Sponsored Content by Paychex Inc

What to consider when hiring employees for your franchise 
Break the process into steps to make the task more manageable. Start by identifying your business needs before recruiting.  

• Which positions do you need filled? 
• How many employees do you need to maintain operations and provide a positive customer and employee experience? 
• How will you pay your employees? 
• What benefits will you provide? 
• What opportunities are there for advancement and pay increases?  

Franchise recruiting best practices 
Consider the following when looking for quality team members to bring on board. 

1. Leverage hiring materials offered by the franchise 
You can often save countless hours by using hiring materials provided for franchises: ad templates, job descriptions, training programs, and other onboarding materials.  

2. Write detailed and clear job descriptions 
Thorough and informative job descriptions can help attract the highest caliber talent with the skills, interest, and experience to succeed in the role. 

3. Consider hiring from within 
Existing staff may require less training. Promoting from within demonstrates to employees that the franchise values employee commitment and provides career opportunities and advancement. 

4. Incorporate the latest recruiting tools 

• Engage in social recruiting by promoting open positions on your social media channels.
• Make the most of the careers page on your franchise website. If you can, update it with lively images and descriptions of what your franchise does to help its employees.
• Schedule a 15-minute video conference for a first interview to save time and then bring your final candidates into the office. 

5. Develop an interview structure 
Establish a reliable and repeatable interview process that ensures consistency and fairness. 

• Questions: Develop a specific set of questions to ask prospects to assess their level of experience. Ensure you are not asking questions that are prohibited by federal, state or local laws. Focus on questions that help you determine whether a candidate has the right qualities to succeed if you provide training. 
• Interview pipeline: After the first interview, have promising candidates meet with other qualified individuals within the business to fully assess their level of experience and expertise. 

6. Check an employee’s resume for franchise experience 
Often the most successful franchise employees are the ones who have performed various jobs within their establishment. Look for individuals with experience in customer service or shift supervising.  

7. Screen potential hires for reliability 
Look at the candidate’s level of reliability and accountability. Will they consistently arrive on time? Are they dependable? Can they be trusted with access to money?

8. Seek out a positive attitude 
Fostering a positive attitude that encourages everyone to work as a team for the greater good of the company helps attract the best franchise employees.  

9. Use recruitment technology 
You can use applicant tracking software to help automate key tasks.  

Retaining top talent 
Losing employees can be costly, disrupts operations, and can wreak havoc on team morale. 

How can your franchise retain its best employees? 

• Provide thorough training. Training gives employees the skills and knowledge they need to succeed, plus it can lead to increased job satisfaction and retention. 
• Create a culture of teamwork. A strong sense of teamwork gives employees a sense of purpose to continue improving. 
• Recognize and reward good work. Get creative – from a thank-you note, a designated parking spot, or tickets for an event.  
• Incentivize success. Establishing a path of upward mobility, demonstrates to other employees that you’re serious about providing growth opportunities. 
• Ask other franchise owners for advice. You have a vast network of individuals who are facing the same challenges as you. Reach out to them and learn from their successes and mistakes.