Article

Why Your Franchisees Suck at Recruiting:

That’s right, we said they suck at it (probably) and tips to help them out.

AUTHOR: TC Smith

Being a franchisor is a busy job.

Expansion, franchisee support & training, operations, marketing… there’s a lot to do. You have found fail-proof ways of educating franchise owners on the ins-and-outs of running a successful business. But, you always find yourself wondering why your franchisees can never fully staff their locations. This is troubling because you (and they) are relying on it for revenue.

The answer is… they suck at recruiting (and we mean that in the nicest way possible). The truth is, they don’t know why either – and we can’t blame them. They are busy and focused on running a business.

A list of why your franchisees PROBABLY suck at recruiting:

Their jobs are to run a business, not be expert recruiters.

They have other things going on and don’t have the time, energy or resources to be the HR department, too.

They can’t measure if what they are trying is working.

They don’t have the tools to see if they are advertising in the right places or where the highest quality candidates are coming from. It is all luck.

They are relying on their gut.

They aren’t using an objective process that allows them to narrow down the candidate pool and invest in the best candidates. They like a candidate’s personality and hire them. “Easy” as that.

Technology - or lack thereof!

Their current software makes it too hard (or they don’t even have software).

No one to delegate to.

They don’t have anyone to whom they can delegate this or other responsibilities. They are trying to find staff, without the staff to help them. It’s an endless cycle.

No partner in crime.

They don’t have a partner to help them keep their eye on the ball. Things come up and recruiting gets pushed down the long list of things to do.

You’re not helping them.

What types of resources are you providing your franchisees? Are you helping them vet the options, or are you handing them a list of companies and expecting them to figure out what to do? Are you giving them free resources or are short-staffed, under-revenue franchisees trying to figure out where they should be spending dollars they don’t have? This matters and effects what franchisees decide to do and how they prioritize staffing.

So, now you know why they suck (we said that nicely, right?). What can you do about it?

Recruiting tips for helping your franchisees be SUCCESSFUL at recruiting:

Invest in software that makes recruiting easy.

Franchisees don’t have time to log in to 4 different job board platforms and look through hundreds of unqualified candidates. Pulling everything into one place helps them make the best use of their time.

Build out your recruiting process.

Build out an objective recruiting process that helps franchisees identity who will fit in with your company culture and perform well. This can include pre-screening questions and personality assessments. Together with that easy-to-use software, franchisees will easily be able to narrow down their candidate pools and spend their time on the right applicants.

Build your brand.

Build a solid employer brand that tells job seekers why they will love working at any franchise location. As a franchisor, you understand the importance of the brand! But, it’s not just for consumers and for growing your network. Prospective employees want to know what’s in it for them. Branded career sites, employee testimonials – all of that stuff matters!

Educational support.

Provide recruiter and HR compliance training and resources. We’ve said it before and we will say it again - franchisees are focused on running a business. They aren’t HR experts and don’t always know what needs to be done.

Support everything with data.

You’ll be able to see what is working, what isn’t and identify areas of improvement. Process-enlightening metrics will rock your world.

Support is a game changer!

Giving your franchisees the support they need will change the game when it comes to attracting great talent that fits and stays for the long-term. They will finally be fully staffed with team members who succeed and stay, and you’ll all see the benefit of that in the form of higher revenue.

"I want to thank you Spavia for setting up Talentcare. I have had tremendous success so far in such a short time. Better than anything else we've used. I have never had so many responses from candidates in all my years."

Merirae Tackett
Owner of "Spavia at The Summit" in Reno, NV

Your franchise will never lose a dime of revenue when they're fully staffed. We know what works for your franchisees.