It is 2019 and spa owners need to think about ways to shift their focus to new and innovative techniques that will enhance their recruitment outlook and hiring processes. Finding a way to tap into the Generation Z and millennial workforce and reach qualified professionals who are highly experienced with massage, skin care, and aesthetic expertise can be difficult due to the number of hours they devote to their clients. As hiring demands shift, it is important to understand how the changing times in today’s workforce are impacting interviewing techniques, especially as a serious labor shortage exists across the United States.
New recruiting methods and technologies can help spa industry leaders connect more efficiently with busy, on-the-go talent. New interviewing practices can save spa owners and managers time and money, ultimately helping them find the best candidate faster, with less hassle. Here are some tips and best practices for staying ahead of the competition and attracting top skin care professionals in 2019.

WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER
Imagine how much better the employee acquisition process could be if spa managers were able to focus solely on qualified candidates. Text-based recruiting platforms can identify the best candidates for the job while weeding out the flood of other resumes. Recruiters can then conduct multiple screening interviews at the same time through a single platform.

Text interviews are not designed to entirely replace in-person and phone interviews. Rather, they should be utilized to begin a dialogue early in the screening process. Consider it a get-to-know-you tool similar to how people engage with a potential partner on a dating app. Once the spa owner or manager deems the candidate a good fit, they can further the conversation over the phone or in person.

Texting also provides a unique opportunity to strip away the formality of traditional interviews. With text-based screens, spa leaders can use emojis and bitmojis in the conversation, which can put the applicant at ease and allow them to showcase their personality.

CULTURE ATTRACTS
The best spas have the most dynamic cultures that stand out from the crowd and, in today’s competitive job market, businesses can leverage a great culture to attract top talent. According to Culture IQ, employees’ overall ratings of their company’s qualities – like collaboration, work environment, mission, and value alignment – are 20 percent higher at companies with strong cultures.¹ These qualities help winning cultures keep employees aligned and motivated.

Showcasing culture through recruitment strategies on social media or blogs is a necessary step to attract talent and promote the employment brand. One example of showing off a great company culture might include an interactive social media post featuring a day where employees participate in a staff development retreat or educational training. Not only is it a great way to get potential candidates aware of and interested in the company, it is a great way to promote open positions once their interest is caught.

EMPLOYMENT BRAND
In today’s competitive job market, spas have the opportunity to leverage their employment brand more than ever. Showing potential talent a positive employment brand is extremely important, as 50 percent of candidates say they would not work for a company with a bad reputation, even for a pay increase, according to Talent Now.²

Through text-based recruiting platforms, spa owners and managers can easily access and send employment brand collateral, such as culture videos and job descriptions, straight to the candidate’s mobile phone. As an additional bonus, spa owners and managers are immediately notified as candidates begin engaging with the material they have sent. This not only helps get the right information to the right candidates at the right time, it also improves the candidate’s experience and ability to make an informed decision about whether the job opportunity and spa environment is a good fit for them.

SOCIAL MEDIA
In a hyper-connected digital world, social media usage is strong among today’s talent generation. And, as the beauty and spa industry has a significant presence on social media, why not use that following and engagement as a recruiting tool?

According to a Pew Research Center study, 88 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds and 78 percent of those ages 30 to 49 indicate they use some form of social media.³ These statistics depict the importance of thinking outside-of-the-box and posting new job openings to social media websites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

AUTOMATED SOFTWARE
Spas are turning to automated software to book clients, keep up with inventory, and even market to customers. So, why not turn to automated software to recruit top talent?

More than half of talent acquisition leaders say the hardest part of recruitment is identifying the right candidates from a large applicant pool and, unfortunately, that is because many of them are doing so manually.⁴ Automated software is an important tool that can help spas attract and engage candidates faster, smarter, and better than ever before.

This year is sure to be full of innovation and new techniques for the spa industry. Embrace a new recruiting strategy to improve hiring processes and engage top talent.

References
1 Smith, Adrienne. “Company Culture and Employee Engagement Statistics.” cultureiQ. https://cultureiq.com/company-culture-employee-engagement-statistics.
2 “Recruitment Statistics 2018: Trends & Insights in Hiring Talented Candidates.” talentnow. https://www.talentnow.com/recruitment-statistics-2018-trends-insights-hiring-talented-candidates.
3 Smith, Aaron and Monica Anderson. “Social Media Use in 2018.” Pew Research Center. http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018.
4 “AI For Recruiting: A Definitive Guide For HR Professionals.” ideal. https://ideal.com/ai-recruiting.