Invest Time to Find the Best New Employees
In a previous article, Finding and Keeping Great Talent is Every Leader’s Role, I discussed the importance and challenge of attracting and finding top talent for your business. Retail is historically not a place where many people aspire to build a long-term career, yet it can offer so many terrific opportunities. Great companies like Wegmans, Chick-fil-a, or Nordstrom do not just get lucky in finding excellent people to work for them. They invest time and energy in identifying talent. It does not have to be at a company level; the best way to find great associates to work for you is to invest your own time in looking for them.
In a COVID-transitioned world, retail jobs are harder than ever to fill and defining what a career within the industry feels even more difficult than it did a few years ago. Recruiting and attracting talent is at an even higher premium than ever. It will be more than just wages and availability; you will need to offer development, a flexibile environment, and a place individuals feel like they can contribute in new and unique ways. We are entering a next-level retail employee experience era. Decent pay, plenty of hours, and maybe the ability to get promoted soon will not be enough to attract the best available talent.
The Container Store uses the theory of one great equals three good employees. It will take time to screen through that thought process. And screen they do. In their stores, when a candidate has been identified, there is a rigorous process they follow. All of which culminates in a group interview, not with all the managers, but with a selection of other store associates who will help determine who their work peers will be. That does take a lot of time, but the payback is significant. The Container Store has reported previously that their full-time turnover is about 10%. This is well below the retail industry average. That reduced turnover allows them to provide more training, better benefits, and yes, a higher salary upfront. The investment in the selection process pays back to everyone involved. The company wins with better people who receive well over one-hundred hours of training. The associate wins by receiving better benefits, higher wages, and knowing the company cares for them. And the customer wins because the associates are better able to solve the needs that, in many cases, they never knew they had.
Here are some steps you can take to ensure you can get a payback on the investment you make in your hiring and selection process.
Develop a vision of what a great associate looks like
What does your ideal candidate look like? What are the base-level expectations that you are unwilling to compromise on? Ensure all of your other support managers are aware of your vision and expectations. It will take all of you working together to ensure that the identification process is consistent, as well as the interview and selection. It also helps to have multiple sets of eyes and ears continually looking for the next great associate.
Always be looking for the next great associate
I had a wonderful HR Business Partner for years, and she always discussed the ABCs of recruiting. Always Be Cruitin’. It may sound a little goofy, but I promise that all of us that worked with her will remember that thought process for the rest of our careers. It is solid advice and will work for anyone in any business. We should always be on the lookout for top talent that matches the profile we have set for success in our business.
Make time for recruiting
Something planned is something more likely to be done. Schedule time to recruit. You cannot hope to just find a few minutes here and there to find new people. And, if you already have a need, then you are behind. That will place pressure on the top item of this list – matching people to your vision. It does not have to be long periods, but ensure you block the time out and go to different places where you might find people who match the needs of your business and fit the profile you have defined. Don’t forget to look at your customers. Oftentimes, your customers can make the best employees, or know someone who will.
Hiring can be a challenging process. It can also be the most rewarding when you make time for it and begin to find high caliber individuals that can change your business for the better. Investing the time to define a vision, search for potential candidates, and then select them can jump-start your culture and environment for success. It begins to support itself, as with great people on your team, more great people start to be attracted to what you have. The cycle builds, and in time, you will find yourself surrounded by an outstanding team that continues to deliver for you in many ways.
How will you ensure you have the time you need to recruit for your business?
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Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash