Salon Interview Preperation
The first thing to bear in mind when preparing to interview potential new employees is that we are all human and we all have feelings. The interviewee will be nervous and possibly you will be too.
To help overcome the nerves and perform a perfect interview which instills confidence in your potential new employee the No.1 golden rule is to be fully prepared for the interview. Being prepared will give you a real air of confidence and will help you and the interviewee enjoy the interview.
Please bear in mind that interviewing should not over complicated. Keep it Simple.
It’s a very simple procedure of getting to know your candidate, importantly you should try to achieve this with TWO interviews. The first interview is about finding candidates that you think will be likeable and will fit well into your team and get on well with your clients.
Preparation for the First Salon Interview
Salon Interview Preparation 1 - Turnout and Bearing
Make sure that you are dressed appropriately. Dress to Impress using your salon dress code as your guide. It goes without saying that your general turnout; hair, makeup, shoes etc, should all be representative of the high quality expected of all your employees.
Salon Interview Preparation 2 - Salon Staff Interview Questions
Make sure you have a list of questions that you would like to ask your candidates (see interview questions below). All candidates should be asked the same questions in order to be fair across the board.
Salon Interview Preparation 3 - the Initial Telephone Interview
Bearing in mind we are starting from the beginning of the interview process, so you should always conduct an initial brief interview on the telephone before meeting candidates face to face. This could save you loads of time and later stress !
Download a simple telephone interview questions list form here. Free
Salon Interview Preparation 4 - Physical Stuff.
Make sure that you have the candidates CV and a Pen and Paper.
Salon Interview Preparation 5 - Timings and dates.
Prior to meeting your first candidate you must plot a time plan for when you are going to hold second interviews and trade tests.
1. Tell them the date/s you will be holding second interviews and inform them that you will be writing to each candidate to inform them if they will be invited back for a second interview.
2. Tell them that candidates who “move on” from second interviews will be invited to perform a trade test and tell them what would be expected from them in your trade test. See the what to do in a trade test page:
Salon Interview Preparation 6 - Interview Questions
At this first interview you want to learn about the person and how they will fit into your salon team, so try to avoid asking technical questions at this stage.
* Tell me about yourself?
* What is the most enjoyable part of your current job?
* Tell me what you think the biggest challenge in a hairdressing career is?
* Why do you want to leave your present salon?
* What is your present boss like?
* What can you tell me about our salon?
* What made you apply for this job?
* What qualities do you think you can bring to our salon?
* How long would you expect to work in our salon?
* What is your greatest strength as a hairdresser?
* What is your biggest weakness as a hairdresser?
* What would your salon work colleagues say about you?
* What would your friends say about you?
The above questions will help the interviewer understand how ambitious and motivated the candidate is. Remember that this should be a two way conversation, and it should be conducted conversationally and not like an investigation.
Technical questions should really be left to the second interview and or trade test. However if you have decided only to do one interview before inviting candidates back for a trade test, then you should ask your trade related technical questions now.
QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD NOT ASK DURING AN INTERVIEW.
* How old are you?
* What religion are you?
* Do you have children?
* Do you plan to have Children?
* Do you have an disabilities I should be aware of?
* Do you drink, smoke or take drugs?
* How much time do you take off sick?
The above questions are discriminatory and the should not be openly asked.
Stage Two Following the first Interviews.
Ok so now you have the first interviews under your belt you need to write to all candidates to inform them that they have been invited back for a second interview or have not been successful.
See the Salon Managers Level 1 and Level 2 Subscriptions. Both include complete set’s of Salon Human Resources Documents.
Write to all candidates and inform them of your decision. For the candidates you are inviting back for a second interview and or trade test you should enclose your Salon job application form in the letter and ask them to return it by a certain date. (see below)
Salon Interview Preparation 7 - Salon Staff Job Application Forms
The Salon job application form is very important. Do not rely on CV’s for your information because these tell you what the candidate wants you to know, the Job application forms get the candidate to tell you what you want to know. And they also contain all of the legal etc, requirements that will keep you safe in employment law.
See our Salon Documents Page for purchasing information: