Retail Goes Omnichannel in Hunt for Employees
The National Retail Foundation at its “Retails’ BIG Blog ” says, “Much as retailers are working to create a seamless shopping experience from store to computer to smartphone, retail recruiters are now using the full range of digital channels to fill job openings.”
The reason retail recruiters need to be so creative? A growing number of vacancies need filled. According to the National Bureau of Labor Statistics, as quoted in the article, “there were more than 350,000 job openings in the retail industry as of December 2013. To fulfill the need for talent, retail recruiters have taken to online recruiting, exploring new and exciting ways to connect with the modern-day job seeker.”
The National Retail Federation highlights the three online tools being used with most success in retail recruitment. It almost goes without saying that people seeking retail work should also use those tools to place themselves in front of prospective employers.
Social media, not surprisingly, is a top choice for retailers wanting to find employees but also for potential hires to check out potential employers. The story quotes a survey from Jobvite that shows “Candidates are increasingly turning to LinkedIn (23 percent), Facebook (19 percent), Google+ (16 percent), Instagram (16 percent) and Twitter (13 percent) to learn more about prospective employers.”
Walmart is praised as a good example of social media recruitment. The article said, “With more than 300,000 followers, Walmartmakes the most of their LinkedIn page. In addition to highlighting open positions, they use the page to keep applicants informed of company news and initiatives and also showcase stand-out employees.”
Blogs are also highlighted as an effective recruitment tool. An important thing to keep in mind about blogs is they need to be kept current with fresh, relevant copy. Blogs that haven’t been updated in several weeks or more denote a company with a stale attitude. The article highlights The Container Store as a company that does things right. ” … you certainly can’t talk about retail bloggers without mentioning The Container Store. Their “What We Stand For” blog is proof of their employee-first culture in action. It’s regularly updated with posts highlighting the advancement of employees, leaders they admire – and, of course, things they stand for like national ‘We Love Our Employees Day,'” the article states.
The National Retail Federation also praises the value of virtual career fairs, but it also hosts a virtual career fair with its next one slated for April 2. As it points out, the virtual fairs allow recruiters to “connect with job candidates across the nation without having to spend time or money on travelling.”
One group that also finds value in virtual career fairs is AbilityLinks.org, a network created in 2001 to promote the hiring of people with disabilities. “AbilityLinks has hosted numerous job fairs over the last few years because they are dynamic and accessible from almost anywhere,” explains Ken Skord, AbilityLinks program director, in a news release promoting an upcoming virtual job fair. “These virtual job fairs not only benefit talented—yet often overlooked—job-seekers and inclusive employers, but will also help federal contractors comply with a new rule scheduled to go into effect March 24, 2014. It sets a 7% utilization goal for qualified persons with disabilities within each of the contractor’s job groups or their entire workforce. The rule also requires that contractors invite job applicants to voluntarily disclose having a disability before a job is offered.”