Any seasoned franchise owner will tell you that having the right employees at the helm of your business is a key ingredient to being successful. The right employees, who are skilled at what they do and as passionate as you about the values and goals of the franchise, will help elevate the quality of service and quality of products you offer your customers. And on the flip side, if you hire the wrong employees they will not only cause you a lot of headache and stress, but they could cost you customers and important revenue.
While with a busy franchise to run, you might feel like there is just enough time to devote to finding the perfect employees, if you don’t take it seriously and put in the effort, you will have to deal with a lot employee turnover which makes it difficult to give your customers seamless service.
Here are some tips for how to find the right employees for a franchise:
First Figure Out What You Are Looking For
The first thing you should always do is figure out exactly what you are looking for in your employees. Besides looking for skills for particular positions like cook or server, you need to think about what type of personalities will work best in your work environment and whether or not the candidate will be loyal and committed to making the franchise a success.
Create a Detailed Job Description
When you are ready to start the search for a particular position, make sure you create a detailed job description. With generalized ads you leave yourself open to receiving a lot of resumes from people will the wrong skills and experience. Get specific and creative in the ad so prospective employees get a little taste of what your franchise is all about. This is a surefire way to attract a stellar team of employees.
Do an Initial Phone Screening
Time – none of us have much of it these days so why waste time on employee interviews that are going to go nowhere? The best way to prevent this is to do an initial phone screening as your first round. This way if something seems off during the phone call and you know you don’t want to pursue this person further, all you have done is waste 10-15 minutes on the phone versus and hour during a face to face interview.
Don’t Rush into Any Decisions
Once you have done the phone screen and have done a face to face interview and whatever skill tests you think necessary for a particular position, don’t feel like you have to jump into any decisions right away. Take your time to make sure you are hiring the right person for the job. Well there is no-fool proof hiring method. A thoughtful approach will definitely give you better odds.
Don’t Skimp on Reference and Degree Checks
No matter how much you jive with someone, don’t just hire them on gut instinct and the information they provide you directly. Due your due diligence. Check their references, confirm that they have the degrees they say they have. Some people will pad and even lie on their resumes to get the job so it doesn’t hurt to verify to protect yourself and your franchise.
Consider Doing Multiple Interviews
In the franchise business, it might not seem necessary to do multiple interviews, but a second interview can really help you get a better sense of a person. If you change the setting around a little and have them meet with a couple of people, you will get to see how they handle different situations. You will be pleasantly surprised by all you can learn from it.
See What Hiring Resources Your Franchisor Offers
Often times franchisors will offer their franchisees help with employee recruitment so why not take advantage of it. Especially if you are new to being a business owner, the added help is really appreciated. But even if you have done the hiring before at other place, it doesn’t hurt to see what they offer. They might make you aware of important issues that you never considered before.
The Right Training Matters Too
Of course, it is not just the hiring of the right people that makes your team so effective. You also have to train them properly as well. You never should expect of them something you didn’t properly train them on. Communication is also important. Make sure that you are very clear on what you expect from each employee and that you keep an open dialogue with everyone so there is less miscommunication and frustration between management and staff.
The right training has a lot to do with keeping your staff happy and engaged, but there are other things you can do to make sure they feel like they are being valued. Always keep lines of communication open, especially when implementing big changes into your franchise, so none of your employees feel blindsided. You also need to have several mechanisms in place where your employees can give you feedback. And of course make sure you act on that feedback or it is just a waste of time. They need to feel truly listened to.
Providing several paths to promotions and pay raises is also essential. When you invest in your employees and help them reach their full potential they will always want to do their best to make you proud.
And finally, hold retreats and special thank-you and employee appreciation events to treat your employees for all their hard work. Holiday parties, company picnics they can bring their whole families too are all great ways to show your appreciation. And don’t forget that National Employee Appreciation Day is March 2nd. It is the perfect day for you to do something extra special for your staff.
For more information and hiring and keeping the right staff, contact Zac’s Burgers. Their burger bus program is a great way to get into the franchise business and they will provide you with the right resources to hire the best team for your bus.
Zac's Burgers is presently not selling franchises and does not have a certified franchise disclosure document. Zac's is offering licensing opportunities, however, potential licensees must meet all federal and state requirements.
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