There’s a conversation happening across the salon and spa industry right now and many owners are getting it wrong. I keep hearing variations of: “The workforce isn’t the same anymore” or “People just don’t want to work” or “Service providers want their own suite.”
But I don't buy it. The real issue is: the hiring processes of many beauty and wellness businesses are so poor, they push away potentially great team members.
Over the past year, I’ve heard the same stories repeatedly from coaching clients, mentees, industry peers, and friends: Qualified applicants submitting dozens, sometimes hundreds, of applications with no response.
Candidates flying across the country for interviews, only to be met with disorganization or indifference.
Interview processes stretching across six, seven, eight rounds, then silence. No follow-up, no closure, no respect for the time given or for the person who gave it.
Yes, owners are chronically busy. However, ghosting people who make an effort to join your team is not a time management issue; it’s a leadership issue.
In real time, I'm watching qualified, thoughtful, motivated beauty professionals disengage specifically because of how businesses treat them during recruitment. This not a talent problem, it’s a communication problem — and a potential PR problem.
The Hiring Experience Reflects the Business
The candidate’s experience is just as (if not more) important than the client's.
Many businesses don’t take recruiting seriously. There's an underlying attitude of: “This is just an applicant,” instead of: “This is a potential client, referral source, or future hire.”
This mindset costs businesses far more than they realize. The way a salon or spa communicates — with clients, with staff, with candidates — shapes its business reputation in real time.
The beauty and wellness industry may be vast, but it's deeply connected. People talk and share experiences, and they remember how a business treated them.
When the narrative about a company becomes that it’s unresponsive, disorganized, dismissive, or outright rude, it doesn’t just drive away potential hires, but it could harm the brand's public perception.
What’s Causing This Breakdown?
It's usually not one single issue, but a series of operational failures.
- No clear ownership of the hiring process;
- Undefined communication standards;
- Overcomplicated, lengthy interview structures;
- Over-reliance on automation and applicant tracking systems that filter, rather than connect;
- Underlying fear. Leaders are often so stressed about making the wrong hire they put off the decision entirely.
There's also the problem of too many cooks in the kitchen. Many beauty and wellness businesses split the hiring process between the owner, management, support staff, and sometimes HR.
When everyone is involved, no one is accountable. When no one is accountable, the process breaks down.
So How Do We Fix It?
The same way we fix anything in this industry: We build systems around it.
Just like owners would never leave a client journey up to chance, the hiring process needs structure, clarity, and ownership.
Here’s a checklist:
- Assign Ownership. Delegate one person responsible for the hiring pipeline, from initial application to post-decision follow-up.
- Set Response Expectations. Every applicant and interview receives a response within a defined timeframe. This is non-negotiable.
- Simplify the Process. It rarely takes six or seven interviews to determine if someone is a fit. Don't string it along.
- Define and Communicate Success. Get clear on what a candidate needs to succeed in their potential job. What responsibilities matter most? What behaviors align with salon culture? Convey that to every candidate up front.
- Create a Clear Hiring Pipeline. 1. Application Received. 2. Initial Screen. 3. Interview. Decision. 5. Offer or Rejection. Track it in a simple system: spreadsheet or CRM, so you can review it at a glance to ensure no one falls through the cracks.
- Close the Loop. If it’s a no, tell them. When someone gives their time and energy, the business owes them clarity and a professional response. This both builds trust and protects brand reputation.
Hiring is never simply about finding the right people. It’s about proving your business is worth working for.
Right now, too many salons and spas are failing that test — and missing out on real talent because of it.
Jena Berenberg is a leadership consultant, speaker, writer and podcast host who works with salon and spa founders on sustainable growth and leadership. She previously built and sold a seven-figure salon and draws on her successes and failures to guide owner-operators through scale, burnout, and transition.