DISCUSSION
What can retailers do to find and hire amazing people?
Written by RetailWire Staff
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from Retail Contrarian, the blog of the Dynamic Experiences Group
With unemployment on the decline and many companies in need of workers, competition for top candidates is definitely on the rise.
Here are some tips for filling open positions with amazing people:
- Cast a wider net. Stop requiring people to have retail or sales experience. It's worth wading through a bunch of "no"s to find an unexpected amazing "yes".
- Compensate your staff for recruiting. Your best recruiters already work for you. I'd rather pay my staff a referral bonus than advertise, but both are often necessary.
- Advertise where job seekers are looking. I continue to meet people who are still using classified ads with no luck. I've had the most success with Craigslist, marginal success with Zip Recruiter and LinkedIn, and the least amount of success with Monster (unless for a high-level position).
- It's all in the headline. The least effective headlines for ads (and what most retailers do) consist only of the job title. The most effective headlines focus on the quality of the work environment. Sample headlines I've successfully tested:
Work Where You're Appreciated and Make a Difference
Work With Fabulous People and Products
We’re the Company You’ve Been Looking For
- Post on your own social media. Just make sure you position it as hiring additional or seasonal help. You never want to inadvertently give the impression that your store is understaffed. Again, it's all in the headline.
- Start with a phone interview. Phone interviews are a quick and easy way to screen applicants. I usually know within 10 minutes if it is someone I want to get to know better.
- Have them work the floor as part of the interview. Anybody can say they’re a “people person.” I always ask managerial applicants to work the floor for a few minutes. My most amazing hires were people who were just okay in the interview and then came alive when working with customers. I also want to see how they handle pressure.