The Consignment Store Hiring Guide

Hiring employees can seem like a nerve-wracking process, but it doesn't have to be. We break the process down into four basic steps: (1) Planning; (2) Recruiting; (3) Interviewing; and (4) Completing the Hire. Here are some tips for each phase of the process

Plan to Staff Your Business

Your staffing needs will depend on the size of the business: the smallest consignment stores can be staffed solely by yourself (the owner). To ensure that you’re open during optimal times, however, you’ll probably want to hire one or two shift managers who can run the store in your absence. Hiring shift managers is also helpful to free you up to work on marketing items for sale, research into appraisals, and store finances.

As the owner, you have to value your time and use it as effectively as possible: hiring others to run the daily operations of the store can be a smart move.

If the store you’re launching is large enough (or you expand in the future) you’ll need to hire retail staff to help customers and process sales. These employees can work the cash register, help customers, or straighten up inventory.

Develop a Recruiting Strategy

You can recruit for these positions through any conventional channels: online job boards and local flyers are great options. When staffing for short-term or seasonal hiring, consider college students at local schools who may be eager to pick up part time work.

Interview with Confidence

If you take your time during the planning and recruiting phases of the process, you will likely end up with many qualified candidates.

Nonetheless, it is natural for a new business owner to be a bit anxious the first time hiring employees. Don’t forget that the interview is just a chance to get to know an applicant and to give them an opportunity to learn more about the role and the business. Also, it might help to remember that they are probably even more nervous than you are!

Throughout the interview process, it may help to keep in mind that most consignment stores look for employees who are:

• Friendly

• Positive

• Critical thinkers

Here are some sample interview questions that will help you learn more about the character of your interviewees:

• Tell me about a time you’ve had to perform a job while under pressure

• Talk about a time you were at your best helping an employee

• Tell me about how you would go about assessing the value of an item

If the role you’re interviewing for involves assessing items’ values, consider giving the candidate a couple of sample items to assess. Encourage the candidate to speak out loud during the assessment, vocalizing the process they use to determine an object’s value. Look for logical, critical thinking skills and ensure they don’t value an item based on a hunch.

Be Familiar with Hiring Laws

After selecting a job candidate, there are certain steps you will need to follow to complete the hiring process. Check out our Hiring Compliance Checklist for a step-by-step guide to the legal aspects of hiring employees.

One of the most important steps is to classify your new hire as an employee or an independent contractor. Become familiar with IRS guidelines on this matter, as there are serious consequences for misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor.

Once you have a growing team of employees, it's time to set up your payroll. Using a payroll service provider saves you time for running your business, and also helps ensure that you comply with important federal requirements such as employee tax withholding.

To help our readers save money and grow their business, we negotiated a 20% discount for you with payroll provider ADP, the most popular small business provider in the country.