Where are the best jobs in retail?
Retailers are still looking to add store staff for the holidays, but where do prospective seasonal hires want to work? That’s the question the job search engine, Simply Hired, is looking to answer with its new Employer Brand Index (EBI) for Retail.
According to a blog on the company’s site, "Best Places to Work" lists are often based on small sample sizes or curated reviews and do not accurately measure how prospective workers view retailer employers. EBI is based on the click-through rates of job listings on Simplyhired.com.
"The EBI impartially measures the level of preference that a company generates from job seekers and potential employees by analyzing actual job seeker behavior: the rate at which millions of real job seekers engage with employer job listings," said James Beriker, president and CEO of Simply Hired, in a statement. "This clear signal of a strong employer brand allows companies to understand where they rank in relation to their peers and helps job seekers understand which employers are most frequently considered by other candidates."
The top 10 retail brands, according to Simply Hired’s EBI are:
1. Burlington Coat Factory
2. Ross Dress For Less
3. Things Remembered
4. Wet Seal
5. Forever 21
6. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
7. Belk
8. Aldi
9. Kohl’s
10. Party City
The frequency of job seeker clicks on a retailer’s listing may not reflect actual working conditions. The same chains in Simply Hired’s EBI top 10, for example, had varying ratings on Glassdoor, the job listing and company review site.
1. Burlington Coat Factory (2.4 stars out of five, 35 percent would recommend to a friend)
2. Ross Dress For Less (2.6 stars, 34 percent would recommend)
3. Things Remembered ((2.7 stars. 37 percent would recommend)
4. Wet Seal (2.9 stars, 46 percent would recommend)
5. Forever 21 (2.4 stars, 26 percent would recommend)
6. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (3.1 stars, 55 percent would recommend)
7. Belk (2.9 stars, 45 percent would recommend)
8. Aldi (3.1 stars, 49 percent would recommend)
9. Kohl’s (3.0 stars, 53 percent would recommend)
10. Party City (2.8 stars, 40 percent would recommend)
Companies that are typically among the best places to work list, including REI (12) and Container Store (14), were in the EBI top 20. REI has 3.7 star rating on Glassdoor and 74 percent say they would recommend the company to a friend. The Container Store has 3.3 stars on Glassdoor and 62 percent would recommend the company as an employer.
Discussion Questions
What are the primary reasons that seasonal workers seek employment with a particular retailer? How do these differ from prospective employees looking for long-term employment? What do these factors mean for the job marketing efforts of retailers?
Probably two of the primary reasons for choosing a seasonal employer are either proximity (commute time/cost) or affinity for the brand/products. In my experience many seasonal applicants were looking for long-term employment and saw the seasonal position as an opportunity to audition for a permanent position. This in fact often worked as a review of DOH’s indicated that a high percentage of the employee population actually was hired during the seasonal in-take period of previous years.
Perhaps retailers could promote this long-term employment opportunity in their marketing efforts. I also think the luxury players could promote their more humane holiday hours as an attraction in their marketing. Finally, if they’re looking to attract people like my wife, it’s about product and discount. She did a holiday stint at Williams-Sonoma and on her last day it took two flatbeds to get all the product she purchased to her car.
Looking at what I know about the retail industry I have to wonder how these companies got such high rankings. Maybe they ran the most or had the most job openings.
Looks like a flawed sample.
Money is the main reason seasonal workers seek jobs. Availability, location of work, all play in where the worker applies. Unfortunately, these factors were ignored in the article as a key factor.