Hiring & Firing Protocols

The hiring process can be likened to a pyramid: a broad number of resumes are received, applicants are screened and interviewed, and the pool of candidates gradually narrows until the most qualified emerges at the top.

The likelihood of finding good employees oftentimes is directly related to the pool of applicants. Therefore, begin the hiring process by attracting the type of people you want to hire. Specify your job requirements and post announcements on job bank Web sites, newspapers, salon fliers, etc. Note that you are seeking inside sales employees with flexible business hours. By mentioning the word “business” you indicate you require your staff to have a professional attitude.

Specify that candidates must have the ability to multi-task under pressure, have good phone skills, a neat appearance, organizational skills, etc.

First, sort resumes by eliminating unqualified candidates and carefully evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of stronger candidates.

Once you have made your top picks, conduct phone interviews to determine if the applicants have the necessary job qualifications, if the pay is acceptable, and if the applicant seems likeable, honest and receptive to training. If the applicant shows promise as a solid employee, schedule a face-to-face interview in your salon or business office.

The job interview either can facilitate productive information sharing and give real insight into a candidate’s personality, character and work experience or be an awkward exercise of little or no value. Conducting a proper interview is a learned skill, yet many managers treat interviews as a social conversation.

Salon owners and operators can make better hiring decisions by improving their interview techniques to elicit valuable information from employee candidates. Interview questions should facilitate open and honest responses to gain an objective assessment of the candidate’s job skills, and to measure other important factors such as honesty, manageability, resourcefulness and judgment.

Interviews are potentially uncomfortable for the interviewer and nerve-wracking for the applicant. Set the tone of the interview by being courteous and professional. Meet the applicant at the door, extend a friendly handshake, make eye contact and act genuinely pleased to be interviewing the person.

While the environment should be relaxed, informal and friendly, the approach should be well-prepared and calculated. Take the following steps to obtain quality information during the interview.

The purpose of an interview is to objectively determine the applicant’s suitability for employment. However, hiring decisions are sometimes based on likeability and interview performance— not on how well a person is likely to perform necessary tasks. A good interviewer carefully will assess each candidate based on criteria, not allowing personal rapport to outweigh objectivity.

Good interview questions are based on the candidate’s past experience, open-ended, nondiscriminatory, jobrelated and non-leading.

Open-ended. This type of question usually starts with “what,” “how,” “why,” “tell me about” or “give me an example.”

This type of question is effective because it prompts the candidate to give a detailed response.

• Good examples of open-ended questions include:
• “Tell me about a time when you had to persuade your boss to adopt your point of view.”
•  “What kinds of decisions are most difficult for you?”
• “What has been your greatest error in judgment?
• What did you learn from this mistake?”
• “What was the most complex project you ever handled and how did you accomplish it?”

Close-ended. This type of question should be limited, as it can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” response. While sometimes useful and even necessary, close-ended questions generally give limited insight into a candidate’s abilities.

Leading. This type of question supplies the expected response and is relatively unproductive. For example, resist asking “Are you a team player? This salon values team-oriented employees.” This gives the candidate the expected response and is of little value. A better question is “Do you prefer to work independently or as part of a team?”

Self-evaluation. This type of question can give helpful character insight when candidates are required to provide specific examples of how they have solved past problems. A good example is, “Tell me about one of your most difficult challenges and how you resolved it.”

Silences during an interview can be useful and should not be avoided. Once a question has been asked, allow for silence if the person needs time to formulate a response. After the response if given, pause momentarily before asking the next question. Allow the candidate to fill in any lulls in conversation, as this signals you welcome additional input and may prompt them to give honest information.

It is against the law to approach certain topics when interviewing job candidates. Interviewers would be wise to stick with approved work-related subjects and know the federal and state laws relating to employment discrimination.

Avoid questions regarding age, height/weight, pregnancy, religion, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, political beliefs, race, etc. If you are concerned about the legality of certain questions, contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, state employment agency or an attorney.

After hiring, employees must be trained. By giving them the opportunity to become certified with programs such as the National Tanning Training Institute (NTTI), employees can gain the business expertise and know-how needed to work in a first-class professional indoor tanning salon and become a greater asset the business.

Areas of training should include functions of the skin, UV radiation, lamps, exposure schedules, photosensitizers, the risks of overexposure, local, state and federal regulations, eye protection, sanitation, equipment operating procedures and salon professionalism.

Additionally, trainers should provide manufacturers’ equipment information, copies of ads, fliers, customer cards, daily record sheets, and any other forms they will be expected to understand.

Allow them to actively observe the way phone calls are properly answered and customers are treated. If cleaning duties are required, these should be clearly defined and understood from the beginning. Allow for mistakes as they improve their skills and grow in confidence. After all, there is no better teacher than hands-on experience.

Rapid employee turnover is something all businesses want to avoid. In addition to being costly in terms of time and money, it also can cause problems with customer loyalty and staff bonding. To minimize this problem, treat your employees with fairness and dignity.

Have an open communication policy so problems can be aired and solved before they become major issues.

If you have students working for you, understand that school usually takes precedence over work. Make every effort to accommodate their schedules. If this does not work well for you, hire employees that have fewer outside demands.

Be at the salon regularly. This improves both staff and customer relationships. Employees generally feel more responsible and customers feel more secure when an authority figure is present.

The decision to dismiss an employee is usually difficult and often uncomfortable. To avoid legal risk, including potential lawsuits for unlawful discharge, follow proper protocol when firing an employee or accepting a voluntary resignation.

Generally speaking, a salon can significantly reduce this risk if there is documentation that an employee has been terminated for legitimate reasons and that salon management acted in good faith during the termination process.

There are many reasons for firing an employee including misconduct and poor job performance. Before firing, take steps to document the problem, using fair rules and procedures. It there is trouble with an employee, it is wise to give written warning—resist firing without notice. However, if immediate action is called for, tell the employee they are suspended— effective immediately—while the problem is investigated.

Salon owners and operators should have valid, nondiscriminatory business reasons for firing, and sufficient documentation as proof. Documentation must be created in the normal course of business, before the person is fired.

Employees and the legal system are more likely to perceive a firing as fair if employees are given plenty of notice about what conduct and performance is expected of them. On the first day of work, give all employees a set of written rules, regulations and their job description. Have them sign a copy for the salon to keep and a copy for them to keep.

Enforce your rules fairly and equally to all your employees, give regular feedback about job performance and written warnings if expectations are not met, and use progressive disciplinary measures when necessary.

Before you fire someone for misconduct, investigate and thoroughly document the final incident that determines to the firing decision.