Managing seasonal recruitment in retail
Being able to meet customer needs when your business kicks into “seasonal overdrive” is critical. To ensure this year’s seasonal shift is as cost-effective, stress-free and productive as possible, use these strategies to manage seasonal recruitment.
Put a number on it
Start by identifying the number of team members you will need in which locations and departments.
Use key learnings from past seasons
Understand which areas of your business will need extra support based on data from previous years and factor in growth throughout the year to create a plan. Consider issues you’ve faced previously and set a plan to plug these holes preemptively.
Create an attraction and hiring strategy
Implement sound attraction and hiring methods. Because seasonal employees may not remain in your business over the long term, advertising, hiring and onboarding costs through traditional methods can sometimes outweigh returns. But there are a number of strategies to cut down on the time and resources it takes to attract, screen and hire candidates.
Some smart attraction and hiring methods you could use include:
- An employee referral system – offer rewards and incentives to current team members for every successful referral they make to you (after all, great talent knows great talent!)
- Advertising in-store – a low-cost way to win applications from customers who already know, like and trust your brand
- An effective Candidate Management System – allowing you and your hiring managers to work collaboratively to screen candidates with ease in a single location
- Talent pooling – reach out to candidates who have previously expressed an interest in working with your organisation
- Delegating tasks to your front-line managers
- Use Group Assessment Days to assess and hire candidates in bulk.
Use the right technology
You may need to screen hundreds of applications, so being able to digitally screen, compare and invite candidates to be interviewed will save you time and effort when recruiting high volumes. Using a Candidate Management System will go a long way in saving you time and making your processes more efficient.
Use screening tools
Lastly, ensure you’re hiring the right person for the role. Hiring the wrong person whose values do not accurately match your company can cause massive issues and negative brand consequences. This, combined with the stress of the seasonal period, means you can’t afford to suffer from mis-hires or allow customer service to deteriorate.
Consider using behavioural and skills testing, and reference checks to feel confident in your hiring decision.
Effectively screen candidates to ensure their values and experience matches what you are looking for. Ask quality questions to gain insight into candidates’ character and how they will perform in your team.
For more information about talent attraction, recruitment technology, or screening solutions, contact us at info@employmentoffice.com.au or on 1300 366 573.
