Hiring for Success in Franchising

Every franchise owner wants to put their best face forward when opening their doors for the first time. It doesn’t matter which industry you choose, you always want your customers to leave satisfied with your services so they return. But you cannot work all the positions on your own! You will want to make sure that you have a well-trained staff so you have confidence that each guest will leave happy with their experience, even when you are not there.

1. Figure out which traits you are looking for in each staff position and hire based on those traits. If you are looking for great cooks or computer technicians, that position would need a person who pays more attention to detail, but may not require an outgoing personality. If you are looking for someone who will be interacting with customers all day, that position would need someone who is very personable. Depending on your budget you can start on sites that will allow you to post for free or you can choose national job seeking sites with paid advertising. Both can get you great candidates, as long as you know what qualities you are looking for.
2. Has your candidate jumped around from job to job every few months? Stay away! You will train this person, and there is no guarantee that they will stay on your team. Your ideal candidate is someone who will stick with something because they take pride in whatever they do, no matter what it is.
3. It doesn’t matter what position you are hiring for – a positive attitude is a must for all employees. Employees with a great outlook on life will help you to create a cooperative workspace with everyone working together for a common goal. An employee with a negative attitude will be the first to find a problem, and the employee with a positive attitude will be the first with a solution. Keep that in mind as you interview each candidate so you get a team that will work well together.
4. Come up with a training guide BEFORE the employee’s start date. By having a plan to begin with, training the employee in the right way becomes much easier. Without a guide it is much harder to remember very important steps that may be vital to your employee’s success. Even the best employees will not be able to work to their best potential if they are not given the tools to succeed. Print out the guide. Give it to them to study. Prepare your team to succeed so you can spend your time focusing on the success and growth of your franchise business.