Think about a puzzle with many pieces that go together to make one picture. Just like a puzzle, many retail brands have multiple locations. You put these retail locations together to achieve one whole: the brand itself. Hence, multiple locations recruitment strategies are necessary for onboarding many talented retail professionals at one time. These strategies allow candidates near multiple retail locations to choose where they onboard, and they can assist at different locations when needed.
Centralize Hiring Procedures
Centralizing hiring procedures is essential for a multi-site hiring strategy. The centralized approach invests in standard operating procedures, ensures labor law compliance, and maintains consistency with assessing candidates before the final selection. A uniform candidate assessment process ensures candidates can try out for the job fairly and meet the highest standards possible no matter what location they are attempting to join.
Leverage Technology for Efficiency
With that being said, all store locations within a retail chain should utilize the same applicant tracking system (ATS) software to assist in streamlining hiring. Auto-posting jobs on the website and other integrated platforms and conducting resume parsing is a couple of the key automated tasks ATS can do to reduce the administrative burden on recruitment and HR.
Hiring Managers and Store Managers can collaborate seamlessly to review candidate profiles, make notes about applicants, and decide which individuals are best suited for which locations. Especially when multiple locations nearby need to hire simultaneously, this innovative technology encourages operational efficiency when making the final candidate selections.
Tailor Recruitment To Local Needs
Streamlining multiple locations hiring for retail also involves tailoring recruitment to local needs. Evaluate local market dynamics such as seasonal hiring trends and talent availability to ensure all nearby locations are receiving the staffing needed for operational efficiency.
For example, certain regions with a higher Spanish-speaking population such as New Mexico may need some multilingual staff members to enhance customer service. The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions reported in 2021 that 50.1% of the population are Hispanic or Latino, showcasing a high need for multilingual staff in retail locations within the region.
Empower Local Managers
Local managers are integral for onboarding procedures associated with multiple locations’ recruitment strategies. Have upper-level executives such as District Managers equip Store Managers and Assistant Managers with the tools necessary for attracting, interviewing, and retaining talent.
Inform them of the interview guidelines the company follows, evaluation frameworks, and grant them access to recruitment software. Applicant tracking system (ATS) software automates tasks like candidate correspondence, interview self-scheduling, and auto-transferring candidate information from ATS to HRIS to reduce manual data entry. Despite centralization usually being the key to this type of hiring process, empowering local managers offers flexibility and responsiveness to that location’s specific needs and goals.
Use Data to Optimize Hiring
Data-driven hiring is needed for the utmost success and optimization of the overall process. Analyzing metrics like cost-per-hire, time-to-hire, turnover rates, and current candidate quality can open the doors for implementing improvement strategies. For example, if you see too high of a cost-per-hire as the usual trends, decreasing reliance on sponsored job posts and increasing applicant pooling techniques can stabilize this metric.
Create An Employer Brand
Crafting an attractive employer brand is one of the most important avenues for multiple locations recruitment strategies. On job postings, ensure to discuss company culture and values to emphasize positive employer branding.
What are the benefits for employees onboarding with the company? How can they develop their career over time by staying with the retail chain? Answering these questions within a job posting is important for differentiating your retail chain from other competitors to increase chances of onboarding the best talent before your competition does.
Partner With A Retail Hiring Service
Finding a retail hiring service that can capture your vision of the best retail candidate for your open positions is a diamond in the rough. These representatives have the proven experience to screen, interview, and onboard candidates who match the technical skills and cultural specifications of the open role.
