March 12, 2007 “HR? More like H-Argh!” By Janet Dean, President, Advance Corporate Training Ltd. A recent survey on Retail BC’s website asked respondents, “Are you finding it difficult finding or keeping good staff people?” The overwhelming response, with 45 percent of the answers, was, “I keep my staff for some time, it's just tough to find good new employees.” Are you one of those respondents having trouble finding quality workers? Well, maybe nobody wants to work for you. Argh. I feel your frustration. After all, these people haven’t met you or anybody else that works for your store. All they have to go by is your job posting and reputation. I’ll skip the obvious components that every job posting should have – desired qualifications, traits, skills, etc. Your posting must also show job seekers how the position will create value for them. How will it benefit their life away from work? You must think not in terms of how new employees will benefit your store, but how your store can benefit new employees. If you were in their shoes, what would attract you to the store? Here is the information you need to communicate in a job posting that is essential for making job seekers want to work for you. What’s in it for me? First, you must clearly show what the job seeker will get out of working for your store. It should be at least one of the following four options:
We’re different! Job seekers want to know what makes your store unique. I’m not talking about details like “We sell the world’s only pair of pants made entirely out of used Crackerjack boxes.” I mean what sets your store apart from its competitors. What do your employees care about? What are your store’s goals? What kind of atmosphere can employees expect to walk into on their first day at work? Up, up and away Does your store offer vertical or horizontal promotional opportunities? Horizontal moves enable employees to gain responsibilities without becoming a manager.Vertical moves are the more “traditional” promotions to more powerful positions. Both of these opportunities prevent employees from becoming bored and leaving. Does your store not even offer promotions? Maybe that’s why your employees are leaving so soon. We’ll give you… When considering what benefits to advertise, you must first look at your current employees. For example, if they are younger, offering a discount with the local daycare probably wont’ cut it. Instead, you could pay for college or university courses they may be taking. In HR, knowing your desired employees is as important as knowing your target market is to marketers. We care Does your store benefit the community? If it doesn’t, it needs to. And if or when it does, tell job seekers about it. How will they be able to impact their community? A suggestion: offer paid time off if employees want to volunteer somewhere or donate your product or service to a charity or not-for-profit organization. See the results If you are effective at getting the word out about how great your store treats its employees, it will have a direct result: your store will develop a reputation as being a great place to work. And what will this do? Attract even better candidates! Think about it. I bet you can name a few organizations that are known for how well they treat their employees. Starbucks spends more on employee benefits than it does on coffee beans. EA Sports’ office has a movie theatre. Google’s employees can wear what they want, go rock-climbing, swim laps and relax in a massage chair – all without leaving the office. But remember, it’s not about what these organizations give to their employees, it is how these benefits make their employees feel. Their employees are engaged and motivated, which creates a culture that job-seekers want to join. So, what does your company do? There you have it. Your store could sell the greatest product ever invented, but if nobody wants to work for you, your store will fold faster than a wet pair of pants made entirely from used Crackerjack boxes. Originally published in Retail Connections (Summer 2007 edition) Advance Corporate Training Ltd. (ACT), developed and delivers Retail BC’s Retail PEAK program, and provides active, participant-centered training and consulting to performance-driven businesses, institutions and stores. Visit www.actraining.com for more info on how ACT can help you attract great employees. To reach Janet directly or suggest a topic for a future column, email her at dean@actraining.com.
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