Struggling to recruit for retail? Here’s how to gain a competitive edge
Retail managers know how to hire during high unemployment rates but suffer in today’s highly competitive talent market. Powerful recruitment marketing strategies, such as referrals will widen your talent pool.
Dr. John Sullivan reporting for ERE explains how great recruiting in retail is both affordable and requires minimal effort. The first strategy Sullivan recommends is using referrals to your advantage: “Your best employees already know and hang around with many others who also work in retail. Those interconnections make referrals the No. 1 most effective recruiting tool.”
Ask your top retail performers to identify and promote hiring opportunities to recommend one quality potential candidate each month. You may even like to offer incentives to current staff who recommend successful hires.
Use reference checks as a referral source too. After conducting a reference check, ask referees if they can recommend anyone with similar skills.
Draw from your existing talent pipeline by reaching out to and rehiring former top employees. These are easy wins, as you know they are already familiar with your organisational values, culture, and work. Because retail has a high turnover rate, you never know if a past high performer’s situation has changed. (You can also ask if they can become a referral source!)
Similarly, revisit high-potential candidates who previously missed out on a role.
Use other nearby retailers as a source. “Top talent working at other top firms are superior, because they are fully trained, and they have already proven themselves. And this means that if your own firm provides a superior work environment, it’s relatively simple to convince the best retail employee at your competitors to join your team.”
“The key to recruiting success is the tools that you use.”
Why not recruit customers? Customers who frequently visit your facilities make excellent potential candidates, as they know and love your brand. Analyse data from your customer loyalty programs, include attractive signage in your stores, or have employees wear t-shirts that read, “Ask me what it’s like to work here!”
Make sound, quick assessments. In a tight market, it’s beneficial to lock down great talent quickly. Accommodate people looking for flexibility by offering part-time work that fits with people’s existing schedules if it gets candidates over the line.
Promoting your employer brand on social media will also increase your attractiveness to potential hires. PageUp reports how Aussie retail chain City Beach leveraged social media to appeal to their target demographic:
“City Beach created YouTube videos showcasing its culture and demonstrating what would be expected of its temporary holiday workers, and launched a robust social media campaign on Instagram and Facebook to further drive traffic to its new career site…
“City Beach achieved enormous success with its Christmas casual recruitment campaign, with 15 000 new candidates registered, representing 15 suitable candidates for every vacancy within the first four hours of posting the roles on their careers site, with no other advertising.”
[Watch the City Beach careers video here.]
When implementing these strategies, collect data to assess your ROI and boost the tools that work best for your organisation.
Source
Poor recruiting is killing retail – the top 12 tips for stopping the pain
Dr. John Sullivan
ERE
Getting retail recruitment right in 2018
PageUp
