For me, a huge 🚩is whether they classify you as a 1099 independent contractor or a regular employee. I’ll never work for a salon that tries to skirt their responsibilities by misclassifying their employees.

This.

wow i had no idea there were salons that did that!

This is a huge one.

1099. And the rest is when you start working there. Stuff like clicks and favoritism. Also, if it’s an owner that is not a groomer.

🚩 Introducing the “crying chair” during your interview 🚩

Story time please

Alright, lemme tell you about the one month I spent in an actual salon. I had just come off of seven years of active duty Navy service. I have a standard poodle who is five years old. I started grooming her, and attracted attention and learned how to groom poodles (obviously), bichon frise, doodles, and even a mini schnauzer. I became quite good and decided that I wanted to try grooming professionally. I reached out to some local salons and found one that was in desperate need for help. I applied as a bather. I walked in with my resume and signed paperwork in the same hour. The next day, I came back for a working interview. The owner gave me a tour of the shop. She has a really good setup, and groomers have their own private cubbies that have sliding doors for privacy and to prevent dogs from seeing each other and crossing paths. Whilst showing me the bathroom, she pointed out “and this is the crying chair”. I laughed, because it had to be a joke. It was not a joke. This lady cannot manage people well at all. She can’t keep bathers or groomers for long because of this. She sends corrections via long blocks of text. She doesn’t actually train her staff on how she wants things done. She doesn’t listen to her staff. Instead of just taking to her staff, she removes tools without saying anything (brushes, conditioners, happy hoodies, you name it. If it’s helpful for bathing and drying, it’s gone if you use it). She re-books dangerous dogs. She gets an attitude if employees can’t come in when she asks outside their regular hours. She banned people taking lunch breaks. It becomes so overwhelming so quickly there that the turnover is extremely high, people are in tears every single day, and people get bitten to the point of needing stitches without the boss even wanting to look at the injury. I, uh, didn’t fit into the “culture” of that work environment. It put a nasty taste in my mouth for grooming salons and I just do my own thing now.

If I was told I didn’t fit into the culture in a salon like that, I would take it as a compliment 😭. The little cubicles do sound amazing though.

Yes, being fired from there was the kindest thing that lady could’ve done for me 😂 and also yes, the cubicles are fabulous.

i must know what the crying chair is because i cannot think of any reason why something called that would exist anywhere omg

It’s exactly what it sounds like and it’s absolutely used on a regular basis. I didn’t last long at that salon. Maybe a month.

Wow! That’s a new one!

I recently switched salons from a huge, huge, red flag one to a new one that was so green when I interviewed about turned them down thinking that must be a red flag too. During my interview I scoped out what all the groomers had out on their stations. The fact there were endless high priced items just sitting there surprised me. I also got to talk to one of the groomers while being shown the shop/interviewed. Like I literally went in at the tail end of a work day and met everyone (I learned later that the owner often asks whoever met the interviewer how they felt about that person so she got an idea of how they might fit in). During the interview I was able to gleam that most of the other groomers had at least 10 years experience on me and had stuck around for a while. To me that showed all these people have dealt with the shit show of salons around here and decided this one was worth staying at (what's funny is some groomers I knew about but never actually talked to work at my new salon...I've been fanboying over their skills for years and now they all know). Another big thing for me was in my first two weeks one of those groomers I met hit a dog. She was instantly walked out. My boss made it clear she does not tolerate roughness with dogs and that just...oh my god I loved it. She puts safety and dogs first which in turn ends up with dog groomers being put first too. For red flags, prices and amount of dogs you're expected to do in a day. My old job wanted you to do at least 8 to 12 a day and a shih tzu was typically 40 dollars. The other red flags really didn't come in until you were working there, underpaid, and stressed out. BUT a big thing is that if you looked at the equipment and set up then that would have lead you to see how bad it was. One big thing is if you work there and you see red flags, start looking again. It might seem silly but I really wish I would have started looking for someplace new. There is nothing wrong with hopping around until you find the right place.

🚩when you go in for the interview and everyone seems upset/stressed/zombie-like 🚩dirty facilities and aggressive groomers. What you see in the interview is what you’ll get when you’re hired. 🚩dog lovers assigned to scheduling grooms. They’ll never learn the difference between a big and small FuR bABy. Ask me how I know 🤪. IMO, schedulers are the most important employee in a salon. If they mess up, the whole ship sinks. Alternatively, if they’re knowledgeable, then everything runs smoothly 🚩groomers’ personal dogs loose on the floor barking incessantly 🚩during the interview, when you ask where THEY see you in 5 years, and they can’t answer or see you in the same position you’re applying for 🚩leadership thinks that owning a business means they can vacation while profiting off poorly paid workers ✅ they offer CE and encourage/require their groomers to take part ✅ they have a policy book and stand by those policies, ie everyone plays by the same rules ✅ offer great benefits ✅ they’re willing to educate and be educated ✅ the vibe feels right. I’ve learned to trust my gut over the years. If it feels wrong, then it is wrong. Sometimes it feels right and it’s still wrong, but I always learn something. Even if it is how not to do things 😂 ✅long time employees who have been promoted to some form of a higher position ✅ leadership is more invested in the success of their business than anyone else ✅ passion. You should feel it when you walk in

Bosses that micromanage and abuse you. It could take a few weeks to figure this one out because the most abusive bosses(and I mean truly verbally and mentally abusive) will be insanely nice to you at first. Watch how they treat the other employees because that’s how they will treat you once things are comfortable. Leave at the first moment you feel your boundaries are being pushed, and your “no” doesn’t mean “no” anymore.

Wish I knew. I had interviewed for a place that I was so excited to work for. Told to come in Thursday for a technical groom. I’ve called 3 times since my last interview to see what time and if they have a dog ready for me. Haven’t heard back. Showing up tomorrow but there’s nothing around me except corporate