In the retail industry, finding and sourcing the right retail staff is a constant challenge. The cyclical nature of the industry, combined with a challenging economic climate, means that most retailers are seeking as much flexibility from their workforce as possible and often using temporary, seasonal, part-time or contract workers.When spread over a large requirement for staff cover in big stores, recruitment of talented individuals can become an increasingly onerous task. So what is the best way to hire in the top talent that you need to make your business a success? We look at some of the best options and highlighted some of the pros and cons associated with each.
Open days
This type of retail recruitment is particularly popular for peak seasonal staff additions for larger stores, such as supermarkets, fashion stores and department stores. Ramp up periods will generally be in the run-up to Christmas, summer or another seasonal milestone in line with the business and the open day will generally be followed by an intensive training period for the successful hires. This approach can be useful to attract large volumes of candidates for seasonal work and process them effectively. By working with a recruitment consultant, the process will be managed smoothly through established attraction channels, which can cut down on advertising costs.
Media advertising
This tends to be used in local newspapers for bulk recruitment drives, or in national or specialist papers for senior level recruitment and graduate recruitment schemes. The cost is a big consideration here-you may get a better return from using online advertising, targeted to your geography. CPC advertising models are attractive for retailers with limited budgets-and again, these campaigns will usually be delivered via a specialist recruitment agency. If you do decide to use media advertising, be sure to haggle over the cost because most media space bookers have last minute offers!
Outsourced Recruitment Services
Many retailers need a variety of staff-from experienced and permanent team leaders to junior level seasonal staff, temps and part-time workers to cover specific shifts. Support and specialist staff will also be needed throughout the year. For this reason, many retailers use the services of a recruitment agency which can manage the process directly and use their core competencies to ensure high-quality candidate attraction, recruitment and selection. Often, the agencies also offer aligned services such as induction training.
Other options include working with local training providers to develop young talent and accredit existing motivated staff and working with providers of the government’s Work Programme scheme. They will often offer free recruitment, placements and other flexible programmes such as induction training and skills sessions for bulk recruitment in the local community. Ultimately, the route you choose will depend on a number of factors. These can vary according to your business but the big three for every business are budget, objective and in-house resources.
Kim Sanders writes regularly on retail recruitment and training for a range of specialist websites and blogs.
