It's tough at the Top!

Are you recruiting for Hairdressers, Barbers or Beauty Therapists? It’s really tough out there at the moment, but find out how JobAlert.ie can make your life a bit easier.

So, let’s first take a look at your industry. It’s no surprise that’s there’s a great demand for experienced and qualified hairdressers, barbers or beauty therapists. According to a recent interview with the Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation (HABIC) on RTÉ's ‘This Week’, they estimated that the Irish hair and beauty industry is worth about €2 billion, but alarmingly suggested that the black market is now as big as the legitimate market and is undermining businesses and threatening the legitimate industry. 

They’re referring to the unregistered service providers, that typically work from home.  In the interview a representative from a very well established and luxury hair salon said “many staff have left full-time jobs to work from home because it is more attractive for them to do that.”

At JobAlert.ie, we speak to recruiters in the hair and beauty industry all the time. They tell us that attracting and retaining qualified and experienced staff is definitely one of the biggest challenges they face.  Some have raised the issue regarding trying to compete with paying salaries that encourage candidates to work for them, rather than people working for themselves and getting cash in hand jobs. 

HABIC says it aims to strengthen the Irish hair and beauty industry by giving business owners a voice and hopefully they can rectify some of the issues. In the meantime, it’s an extremely difficult situation, but at the end of the day the show must go on.  If you run a business you still need to attract and retain staff so that your business can run smoothly. 

You need to stay positive and believe that there are still suitable candidates who would be willing to work as employees, if they found the right opportunity locally. Whilst a lot of hairdressers can make a good living from their homes with personal clients, there’s more to working than just making money.  The attraction to actually work in a salon with a team of people, suits a lot of people. This can be particularly true when flexible working options are available and the opportunity to receive on-going and up to date training are included. There’s no doubt that the industry is often stereotyped as low-wage and with little opportunity for career advancement, but of course this is not always the case.  A lot of employers are offering very good remuneration, with commission and on-going training to the right candidates.

Like most businesses there’s also the opportunity for progression into salon management and some employees even enjoy entering Hair and Beauty Competitions and winning awards.  There’s also the fact that when working in a salon you are part of a team and can have a good social life with work colleagues. So if you’re trying to recruit for your business, it may not all be doom and gloom.  You need to present your opportunity in the best possible way, showing candidates why they should choose to work for your business and get the message out to as many people as you can.

We can help you with that at JobAlert.ie. We have the ability to reach a massive audience through both our website and targeted social media campaigns.  By getting your Job Ads in front of so many people, we increase the chances of filling vacancies quickly and cost effectively. One Ad costs just €149 for 30 days and there’s no hidden fees or charges. 

Advertising with JobAlert.ie allows you to reach both active and passive job seekers.  By passive we mean those people who are not actively looking for a job on job boards etc., but if they see Ads that attract them in their newsfeeds by chance, they will apply.  It could be something in your Ad that’s as simple as the location, the shift on offer, the package, or your reputation as an employer that gets their attention. Maybe the timing is right for them to return to working in a Salon.

Through the right channels on social media and with the right wording we can help to promote your jobs and your organisation in the best light.

So as we mentioned previously how you present your organisations’ opportunities is therefore very important. Particularly when it comes to the difficult to fill roles.  If you focus on promoting all the benefits you have to offer and highlight why your organisation is an excellent place to work you will stand a much better chance of finding the right people.  

A well written job spec can help you do this.  So, if your organisation offers continuous training, flexible working, promotional opportunities, staff reward programs, commission or team building initiatives you should highlight these as it will definitely stand to you as an employer when recruiting. 

You could describe the working environment on offer, it’s important to focus on demonstrating how you have a fun and friendly team and work environment.  It’s not surprising that candidates are attracted to working in organisations that cultivate and nurture teamwork and who demonstrate commitment to the welfare of their employees. Simple initiatives can make a big difference.  People who work at hair and beauty talk to other people who work in the industry – it’s a small world, so news spreads. You have a distinct advantage if your organisation is known as a great place to work.

Anyhow, if you’re recruiting right now or in the future, why not try our service.  Call us today - we can have a chat about writing up the perfect job specs for your organisation and we can also help with building your employer branding. Telephone; 01 8495003 or visit our website www.jobalert.ie