How to improve the hiring process in your retail business
As a retail business, the quality of your hiring process can damage or build your business. Sadly, it is something that many businesses tend to overlook.
An imperfect hiring process not only leads to the recruitment of unsuitable applicants but also candidates declining job offers. It can also affect your brand negatively. Think of it this way, if the candidate who got dissatisfied with the hiring process shares their experience, this can put off potential applicants, something that reduces your pool of talent. Luckily, you can solve this by improving the hiring process in your retail business. Let us give you some tips on how to fine-tune the process.
Build your business brand
Research has shown that building your business brand not only reduces employee turnover by over 28% but also attracts better qualified candidates into your company. As a retail business, you can achieve this by continually updating the company's profile and sharing updates on the business work environment and its culture. Also, you can improve your business brand by making it authentic through blogs, videos, or through reviews on reputable third-party sites like Glassdoor.
Personalise the experience of the candidates
According to a survey carried out by CareerBuild, the leading complaint among job seekers is a lack of personalisation. A business that personalises the experience of candidates has a pool of applications from enthusiastic job seekers. As a retail business, you can achieve this by replying to job seekers' emails or getting back to them through a phone call.
Also, you can use improved technology to personalise the candidate's experience where every time a candidate sends an application, it is screened, and feedback emailed to them. You can try to innovate around ways to personalise every candidate's experience in a way that nurtures a relationship with them.
Design better job advertisement posts
Do you know that your job advertisement can affect your hiring process? According to research carried out by Canadian researchers in the US, adding the employee value proposition in a job description, as in the benefits and rewards, tends to increase the number of applications. Therefore, as a retail business, let your posts be candidate focused, and they will attract candidates who best fit the positions.
Automate your resume screening systems
You should also use automation in recruitment. For example, using an automated resume screening system improves the process of hiring by ensuring that every resume that is received is screened, and none is ignored. Research has shown that, in every job post advertised, up to 65% of the resumes get ignored. This is what automation tries to solve. It is also a way of ensuring that you get the best candidate for the task without having to do manual screening.
Improve on your interviews
According to research carried out by Leadership IQ, most hiring managers tend to stray from the core interview screening goals as they are often in a rush. Thus, they may fail to notice the personality of an employee. Try to eliminate this to improve your hiring process. Improve the way you do interviews. For example, pay more attention to the interviewee and let them also ask you questions. This way, you will be able to identify the candidate with the strongest personality.
Improve on employee onboarding
Do you have a proper framework to integrate new hires into your business? Well, many businesses overlook the essence of what's known as employee onboarding in the hiring process. You ought to know that robust onboarding makes it easier for the new employee to assimilate into business culture easily. It also enhances positive reviews, and low employee turnover to your business as the candidates will get a good experience. Moreover, it encourages open communication with your employees and good connection, among others.
Pay attention to your reviews
Research done by Glassdoor found that before even seeking a job anywhere, 46% of potential employees look for business reviews first. Most potential employees do not apply for jobs in companies with a negative reputation. In other words, you may be losing candidates who could be very valuable to your business.
So, check to find out if there are negative reviews about your business. Work on improving those areas before you start your hiring process. You can also encourage feedback on your company's review website. After improving your business image out there, you will attract the best candidates in the market and also reduce employee turnover.
Final word
As a retail business, a proper hiring process is crucial to attracting and keeping top talent. Not only does it reduce your cost of recruitment, but it also ensures that you get the best employees in the market. You want the best talent in your team, but you also have to work to get them!