6 Ways to Attract New Hires to Your Beauty Business

Let’s face it, salon and spa owners are typically not Human Resource professionals, and recruiting and hiring is not a favorite activity. Yet it would be helpful for management purposes if we had a steady stream of qualified applicants. Historically, job advertisements were terse sentences with a lot of jargon and acronyms, since we were paying by the inch for newspaper space.

Now, a very high percentage of these activities takes place online, on Craigslist, Indeed, or another job posting site, and yet the language of the ads has not necessarily changed to reflect all the available space.

On the other hand, people have short attention spans, and tend to gloss over copy that is too long or involved. If your ads are not producing the desired numbers of applicants, perhaps a fresh approach that is more sales-oriented will boost your results.

1. Uniqueness

What makes your spa special? Do you have numerous community awards? Are you known for your community support? Perhaps you offer services, products or equipment that are not found at competitors, or you draw clients from a wide geographic area. Be sure to highlight these features.

2. Employee benefits

Salons and spas, because of the peculiarities of the compensation model, are rarely able to offer “typical” employee benefits including paid time off, a contribution to health coverage, or education stipends. If your business is set up in a way that makes these things possible, be sure to highlight them in the advertisement. You can say “Compensation packages include a contribution to personal health care, and paid time off benefits.”

3. Avoid clichés

Every spa’s recruiting ads say that the spa is “busy,” and/or “popular,” and sometimes even the untrue “relaxing place to work.” Use realistic language; “You’ll work hard and be well-rewarded.” That’s who you want working for you, after all, is someone who is willing and able to work for their living.

4. Career orientation

Remember the Army’s, “It’s not a job, it’s an adventure!” What can you say about your spa that sets you apart as an employer, and communicates that you want to attract folks who will stick around for the long haul? Career advancement is appealing to almost all of the applicant pool. Highlight your commitment to ongoing education programs, available flexible scheduling, tiered levels of compensation, or 401k contributions for tenured staff. Also be sure to highlight any attributes that make your spa a desirable place to work, such as a cohesive team, an ergonomically designed workspace, or longevity in the marketplace.

5. Change it up

Just like with your consumer marketing, change up your ads in different marketplaces. Try different taglines or features, and test which ones get a better response. Make sure to note these for the future!

6. Pictures

Maybe not worth a thousand words, but a photo of the workplace can communicate a lot. A nice exterior shot, an interior shot of the place in action, and maybe even the back of house, if yours is nice/clean enough to share! Try to use unusual fonts, colors or branding in your ads to stand apart from your competition.