you look for the right candidate who will meet all your requirements, have great people skills, and an uplifting personality.

Before you post the job ad anywhere, make sure you have a plan and are prepared for the interviews. You’ll be going through hundreds of resumes and most of them will look the same. So how do you decide which person to hire?

Start by asking recommendations from the people you trust: family, friends, and employees. Use your social media profiles to reach job seekers in your area. Finally, look for your next hire at cosmetology schools or trade shows.

Read on to discover the best salon hiring tips and learn how to find the perfect candidate for the job.

Know What You’re Looking For

For successful salon recruitment, salon owners and managers need to define what exactly they’re looking for in a candidate. Experience, certificates, and skills should matter, but the candidate’s communication skills, personality, and work ethic are essential for the job as well.

When you write a job ad, imagine the type of employee you’d like to hire. You probably want someone with a positive mindset who knows how to talk to customers and colleagues but is also a great hairstylist.

Write A Detailed Job Description

The job description you write for the job posting can make or break your beauty salon hiring process. This is the first thing applicants will read, so make sure it’s detailed enough to deter the wrong candidates.

Include the job title, main requirements, preferred skills, experience, and the salary for the position. Then, post the job description online, on your salon window, and tell friends and family.

Use Social Media

Social media can help you attract job candidates you wouldn’t otherwise. If you have a Facebook fan page with a big number of followers, posting a job ad is a great way to spread the word about your salon and possibly find the perfect match.

Post it on your company page and ask your employees to share the post on their own profiles. If you can, do some paid ads to reach an even wider audience.

Instagram is another great way to attract good candidates. You can create a special post for the job ad or post it on Stories. Like Facebook ads, Instagram ads can help you target specific audiences such as hairdressers in your city or neighborhood.

Ask For Recommendations

Sometimes, the best salon employees come recommended from family, friends, and even your salon customers. Before you post a job ad in your local newspaper or online, ask the people you know and trust if they know someone who’d be a good fit.

Your salon employees are another great resource for potential candidates. Maybe they know someone who’s actively looking for a job. They can tell you the basic information about the person’s skills and personality so you know what to expect.

This is an effective way to save some time and not have to sift through inadequate resumes. Tell people what skills and expertise you’re looking for so they can recommend the best person for the job.

Look For Talents At Events and Cosmetology Schools

Networking events, trade shows, and workshops are a great place to look for fresh talent. You can connect with other professionals in your field and ask them for recommendations. You can also approach hairstylists and ask if they’d be interested.

Cosmetology schools are another way to scout for your next employees. Graduates will gladly accept an internship or volunteer work and you can see what they’re like without too much risk.

Bear in mind that cosmetology school graduates are beginners in terms of practical work. You’ll need to train them, explain how your salon does things, and what’s expected of them.

On the other hand, if they have a good experience at your salon, you’ll have a fully prepared, dedicated employee who’s ready to wow you and your customers.

Prepare for the Interview Process

Recruiting hair stylists is hard work – you not only have to juggle other salon responsibilities, but also find the best fit for the job. The interview process can be energy-draining and time-consuming, so make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for.

You should also be prepared to detect fake and inflated resumes and interviewees who embellish their work experience. Once you narrow down your top candidates, do a thorough background check before you proceed.

If you want to see their skills in action, ask them to show you what they know on a mannequin. Here, you can see their technique, speed, skills, and talent and decide if it’s exactly what you want.

Consider a Trial Hiring Period

If possible, consider hiring the top 3 candidates for a trial period to see if they’re a good fit. Give them the same or similar tasks to see who handles them the best.

Also, prepare a few mannequins and ask them to cut or style hair or do cosmetic procedures before you let them work on customers. This process will let you analyze the candidate’s behavior, how they fit into the salon and the other stylists, and whether they’re giving their best.

Once you’ve made a final hiring decision, be an honest employer and offer the new worker a decent salary, working conditions, and positive work culture. This will motivate them to dedicate all their energy and knowledge to your salon, and you’ll avoid turnovers and repeating the recruitment process all over again.

Use These Salon Hiring Tips To Find Your Next Best Employee

Hiring new workers for your salon is a challenging, time-consuming process for both the salon owner and the candidates. These salon hiring tips will help you sail through it and attract the best person for the job.

Now that you’ve found the perfect candidate for your salon, help them fit in and excel at their new role. Read this article to see how you can boost your staff’s performance and improve your sales.