DISCUSSION
Will faster job offers help Home Depot recruit the 100K+ workers it needs now?
Written by George Anderson
Photo: The Home Depot
The Home Depot is seeking more than 100,000 new associates ahead of the chain’s spring season, its busiest of the year, at a time when finding staff for stores and warehouses has become more challenging for retailers across the country.
The retailer is staging the hiring initiative at a time when U.S. employers are looking to fill 10.9 million jobs, according to a survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported by The Washington Post. Nearly five percent of retail workers quit their jobs in December.
The home improvement giant is counting on a variety of factors to appeal to prospective employees including a quick turnaround on offers to jobseekers. Home Depot is encouraging those interested in jobs to apply at careers.homedepot.com. It said earlier this week that it has a new and accelerated hiring process that would result in job offers in as little as one day from applying.
The chain is touting what it sees as its strengths as an employer, including convenient commutes. Home Depot has stores and warehouses within 10 miles of the majority of the nation’s population.
Management is also offering flexibility with full- and part-time positions in a variety of jobs including customer service/sales, freight, merchandising, store support and warehouse. The company on Feb. 16 will host its Virtual Spring Career Day to help those looking for work to identify the right jobs. The event will feature speakers who will share their experiences working for the chain, including Crystal Hanlon, who began as a cashier at the chain and worked her way up to president of Home Depot’s northern division.
"In today's climate, jobseekers are shopping for the best opportunity," said Eric Schelling, the retailer’s vice president of global talent acquisition. "At The Home Depot, they'll find a company that offers much more than a job and a paycheck. Jobseekers will find a values-based company that invests in them with our success sharing bonus program and gives them the opportunity to grow, similar to the approximately 90 percent of our store leaders who started as hourly associates. Additionally, jobseekers will also find upskilling programs that teach and expose them to new skills in other functions like software development, cyber security, data science, marketing, supply chain and finance."