If you are retailer, the chances are that at some point in the year you will have to recruit staff. This could be because a member of your current team has left or because your business is expanding. The retail industry is one in which demand fluctuates depending on seasonal events.
For this reason, most retailers find themselves in the situation where they are letting staff go one week only to have to begin recruiting for a seasonal uplift such as Christmas just a few weeks later. Unfortunately, many retailers find themselves spending an awful lot of time on recruitment. In most cases, this is time that they can ill afford to waste.
The process of recruitment often takes key personnel away from the shop floor and from doing work that can actively improve and grow the business. However, recruitment need not be difficult and time-consuming. Naturally, you will still have to find some time to do it, but if you follow our few simple tips you should find that you could considerably reduce the amount of time you have to spend finding staff.
Advertise Online
Given that the vast majority of UK job seekers now use the internet as part of their job search, it makes sense for you to advertise your jobs online. Doing so, will allow you to reach the maximum number of job seekers possible. There are some very good, targeted job boards out there that make it extremely easy for you to find people who have previously worked in the retail industry. Just visit the retailchoice.com website and you will quickly see what we mean.
On this site, it is possible to post your vacancies in three simple steps. Once you have got used to the process, posting a vacancy need only take you between 5 and 10 minutes. Because it is one of the larger job boards, it receives several thousand visitors every week. This means that an awful lot of jobseekers will see your advert, which significantly increases the chances of your getting applicants for the role.
The Wisdom of Using Other Methods Too
If you want to you can simply post a job online and forget about it. However, if you have several vacancies to fill, perhaps for the Christmas rush, it makes sense to use other methods as well. Many retailers find temporary workers simply by asking their existing staff if they know anybody who is interested in part-time work. You will also find your local job centre is always happy to help. Even the CAB may occasionally be willing to point someone who is short on cash and looking for work in your direction. Using word-of-mouth is an old-fashioned recruitment technique which many people forget and no longer use.
The other thing you could consider, which only takes a few minutes, is to print out your own job advert. You can then post the advert in your shop window or on your own notice board. However, if you need people with a specific skill set, such as butchery skills, this method of recruitment may not be suitable.
