Some UK franchises you can operate as a one-man operation. However, others will require you to have staff. Examples of this could be care franchises. Hiring staff can be expensive and time consuming.
When franchising a business in the UK, the average cost for recruiting in the UK is £3,000. And it can take up to 27.5 days to find the new employee. And even if you can get that, the number of new employees who leave within 45 days is 20%. Those who leave within 18 months can be nearly 50%.
Considering it can take more than six months to get an employee to full productivity, the cost of recruitment can be more expensive than initial costs might suggest. The key to reducing the costs is by getting your hiring right. So, here are some tips to help you recruit for new franchise opportunities.
1. Don’t hire for qualifications
One of the biggest problems experienced by new hiring managers is that they focus on the qualifications of the applicants. This can be a large mistake as those who have the qualifications don’t always have the ethical alignment of the brand.
Qualifications can always be gained and experience can also be earned through work. However, the ethical approach of employees can’t be taught. If your new employees don’t have the same views as your brand, it can cause problems with customers.
2. Promote employee referrals
When you have some employees, you might find that one of the best ways to find new employees is to just ask your current staff. Their friends and family will have the same ethical approach as them. Employees will also have the intimate knowledge to be able to recommend the best people for the job.
This is also a great way to reduce costs and time to recruit as you don’t need to advertise on job boards, social media or other areas.
3. Provide an exceptional candidate experience
One of the most important aspects is to have an exceptional candidate experience. If the candidates feel that they’re treated nicely, they’re more likely to accept an offer from you. Showcase how well you treat your employees and showcase your culture.
This allows you to ensure that the candidates are a good match. If they don’t like the culture of your organisation, they won’t accept a job offer. And if you make your recruitment experience positive, then even those without a job offer will have a good opinion of your organisation after the hiring process.
To make an experience positive, here are some suggestions:
- Provide an accurate and detailed job description and list of duties early on.
- Ensure that you run your interview dates on time.
- Come prepared for all interviews, including all the right information for the candidates.
- Ensure that you provide a warm welcome between the candidates and the current team.
- Provide your candidate with relevant feedback and collect feedback from them.
4. Write better job descriptions
One of the biggest mistakes that happens when it comes to hiring is that the job description is not accurate. You need to ensure that the job description you’re sending to candidates matches what you want them to do. If there’s any discrepancy between the job description and the actual tasks then the employee will leave early.
To help you write better job descriptions, speak to members of your team who already do the job and see if they agree with the description. You might also want to speak to the franchisor, they might have the job descriptions already written that can be used.
5. Ask better questions
Don’t think that the standard questions will help your franchise get great employees. You need to ask questions that matter. This means that you avoid the questions like ‘how would you describe your work ethic?’ or ‘name your worst aspect’. There are many ways that the answers to these questions can be falsely replied to.
Instead, ask questions that showcase the work ethics of the employee. For instance, have questions that ask for examples of how a candidate has demonstrated specific skills, For instance, ask the question, ‘tell us of a time when you demonstrated excellent customer care’.
6. Ask for a second opinion
Emotional bias is one of the biggest problems when it comes to hiring. You might think someone is great, but another person might have a different experience. You might also find that the candidate reveals one story or side of their personality to you and another to someone else.
Get another member of your team or someone you trust to conduct a second interview with your candidates to give you their opinion. Try to have the interviews on the same day. This lessens the length of hiring and reduces the chance that you lose out on the candidate.
Conclusion
Some franchise opportunities will require that you hire staff members to help you. Hiring is an expensive and time consuming task, but the costs can be reduced through the best hiring practices. Speak to the franchisor to see how they can help you and then follow the tips above. That way, you can ensure that you have the best team for your new venture.
Learn more about franchising in the UK at Franchise Consultants UK.
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