Finding and recruiting top talent should be a priority for all retailers.
Having great people in your team can help you sell more products, be more efficient, and most importantly, provide outstanding customer service!
For many retailers, the festive season is the busiest trading period of the year. Increased customer demand, extended trading hours, annual leave, and seasonal promotions can all create additional staffing requirements.
Looking ahead and forecasting your recruitment needs means you can start the process early and avoid scrambling for staff at the last minute. Many retailers recruit seasonal fixed-term employees, casual workers, or students to help manage the Christmas and summer trading period.
Although these employees may only be with your business for a relatively short time, they represent your brand and are often the face of your business. Taking the time to recruit the right people, provide a thorough induction, and ensure the correct employment arrangements are in place can make a significant difference to customer experience and business performance.
Looking to hire great staff without the hassle? In this episode, Dan Brunt outlines how MSD Work Brokers help retail store owners connect with skilled candidates—for free.
Attracting the right people to your business comes down to pitching the role to the right people using the right platform. In a small town, word of mouth and placing an advertisement in the local paper is often the best option, whereas larger retailers in cities rely on online advertising.
- Start a robust recruitment process as early as you can to avoid rushing the process.
- Be clear about the role requirements before advertising and communicate them consistently throughout the process.
- Advertise where your target candidates are most likely to look, whether that’s Seek, Trade Me, social media, or local channels.
- Consider re-hiring former employees or seasonal workers who already know your business.
- Where possible, offer flexibility. Many candidates value this as much as pay.
- Take a proactive approach and reach out to people who may be a good fit for the role.
- Keep an open mind when shortlisting. Transferable skills can be just as valuable as direct experience.
- Check at least two professional references before making an offer.
Before the interview, explain what candidates can expect from the process. This is especially important if the interview includes practical activities or time spent on the shop floor.
- Identify the key skills, behaviours and attributes required for the role, then build your interview questions around them.
- Interview candidates in a quiet, comfortable setting where you can properly assess their suitability.
- Use open-ended questions and ask candidates to provide real-life examples of how they have handled relevant situations.
- Use a consistent set of core questions for every candidate to support a fair and objective process.
- Consider how the candidate presents themselves and interacts with others. Would they create a positive experience for your customers?
- If appropriate, introduce candidates to other team members or show them around the store to see how they engage with people.
- Be cautious about using trial shifts to assess suitability. Instead, consider using a pre-employment assessment.
- Take notes during the interview or have another manager attend to assist with note-taking.
You may be looking to hire a casual or fixed term staff member to cover this period, but which contract is right for your requirements? Choosing the right arrangement is important. While both can be suitable for seasonal staffing requirements, they serve different purposes and should only be used where the circumstances genuinely support them.
Learn more about different employment agreement types.
Use a casual employment agreement where the amount of work is uncertain and you cannot confidently predict when employees will be needed. Casual employment can be a useful option during the festive season if staffing requirements are likely to vary from week to week, or where employees may be needed to provide occasional cover for absences, leave, or unexpected increases in customer demand. Under a genuine casual arrangement, there is no obligation for you to offer work and no obligation for the employee to accept it.
Get a casual contract template here.
Use a fixed-term employment agreement when you know you will need additional staffing for a defined period and have a genuine reason for the employment to end. For many retailers, the Christmas and summer trading period creates a foreseeable increase in workload, making a fixed-term arrangement an appropriate option. A fixed-term employee may be suitable where you know you will need a minimum number of hours each week, can roster shifts in advance, and can reasonably identify when the need for the role will end, such as when the busy festive trading period concludes.
Get a fixed term contract template here.
If you are unclear which contract you should be using please call us on 0800 472 472 (1800 128 086 from Australia), or email [email protected].
The power of a great induction
Once you’ve identified the right candidates, it’s time to think about induction! Prompt training and induction for your seasonal workers will help them get up to speed quickly and contribute effectively during the busy summer sales period.
Download our induction template here.
If you have any questions, please check in with our free member Advice Service on 0800 472 472 or email [email protected].
Take a look at our Christmas Hub, for more tips to help prepare your retail business for Christmas!
