Recruiting and retaining

8 tips on how to find and keep the staff that are right for your business

LOUISE GUILFOYLE Louise Guilfoyle is the group head of talent acquisition at the Laser Clinics Group, which has 48 UK clinics and a global network of over 200.

Practitioners, clinic staff, and aestheticians are key to the success of our industry, but with a global labour shortage and candidates’ needs changing, recruiting can be a challenge. Here are some secrets and strategies to help:

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE

Before you even start the hiring process, ask yourself and your team: What inspires you at work? What are your career goals? What motivates you? This is a great way to better understand your potential candidate and how to position your role to attract their attention.

2. BE OPEN-MINDED ABOUT YOUR REQUIREMENTS

Don’t discount talent with potential or someone returning to work after a career break. Consider investing in employee training and development.

3. OFFER PART-TIME WORKING OPTIONS

What candidates are looking for has changed dramatically since the pandemic. Expand your pool by considering part-time options. This is a great way to attract experienced staff who are keen to return to the industry. At Laser Clinics UK, we have staff with non-competing jobs or other responsibilities, such as injectors who also work in the NHS and therapists who are primary carers for children or ageing parents. They enjoy the break from their other role.

4. SHOWCASE YOUR TEAM’S CULTURE

40% of candidates consider company culture a priority when selecting a job, according to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report. Highlight your culture and values in your job ads and interviews by talking about social events, team recognition and work incentives.

5. FOSTER DIVERSITY

In a Deloitte survey, 83% of millennials reported higher levels of engagement when they believed their company fostered an inclusive culture. Diversity is crucial to productivity, innovation and growth and can improve employee retention and team performance.

6. SUPPORT TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

How your business nurtures an employees’ skills and ambitions can be a huge factor in helping to attract and retain good people. In your interviews, talk to candidates about how they’d like to develop. Continue these conversations during onboarding and in weekly or monthly one-to-ones. Consider enrolling them in a short course or having them work on a passion project related to their role. If budgets are challenging, consider an internal mentor.

7. PROMOTE WELLNESS

As a manager, it’s critical to take care of your people. Investing in wellness programmes and employees’ mental health can improve your team culture, retention, productivity and ability to attract future talent. Research shows up to 80% of professionals consider the mental health and wellbeing strategies offered by their employer to be important when searching for a role. Talk about these initiatives in your interview to set yourself apart. For example, at Laser Clinics UK, we offer an EAP (employee assistance programme) to all staff.

8. LOOK BEYOND THE CV

Don’t discount a candidate because their CV has formatting issues or there are gaps in their career history. You might miss out on somebody great. Talk to them via phone or video call. Look for personality and behaviours that align with your team. Traits such as a desire to learn, resilience, the ability to change pace, being customer and patient-centric, valuing safety and work protocols and being a supportive colleague are more important to the success of your team – and your business.