Staff recruitment is all important when it comes to running a franchise. Ensuring that you recruit the right kind of people to work with you can make the difference between a franchise that thrives in the long term, and one that fails to succeed at all.
An almost inevitable by-product of a good recruitment policy will be an increased level of productivity within your franchise. If you have hired the right people for each particular position, then the chances are that the day-to-day running of your franchise will go so much more smoothly.
So where should you look for these members of staff, and how do you go about convincing them that working for you will be a good career move?
Take Advise From Your Franchisor
A potential benefit a franchise has over an ordinary start-up business in terms of recruitment is that there is a good chance the franchisor will provide you with assistance. You won’t be on your own. Check with your franchisor what assistance and guidance they offer in finding and retaining employees. Good franchises will have recommended training programs as well as models for further investing in staff and developing their career. This can be a big selling point for attracting highly qualified and motivated staff into your business.
Experienced Candidates
One potential place to look for suitable employees is other franchises within the same company. The advantage of hiring someone like this is that they will already have a working knowledge of the way the franchise operates, and know exactly what is expected of them. Having people with this kind of experience in place could help your franchise in its early days and weeks, by helping junior members of staff to get to grips with the way your franchise operates. For example, look for store managers who are looking to relocate, or an assistant manager who is looking for a promotion to store manager. They will be invaluable not only in helping you run the business but also finding and recruiting junior staff.
Recruitment Agencies
Recruitment agencies can also be a useful tool in finding suitable candidates for roles within your franchise. However, it is important that you work as closely with these agencies as possible, and make clear what kind of qualities you are looking for in future members of staff. Choose one with experience filling the roles you have available and if they aren’t sending you suitable candidates, make sure they understand the roles you are trying to fill or find another agency.
Write Detailed Job Descriptions
Creating detailed job descriptions that include the main duties of the role, as well as the qualifications and personality traits that are required to excel in the role, will significantly improve the chances of finding the quality of staff you are looking for.
Thinking about your job descriptions in as much detail as possible will allow you to come to a clear understanding of exactly the type of person you need to fill each position, making recruitment decisions that much easier.
Develop Your Interview Technique
During an interview, it isn’t just the candidate who is under scrutiny and how you come across as an employer will greatly affect the calibre of candidate who accepts a job offer. Working on your own interview technique will not only help you to identify the right people for your franchise, it will also encourage people to believe that your franchise is the perfect place for them to develop their careers. If you don’t come across very well in an interview, then there is always the possibility that the people you think are ideal for roles within your franchise might decide against working for you.
There is always a degree of risk when you are hiring people for your franchise, taking on and training new staff who may or may not work out in the long run can be a costly investment, but as you can see, there are methods you can adopt to reduce this risk and maximize the chances of assembling the right team for your franchise.