7 Reasons I’ll Turn Down a Job After Interviewing With You
This article is great and it also translates to a potential Franchisee interviewing Franchisors or vice versa……. Enjoy.
RACHEL DOTSON | March 5, 2013 |
Interviewing is an art-form for both the job seeker and the hiring manager. A simple mistake by either party can raise enough doubt to leave the other looking elsewhere. After much reflection on what’s turned me off to a job in the past, I’ve come up with seven interview red flags that will leave me saying, “Thanks, but no thanks” to your job offer.
1. You’re Negative
If you’re bad-mouthing the company, other employees, your workload, or even yourself, then chances are slim that I’ll come on board as your newest employee. Why? Because negativity is toxic. It tells me that morale is low and that you don’t enjoy your job. I recognize it’s possible that you’re just having a bad day, but it’s just too big of a risk to take.
2. You Asked Me Obscure Questions Just for the Sake of Doing It
Yes, I know why manholes are round; what I don’t know is why you are asking me this question. Is it because Google asks it? Is it because you want to see if I can think on my feet? Or is it some other reason that neither you nor I am aware of? Rather than waste our time with such a silly and off-putting question, ask me a situational question that’s relevant to my prospective job.
3. You Talk Too Much
I’m delighted that you’re enjoying our time together, really, I am. But I’m a bit worried that I haven’t been able to get a word in edgewise. You see, if I haven’t done any of the talking, then you can’t possibly know if I’ll be a good fit for this position. That makes me nervous. How can I believe in my own ability to excel at this position if you haven’t properly assessed my abilities and fit?
4. You Talk Too Little
Let’s look at the opposite side of the point above. If you don’t tell me enough about the job, the company, and so on, then I cannot, in good faith, agree to devote years of my life to you. When I ask you questions about why the position is vacant, what a typical day is like, and what the goals of the company are, I expect solid, well-thought-out answers. It’s these answers that will help me determine whether our values and goals align.
5. You Don’t Tell Me About Your Company Culture
If I’m going to be spending more time with you than with my friends and family, I want to know I’m going to be in a fun and positive working environment. You don’t have to provide organic lunches or have a company bar to show me you’re a great company to be at. While these perks would be nice, I’d much rather know about the people and the culture. How do employees interact with each other? How are employees recognized for a job well done? Do colleagues go to lunch together or see each other outside of the office? If so, do they do this because it’s mandated or because they genuinely enjoy spending time together?
6. You’re Unprepared
I’m busy, you’re busy, we’re all busy. I get it. People are spread too thin. But when I spend hours preparing for my interview and take time out of my day to attend said interview, I expect you to show me the same level of professionalism and respect that I show you. So please, don’t make me wait in the lobby for half an hour, don’t take five minutes to review my job application in front of me, and don’t make up the interview questions as you go along.
7. Your Interview Practices Are Illegal
So you want to know if and when I’m planning on getting married and you feel it necessary to let me know that you typically hire from a certain age group. The fact that you’re bringing these items up tells me one of two things: 1) you haven’t taken the time as a hiring manager to educate yourself on employment law, or 2) you’re discriminatory. The best case scenario here is that you don’t know how to do your job (and your company hasn’t bothered to train you how), and the worst is that the organization is sexist, ageist, or some other “ist” that I don’t care to be around.
Trust your instincts
When you buy a business franchise of any sort you are entering into a business partnership, in which your relationship with the franchisor (or 'principle'), and their people, will be absolutely crucial to your success. You must be able to trust and work with the franchisor and the franchise company's staff - especially the directors and senior managers. If you have the slightest doubt as to the integrity of any of the people within the franchising company think extremely carefully before you go ahead with them. Trust your instincts - if you feel uncomfortable during the selection and recruitment stage it is likely that there are grounds for concern. Feeling uncomfortable about trust and relationships may not necessarily mean that the franchisor is untrustworthy, but it does probably mean that the 'fit' may not be right for you. Relationships are personal things - some people you'll get on with and see eye to eye with; others you may not. You will be more likely to succeed, and receive a good level of appropriate support, if there is a good emotional 'fit' with the franchisor.
Trust your instincts to tell you whether the franchising company has a similar value system and ethos to your own. If you value the customer above all else, do they too? If they do not then they may not be fully in tune with your style and business philosophy. Finding a good emotional and philosophical match with your chosen franchising company is almost as important as choosing the right sort of business. Given sympathetic and genuinely relevant support we can achieve almost anything - be sure that your franchise partner will be able to provide it.
Choose your Passion and make franchising Fun.
Buying a franchise that you will enjoy is the most important factor of all. Most businesses – all types of business, not just franchises – succeed when the owner truly enjoys the products and/or services that the business supplies. If you really enjoy and are interested in the products and services, and the customers and markets, then you will learn and gather information and skills rapidly. If you enjoy the business it is likely that you will possess a good deal of knowledge about it already. Being an expert and a specialist at what you do is essential to running any successful business – enjoyment and expertise naturally go hand-in-hand.
You will find it easy to specialise and become an expert in an area that you enjoy quite simply because it is a pleasure and a joy – not a chore. When you work in a service or product area that you love, you will enthuse about it, and your enthusiasm will be conveyed to your customers and everyone you meet. People like to deal with enthusiastic suppliers – people who love their work. When you enjoy the subject of your franchise business you will naturally put in more effort than if you worked in a field that fails to inspire and excite you. People who love their work always work hard and put in more hours. Their work becomes part of their life, rather than it being just a means to pay for their living costs.
by Rob Hilditch, a.k.a. Joey Franchise
Are you cut out to be a franchisee?
Before buying a franchise, ten important questions need to be carefully and thoughtfully answered:
1. Are you ready to take on the responsibilities of starting and running your own business?
2. Does your family accept your choice and are they ready to support you?
3. Do you like the activity you are considering enough to make a commitment for 5, 10 or 15 years?
4. Do you like dealing with people and are you good at it? – You will have to interact with your customers, your employees, the franchisor and other franchisees.
5. Do you like the franchisor’s staff / those people with whom you will be working?
6. Are you willing to follow the franchisor’s rules and system?
7. Can you afford the franchise?
8. Have you carefully studied the legal documents?
9. Does the franchise you are considering have a track record of success?
10. Are the other franchisees generally happy and successful?
Ensure that you review the Franchisor’s Disclosure Document thoroughly. They should give you one regardless of whether they are required to you in your province or not. That’s just good business on their part. It will include a list of locations and the contact information for those locations. Call a few, and. Or just in the market your looking in. Call Franchise Partners in others parts of the country as well.
Joey’s Franchise Group encourages all of its prospects to reach out to existing Franchise Partners, it’s why call them Partners!
Joey’s Seafood Restaurants | Joey’s Urban | MVP Modern Barbers | Homes & Land Magazine Canada
Look for Integrity in your Franchisor
Look for high integrity propositions and franchisors
High integrity is essential for two crucial reasons:
You will keep your peace of mind, and sleep at night. The world is full of miserable millionaires - people who have exploited others to make their money - don't be seduced by this false dream. Always behaving and deciding with high integrity will keep you safe, well, and probably make you wealthier too.
You will delight your customers and good word will spread, which is vital for local service businesses, which nearly all franchise businesses are. Local businesses live or die by their reputations. Behaving with high integrity will automatically ensure that your reputation shines and grows. Many well established successful franchisees never need to advertise or look for their next customers - their customers find them.
If you buy a franchise that lacks integrity, then with all the best will in the world, you will be pushing water uphill.
Look for and buy a franchise which has high integrity at the centre of its products, services and business ethos, and you are half way to running a high integrity franchise business - all that remains is for you to ensure that your own input and activity are high integrity too.
The Four Way Test
Everyone has heard of it, everyone has thought of it, but does everyone use it or at least the principals it is derived from?
The test, which has been translated into more than 100 languages, asks the following questions:
Of the things we think, say or do
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Joey’s Franchise Group has used the test in one form or another for many years. It allows us to bring great products and quality to all of our franchise systems. It helps ensure we bring quality Franchise Partners to market and most importantly it has built a level of trust within our community. Over 5o% of our ReFranchise stores are sold to existing staff members. That says a lot about the brand development, not necessarily the growth, but the brand trust that our Partners and their Employes have with us.
When you’re choosing your next franchise, ask them how they implement the Four Way Test.
Rob Hilditch – VP of Business Development
Joey’s Restaurant | Joey’s Urban | MVP Modern Barbers | Homes & Land Magazine Canada
What drives us....our Partners.
“When we work hard towards something we believe in, it’s called passion. When we work hard towards something we don’t believe in, it’s called stress.”, Simon Sinek
What is your Passion? What drives you?
Our Franchise Group is driven by our Passion to see our Franchise Partner’ succeed. Succeed in their businesses and succeed in their personal lives. Each of our Partners is a member of our franchise family.
We try to build this foundation on trust. Trust is a feeling. It is the same feeling for friends or companies. To earn that trust we need to act like our friends would when interacting with our partners.
Our Partners are the reason for it! They are out ‘why’.