(FS8) Things to Remember During Interviews at Your Franchise

For most businesses, this is your one and only chance to find out who your applicants really are outside of their resume. Some businesses offer multiple interviews, but it will depend on how big your franchise is, how much staff you have or need, and how urgent it is that you fill the position. So it’s important to be prepared and conduct your interviews appropriately for success such as:

Set an Appropriate Tone

As the business owner, you set the tone for your store as well as your interviews. Set the mood for the interview as what should be expected if they were a part of your team. Don’t dress up or dress down what the franchise is or what will be expected. Just be yourself and set it straight. Even if you require formal wear, try to relax your applicants. If they’re relaxed, they’ll be more likely to answer your questions honestly. Nervous applications will want to think carefully and may not be on their best game to show themselves because nerves do crazy things to good people.

Introduce Yourself and Explain Your Business

A great way to set the tone for the interview is to introduce yourself right away, as casually as possible then talk about the business. You’ll want to tell the interviewees about the franchise. Always refer to the franchise or business as ‘we’ to give the feeling of inclusion and belonging to the interviewee. Only say ‘I’ when you’re introducing yourself. Using ‘we’ will help potential employees feel like they already belong by being included on a ‘we’ team.

Have Job Specific Questions Prepared

The purpose of an interview is to gauge an employee’s potential fit for a job, which is why it’s important to not only have generic work questions on your list of things to ask, but it’s important to have very specific questions that pertain only to that job. Even if someone is a diligent worker, if you need someone with specific skills to spend less time or money on training, you’ll need to know they can handle whatever that job is. It also helps to mention what the job is that the employee is applying for at the start to be sure they have applied for the right job or to be sure you are speaking to the right interviewee. Mistakes can happen on either part and by reviewing the job you’re interviewing for at the top of the interview, you minimize the chance for mistakes and surprises later on.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions are any questions that don’t have a yes or no answer.  This gives your interviewees something that they have to think about before they answer and you get more information about the individual. Questions like “Have you worked in retail before?” vs. “Tell me about a time where you worked in retail,” can make all the difference when you’re getting to know an interviewee. A few other questions you could consider asking are:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Describe what you liked most about your last job.
• In what way would you provide great customer service?

You should have a folder or binder full of hiring resources from your franchisor. This hiring resource should also contain questions you can ask in your interview. You don’t have to ask all of the questions that you are presented with, but you can pick and choose what you think will be the most helpful to know based on the job you’re hiring for. You can also add whatever questions you want that might help you decide whether someone is a good fit for the job or your company culture and personality.

Open-ended questions are also a great way to learn if someone is non-compliant or lying. There are sure signs of lying, sometimes too quick to answer can be one of them. Of if your interviewee avoids telling you anything in their open-ended questions, keeps it super short, or you have to keep prompting them for information, then you might want to pass on them as they are not open with you for one reason or another. Ask questions that are specific to past jobs of the applicant to get a better idea of what they did and how they interacted with others to see if they’ll fit in with your team and keep your franchise values.

Avoid Close-Ended Questions

This goes hand in hand with the last suggestion. By providing your interviewee with too many close-ended questions, you’re providing them with chances to say yes/no and nothing else. Many interviewees won’t say more past yes or no if they don’t have to and you will have to prompt them for more information if you want to know more. The only close-ended questions you should ask are things like:

• Are you legally able to work in this country?
• Did you graduate from high school?
• Do you have a driver’s license?

Determine the Applicant’s Needs

Not only are you looking to fulfill your needs, but you will need to find out what they’re looking for in a job to see if they’ll fit. There’s little worse than hiring a great employee and having them quit shortly after because their needs aren’t met either through hours, compensation, or workplace culture. If you don’t want to play detective, don’t feel about straight out asking what they’re looking for in a job and what matters to them. An employee will usually be delighted that you care about what they want. A happy employee works harder and better than a miserable one. A happy employee also presents more loyalty.

Ask About Availability

Another terrible thing is to find the perfect employee who has all the skills, the attitude, and everything you’re looking for but lacks the flexibility or available hours in their schedule. This is one of the biggest problems employers face during interviews. Make availability a priority question and don’t allow any interviewee, especially if you’re interested in them, to get away without providing you with some form of availability information.

Assess the Applicant’s Demeanor

Pay attention to how they dress, present themselves through the handshake, speech, and posture to find out how they feel about the job, the franchise, and you.

Continue Reading from The Franchise Series 8

• Hiring, Training, and Other Staff Decisions in Your Business
• Different Legal Issues to Consider For Hiring in Your Franchise
• Successfully Interviewing For Your Franchise Business
• What Comes After the Interview in Your Franchise
• Being an Effective Leader for Your Franchise
• Training Your Team to Work in Your Franchise Efficiently
• Keeping the Employees You Want in Your Franchise
• Making Sure Your Franchise Follows OSHA Rules