Nov 24 2021
Tips For Hiring The Best Techs: People are your most powerful resource
As a salon owner you know that your technicians are the heartbeat of your salon and the key to your success. A recent interview with a manager of a successful salon in Central Florida reveals the essential keys of attracting and retaining the best talent for your enterprise.
1. The Law of Attraction: Look for positive, grounded energy. A Technician that has negative energy may carry baggage of bad life decisions and a trail of bad romances. On the other hand, a technician that knows that she/(he) is the sum of her choices in life and feels empowered to write her own success story will take life's ups and downs in stride.
2. Look for sincere, confident people who are comfortable in their own skin. The only person they should compete with is the person they were yesterday.
3. Keep in mind that the bigger the salon, the more personalities you will have in your tech stew. More personalities means more connections that can go haywire. For this reason, starting with a small, solid foundation of the right pool of talent can be key. Chair growth can be more organic as a result of positive salon energy attracting the best of the best.
4. Troubleshoot early and often: Before trouble escalates, nip issues in the bud. Don't let personnel issues fester. Take techs to a quiet, private location to discuss matters. Keep conversations very brief. Keep the tone positive. Don't call out techs in front of others. As the owner/manager, take responsibility for the problem. Come to understanding and resolution quickly. DO NOT repeat or reiterate. Once a problem has escalated, this management style gets very complicated.
5. Celebrate milestones. Annual pay raises and recognition even very small ones give employees a boost that helps recover from life's little disappointments. 5 years in a salon is a special milestone since very few technicians make it to this mark.
6. Treat the salon/tech relationship like a partnership. Successful, tenured technicians may respond well to advancing along the commission continuum.
7. Poor fit: Consider parting amicably if these traits are part of the daily struggle: attitude, customer dissatisfaction, tardiness or working under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
8. Sound Fidelity Measures: Make sure you trust your employees and then keep access to cash and credit limited to the fewest possible parties. Install cameras to deter any fraudulent activity.
.
Remember, hiring good talent is an art and a science. It takes time to train and enculturate techs to the flow of your enterprise. Take pride in your amazing work force and let them know that they are the reason for your success. Praise is free but it never hurts to give a little extra when a job has been well done.
