Client Coordinator
The In- Person Interview.
What we are actually hiring for
We are not hiring for someone who can learn our booking system, because almost anyone can. We are hiring for someone who makes guests feel genuinely cared for and who makes the team better to be around.
The technical side is the smaller part of the job and we will teach it. The larger part, meaning warmth, empathy, integrity, curiosity, and work ethic, is who they already are, and it's the reason we interview so carefully.
Why the questions look the way they do
You'll notice almost every question asks for a real story ("tell me about a time…") rather than an opinion ("are you a team player?"). That's deliberate. Anyone can claim to be friendly and hardworking. But past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, and a specific, detailed story is very hard to fake. When someone gives you a vague, general answer, your job is to gently push for the specific: "What did you actually say?" "What happened next?" The detail is where the truth lives.
How to conduct yourself
• Make them comfortable first. Nervous people can't show you who they are. Warm them up before you dig in.
• Talk about 20%, listen 80%. The interview is theirs to fill. Silence is a tool, so let them keep going.
• Follow the story, not just the script. If an answer opens a door, walk through it. The scripted questions are a floor, not a ceiling.
• Watch how they treat everyone. How they greet the receptionist or a passing stylist tells you more than any answer. Kindness with an audience is easy; kindness without one is character.
• Take notes on specifics, score right after. Memory blurs and the last candidate always feels best. Fill the scorecard within five minutes of them leaving.
The bar
When you're done, you're answering one question: "Would I want this person caring for my guests, and would I be glad to work beside them every day?"
If the honest answer is "I'm not sure," that's a no. In a small team at a luxury salon, one wrong hire is felt by everyone, every shift. We hire slowly on purpose.
Before you start the interview, be sure to have your iPad ready to start recording using the app “Voice Memos” already installed on the device.
Start recording…
While recording, let the candidate know that you will record the audio of this interview for review purposes and ask permission, this should be recorded.
Recording audio of the interview can keep you on track so you could listen to the answer comfortably without having to pause and write a candidates response.
Part Three: The In-Person Interview
Length: 45–60 minutes. Structure: warm up, then work through the trait blocks below. You don't need every question; pick 2 to 3 per block and go deep on the stories.
Warm-Up (5 minutes)
Lower the temperature before you start. Offer water, walk them through the space, chat about their drive in. You want the real person, not the interview mask.
1. Did you find us okay? Have you been to this part of town before?
Listen for: Nothing to score; just easing them in. But notice: do they engage warmly and make small talk easily? This is the exact skill the job requires.
2. What do you know about Lush, and what drew you to the idea of working here?
Listen for: Effort and specificity. Did they look at our site, notice the brand, form a real reason? Genuine interest vs. "I just need a job."
Block 1: Kindness, Warmth & Optimism
The single most important block. This is the core of the front desk.
1. Tell me about a time you went out of your way for a customer or guest when you didn't have to.
Listen for: A real, specific story with genuine care in it, not a scripted "the customer is always right" answer. Did they enjoy it? Hospitality people light up telling these.
2. Describe a difficult or upset customer you dealt with. What did you do, and how did it end?
Listen for: Empathy under pressure. Did they stay warm and take the person's side, or get defensive and make it about being right? Listen for how they talk ABOUT the difficult person, with contempt or with understanding.
3. Who is the most naturally warm or hospitable person you know, and what do they do that you admire?
Listen for: Whether they can even articulate what great hospitality looks like. People who value it can describe it in detail; people who don't give a shrug.
4. What kind of energy do you think you bring into a room?
Listen for: Self-awareness plus optimism. A thoughtful, warm answer, and whether their actual energy in the interview matches their description.
Block 2: Work Ethic & Ownership
1. Tell me about a time something went wrong on your watch. What did you do?
Listen for: Ownership vs. blame. "It wasn't my fault" is a flag; "here's how I fixed it and what I learned" is what you want. Integrity lives here too.
2. Describe a really busy or chaotic shift or day. How did you handle it?
Listen for: Composure and initiative. A salon front desk juggles phones, walk-ins, checkout and running-behind stylists at once. Can they hold it together and stay pleasant?
3. When there's downtime and nothing urgent to do, what do you tend to do?
Listen for: Self-starters find the next useful thing (tidy, restock, learn); passive people wait to be told. Huge tell for a front-desk role.
Block 3: Curiosity & Coachability
Everything technical, they'll learn here. This block tells you whether they can.
1. Tell me about a time you got feedback that was hard to hear. What did you do with it?
Listen for: Do they take coaching, or get defensive? This predicts whether you can develop them. Non-defensive, growth-minded answers are gold.
2. What's something you taught yourself recently, anything at all, work or not?
Listen for: Genuine curiosity and drive. The topic doesn't matter; the pattern of self-directed learning does.
3. This role starts with a lot to learn, including software, retail, and our products. How do you approach learning something brand new?
Listen for: A concrete method and a positive attitude toward the learning curve, not dread or overconfidence.
Block 4: Integrity & Team Fit
We are a drama-free culture on purpose. This block protects that.
1. Tell me about a time you saw a coworker do something you didn't think was right. What did you do?
Listen for: Integrity and judgment. Not looking for a snitch, but for someone with a moral compass who handles it maturely.
2. Describe a conflict you had with a coworker or boss. How did it play out?
Listen for: How they handle friction. Do they seek resolution, or do they carry grudges and gossip? We're screening OUT drama here. Listen for contempt.
3. What kind of team environment brings out your best work?
Listen for: Whether their ideal matches ours: collaborative, low-drama, and mutually supportive. A candidate who thrives on competition or intensity may not fit.
4. If I called your last manager, what would they say you were great at, and what would they say you needed to work on?
Listen for: Self-awareness and honesty. A candidate who can name a real weakness without spinning it is showing you integrity in real time.
The Live Test (optional but revealing)
If you can, engineer a small real-world moment and watch. It beats any question:
• Have them role-play answering a guest call: "Pretend I'm calling to book but I'm frustrated my usual stylist is booked out three weeks." Watch for warmth, problem-solving and grace under mild pressure.
• Notice how they treated your front desk person on the way in. Ask that person afterward. It's often the truest data point of the day.
Candidate's Questions (5 minutes)
Always leave time. What they ask is itself an answer.
• Great signs: questions about the team, the culture, what success looks like, growth, how they'd be trained.
• Weaker signs: only about time off, pay bumps, or how little they can do to get by.
The two questions that decide it:
1. Would I want this person taking care of my guests?
2. Would I be glad to work beside them every shift?
If both are a clear yes, make the offer. If either is a maybe, it's a no. We hire slowly so we never have to fire quickly.