What would David Campbell do?

The founder of House of Colour and coaching business Salon Edge shares the brand’s approach to recruitment

We have a profile of the type of person we want in House of Colour and everyone should start with that in mind when recruiting. We never hire for the sake of it and have certain core values based on our Quality Culture code that means the recruiting process is vital to building our teams.

We never advertise saying ‘we are hiring’. Who cares if you are hiring or not? All that matters is this: can you create a future that every applicant would want to be part of? We talk on social and in print about the benefits and opportunities that are available in this amazing industry. We tell stories about our team’s journeys and what people can achieve in hairdressing.

There are specific interview questions that we ask, and all applicants must have a 15-minute Zoom call before a face-to-face interview. We work in an image business where first impressions count, so we’re looking for recruits who smile, are bright and well presented. We never hire anyone who isn’t a fan of the brand. If passion doesn’t burn off them, there’s no point moving forward. The applicant is presented with our career path and the steps required to not only graduate as a stylist but to also become an educator, an art team member, a platform team member or manager.

It’s explained that taking part in competitions is non-negotiable – everyone must compete. We can teach anyone to qualify, but creating a superstar is a different path completely, and that’s what we’ve focused on developing. It has led us to bring through a young, hungry and passionate team that wants to achieve success… and right now, we have a waiting list of applicants.

WHAT MADE ME

CYRIL MORGAN

Cyril Morgan Hair, Limerick @cyrilmorganhair

I was a mechanic but was off work, as I’d had a motorbike accident and hurt my leg. My wife Edel, who was my girlfriend at the time, was working in a salon inTipperary. They were down a salon assistant, and I volunteered to help wash hair, mainly out of boredom. I ended up loving it and having such a great day! Despite my initial unfamiliarity with the environment, I found myself enchanted by the vibrant, creative atmosphere. For the next few months, I was in and out of work as a barman and felt directionless. And I thought back to my day in the salon – I loved it! I ended up going on hair a course and the rest is history.

This year I’m celebrating 40 years of hairdressing and it’s been an incredible journey. I’ve won hairdressing competitions, I’ve opened my own salon, creatively directed numerous photoshoots. I’ve even stood on stage multiple times talking about and demoing my craft – something I never would have dreamed of doing when I was a child struggling with reading and public speaking in school. My career has also seen me working in hair loss for the past 20 years. This venture happened after a client asked me for help when her hair was falling out due to cancer treatment. I researched hair loss for weeks and learnt to shape and cut wigs to personalise them for clients.This is now one of the most fulfilling aspects of my career.

That day I volunteered in a salon changed my life. It led me to a fulfilling career and instilled confidence and contentment in me.