Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2012 | Page 55

You’re Hired!
“Many hiring processes take too long,”
says Walstrom. “Technology can help
expedite the process because you need
employees now and job seekers need
jobs now.” Done correctly, he says, “In
most cases there’s no reason you can’t
have an applicant walking onto the job
within 72 to 96 hours from the time the
application is submitted.”
In-person interviewing
is still a critical component
of hiring right, but it can
be difficult to execute well.
Walstrom and others recommend using a thorough,
concise series of open-ended
questions. The goal is to get
the candidate to open up
about previous jobs, work
experience, and personality traits.
“I recommend using
Joe
what I call a five-part interview question,” says Walstrom. “Rather than just asking How did
you like your last job at Burger King? ask
things like: What kind of work did you do?
What did you like most about the job? What
did you like least about the job? Describe
working with your manager.”

“You don’t
want your store
managers making
rushed decisions
when it comes to
hiring.”
—Joe Bocian

Helppie recommends developing
interview questions by specific job position and the needs and requirements
of each. He says these questions should
be used consistently with every candidate. In addition, hiring managers can
use candidate-specific probes based on
assessment results to investigate any areas of potential concern and to confirm
areas of strength. “While automated
hiring solutions can pre-screen to get
you to the top 20 percent of candidates

quickly, there is no substitute for a good
behavioral interview,” he says.
Beyond developing a well-thoughtout list of interview questions, Walstrom
suggests that multi-unit operators should
have one really good interviewer at each
location. “Not all franchisees know what it
takes to succeed in every position in their
units,” he says. “Find individuals on your crews
who know the jobs and
provide them with the
tools, resources, and
freedom to do the interviewing.”
Best practices

Bocian

“Hiring right means taking the guesswork out,”
says Monet. When hiring
key employees, franchisees cannot be subjective in their approach,

There’s
an App
for That!

H

iring by phone just got a lot
easier. Snagajob recently
launched a new iPhone app
that lets franchise hiring managers find
and hire new hourly employees on
the go. The Snagajob ForEmployers
mobile Hiring Manager app provides
hourly employers with easy access to
detailed information on applicants
and lets users instantly filter to the
best candidates on a simple, streamlined dashboard—right in the palm of
their hand—and then call or email job
candidates directly from