Recruitment: How to Actually Find Good Staff

Did someone just hand in their notice? Or maybe you're stuck with staff who just aren't good enough but you're too scared to let them go? Or maybe you've got growth plans for the rest of 2026. Either way, I want to reassure you that good staff exist, you're just fishing in the wrong pond. All on, build your salon. Hello, hello, hello my salon friends. Phil Jackson here, your queen of salons, coming all over the internet with a big glob of my Wise Owl wisdom. How on earth are you? Achingly well, I hope. Monday the 19th of February, this episode is scheduled for release. How is February working out for you? Hopefully, we're storming towards a strong end to the month and a strong March as well. I've got good vibes around March. I feel like, I can feel the days getting longer. I can feel everyone starting to relax into spending a little bit more money. And that's got to be a good thing for our industry. And today we're talking about recruitment. And we need to undo some of the stories you've been telling yourself around recruitment. Maybe you're saying that nobody wants to work anymore. Well, that probably just means you're looking in the wrong place. Or perhaps you're thinking that good people are just too expensive. I can't afford good wages. Well, that probably means you've got a pricing problem. Maybe you're thinking that everyone wants to be self-employed. And that is a strong story. Certainly, it has been over the last decade here in the UK. But there are good staff out there. There are people who want the reassurance of being on a payroll. There are people that want to feel part of an employed team. There are people who understand and appreciate the opportunities that employment can bring beyond self-employment. Good staff are out there. But maybe they're just not applying for your job. And that's because your recruitment process has broken down at one of five specific places. And that's what I want to take you through today. And I love, my absolute passion is people that employ in the salon industry. The easy thing to do is to rent rooms, rent beds, rent chairs. The easy thing to do is to pull back, work for yourself because it's too hard to employ. But honestly, without anybody employing, I don't think we have a future industry at all. We need, there are some people who can put themselves through college, put themselves through all sorts of training courses and come out with a decent business at the end. But there is a big part of our industry that needs that model of employment in the early days. I want employers out there. I am there for it, my darlings.

So where are people going wrong with recruitment? Well, the first thing is they don't actually know what they're looking for. They throw a post out there. And I hate seeing posts on social media where it says stylist wanted, therapist wanted, and fingers crossed hoping for the best. There's no clear criteria. There's no deal breakers. There's no non-negotiables. And then you're surprised when the wrong person ends up on your payroll. We've got to get some assets in place that bring ultimate clarity to the recruitment process. That means a written job description. Don't just wing it. Don't just write your advert and hope that everything's okay. These job descriptions should be in place for your existing team anyway, including you. You should have a job description too, because then we understand what everyone's role is, how everyone is contributing to the success of the business. We also want a list of the absolute non-negotiable skills, things that have to be in place, and then the things that are nice to have. So, and it's really important, I think, to have that before you go into the recruitment process. Make sure you understand the difference. There are some things that we absolutely have to have. There are some things that, okay, it'll be great if they have them, but it's a little bit negotiable. Perhaps we can invest some of our training budget. We also want a really clear idea about the kind of personality that is going to thrive in your salon. Now, the temptation is that we end up with an entire team that all feels the same, and it doesn't really work. We need a few superstars in a salon business. Equally, we need some plodders. It's okay to have a few people who are a little bit dull, comparatively, but they come in, work hard, get the job done, go home again. That's absolutely fine. We need a mix of personalities. It doesn't work if everyone's going to be the diva who gets the amazing results. We need some people who can be a little bit quieter, and your clients will appreciate the mix as well. But be really clear on the kinds of things that are non-negotiable, and don't do the desperate hiring thing, and don't be swayed by what walks through the door. And I see this a lot, and I think it's really concerning when, let's say, you're recruiting in your beauty business, a therapist comes through the door, and then all of a sudden you're thinking, oh, she's qualified in that. We could add that service to our menu. Well, what are you doing? What are you doing in that instance? Firstly, you're going to add something to your menu that only one team member can do.

That can be an expensive mistake, trust me, because if they decide to walk after two months, you're high and dry with no one who can carry out that service now. Secondly, what are you communicating to the marketplace? You're not communicating that your business is about anything. You're basically just grabbing services, throwing them on the menu, and expecting people to book. And you're communicating to that team member that you haven't got a strong ethos either. And that is a big mistake, particularly with younger team members. They want to be able to get behind a business. They want to understand the vision for the business. They want to buy into your values. If those values are completely negotiable, depending on where you can make a few quid, well, what's that telling people? Point number two where people go wrong is they're fishing in the wrong place. Throwing a post on Indeed, throwing a post on Facebook and getting five applications from people who can't spell. Or maybe you get zero applications because good people just aren't looking there. Well, there's really good reasons for that. Firstly, Indeed used to be amazing for free recruitment. Honestly, unless you're paying now, you're not going to get amazing results from Indeed. The only time it works really well is you're recruiting support staff, admin staff, reception staff. But for stylists and therapists, I don't think you're going to get great results. And your Facebook page and your Instagram page were built to attract clients. They're not going to attract therapists. They're not going to attract stylists. The good people just aren't looking in those places. Where are the good people? I'm afraid to say, my darlings, they're working for someone else already. They're already employed. They're not actively looking. They're in salons that may have a bad culture or bad pay. They might be ready to move for the right opportunity or they might be training, but not yet qualified. They might be hungry. They might be moldable. They might be loyal if you can get them in. Or perhaps they're returning to the industry after a break, which means that we're getting some maturity. We're getting some experience and they tend to be very motivated. And I'm afraid I'm going to ask you to start getting uncomfortable now. If you're going to use social media for recruitment, it's going to have to be an outreach thing. You're going to have to reach out to people whose work you admire. DM them. Ask them where they're working at the moment. What's going on with them? Are they happy where they are? Is that sneaky? I don't particularly think so. It's up to them to reveal to their employer whether they've been approached or not. I think it's just laying your cards on the table saying, we've got a great vacancy. I think you'd be a great fit. Let's have a conversation. Build relationships with the colleges. I know that college qualified teams can be a little bit rough around the edges.

They might take some time to polish. They might need some investment of time and money to get them up to standard. But build relationships with tutors. They will know whether they've got a little rising star in their class. Network. Network at industry events. Don't recruit cold. Have a little black book of people that you might want to work with in the future. And yes, it may be that we're looking into competitor salons. Know who's good in your area. You don't necessarily have to go out and poach them actively, but follow those people. Be ready to act when it looks like they might be ready to jump. And ask your own clients. Ask if they know anyone amazing looking for work. Because they will have kept in touch with old therapists, old hairdressers, that maybe it doesn't quite suit them to visit them anymore. But because of social media, they've still got that connection. We need an active recruitment strategy. Don't wait until you're desperate. Always be recruiting, even when you're fully staffed. You want to have a few potentials in the background, a short list of people that you would want to have a conversation with. It works because good people aren't on job boards. They're already working. You need to go to them, not wait for them to come to you. Also, my darlings, oh my God, listen to me starting to rant. Your Uncle Phil's getting riled. This is a really good point for your marketing as well. So many of us chucking marketing messages out there and just hoping that the right people see it and the right people follow. It's not going to work anymore. You've got to work a lot harder. Step three, make your recruitment offer compelling. Your job ad says something like competitive salary or salary starts at and it looks shit. It sounds like every other salon. It looks uncompetitive. You end up listing a load of duties, but no benefits. What good people want in 2026 is a clear progression path. Everyone in our industry is really stimulated and motivated by training. Where can they go in your salon? What are the opportunities? Why should they work for you instead of working for themselves? Are there opportunities to do magazine and editorial work? Are there opportunities for competition work, training work? Is there a management progression program? Talk about regular training. Be specific, not vague, so that they can see what they're buying into. Talk about work-life balance, whether you've got flexibility, whether they can do four-day weeks, no late nights, no Saturdays. Talk about the culture, no bitching, no drama, a supportive team, and talk about proper pay.

Now, I'll be really specific about this. Don't be ashamed about what you're paying. Honestly, I think it's time that we start embracing a culture of no commission. That way, your wage actually looks competitive. It looks like I can earn more working for you than I can in Tesco's. That flexibility thing is really vital, though. Portfolio working these days is the norm. People have a side gig. They might have a second job, third job, fourth job these days. You need to embrace it, not fight against it. Make sure when we're talking about how you invest in your team, say how much it is. Say how much you invest per stylist or per therapist annually in training. Talk about the success in your team. Our best team members earn X amount in a year. And talk about where your team has been going. Last year, three team members got promoted internally, and two of them made it to the finals of XYZ competition. Because good people have options. They're choosing you as much as you are choosing them. Step four, your interviews. A chat for 20 minutes, and they seem nice, is not enough. We've got to have skills assessment in there. You've got to have a trial day where they're working alongside other team members, and you've got to check references. I had a conversation with a one-to-one coaching client just the week before last, where they'd lost a team member, and they'd heard that the team member was already working in another salon. And this team member was a car crash, a disaster. You would not touch them with a barge pole. But no reference requested. So guess what? That salon's got a very expensive mistake. So your interview process should be phone screen first. 10-minute chat just to check the basics, gauge their communication skills, make sure they understand what they're applying for. And I've had lots of situations where people are turning up for interviews and going, oh, I didn't realize it was full-time. Then we're going to do our in-person interview, about 30, 45 minutes, talk about culture fit, experience, expectations, what success looks like, and what you're going to be asking from them as a member of your team. And then we've also got to get some kind of practical assessment in there, whether that's a trial shift or a trial day. Pay them for it. Make sure you can see them alongside other clients. Make sure you can see them alongside other team members. Now, which way around you do it is up to you. Some people don't do the in-person interview unless the skills are there.

Some people aren't interested in skills unless I can see that you're going to be a nice person. I've enjoyed the conversation with you. And reference checks. Get them on the phone. Call these people. Don't just email. Don't rely on a written reference. Speak to the people. Ask the questions that actually matter. And then step number five is around your onboarding. New person starts on Monday. You show them the rotor, show them the fire exit, and off they go. It's not good enough. We need training. We need induction. We need clear expectations. And proper onboarding involves shadowing. It involves them being taught your systems. It involves them being introduced to the team properly. And clear expectations set. So that they know at each stage of the initial part of their career, they understand what's expected from them in terms of rebook rate. In terms of what you expect them to be doing on social media. In terms of what you expect from them in terms of retail. It's your job to fill the column. It's their job to be doing the job properly. Making sure they're rebooking. Making sure they're upselling. So written expectations. Training on your systems. And lots and lots and lots of regular feedback. Probation. For myself, I wouldn't do less than 12 weeks probation. And don't be afraid to extend it if you're not quite sure. If you get past the six month stage and you're still not sure, you've probably made the wrong hire. And it's much better to get rid of people quickly than it is to pay the price two, three, four years down the line. Now these five steps aren't going to guarantee perfect hires. But get them right. And you've got a good recruitment system. And we're not relying on luck. I don't have all the answers though. What have I missed? Reach out and let me know. My email address, scrolling at the bottom of the screen, phil at buildyoursalon.com. Also reach out and let me know why you've decided to keep recruiting against the wave of self-employment. Why have you decided that you still want a team in place? I'd love to be talking to you about that. And I'd love to interview you on a future episode of the Build Your Salon podcast. Go on, reach out. We haven't got too many listeners anyway. It will be a lovely chat between the two of us. And I'm sure you've got some amazing pearls of wisdom that you can share with my gorgeous Build Your Salon audience. Just a few short days until I'm coming all over the internet with another dose of Wise Hour wisdom. If you want my help with your recruitment, head to the description box below. I'd love to be helping you grow your team in 2026. And until next time, take care.