Is your business ready for the busy festive period?
With the Christmas period just around the corner, it’s time for recruiters to begin thinking about their hiring plans. The Christmas and New Year period is the time of year when businesses, particularly those in the retail and hospitality sector, brace themselves for a whirlwind of activity, as shoppers flood stores and restaurants overflow with partygoers.
Before kicking off their hiring campaign, recruiters should embark on a thoughtful journey of strategizing and decision-making.
Plan ahead to decide what your business needs
It’s around this time of year that recruiters carefully consider their hiring requirements, so they remain ahead of the game.
As a recruiter, ask yourself: How many additional people do I need? Do they need training? What hours will they work and how long do I intend to keep them in this position?
Jobs in hospitality always experience high demand on NIJobs, with peaks in applications usually occurring in June, August, and October. Candidate activity reflects the rise in demand for staff during the Summer months from Northern Ireland’s many hotels, restaurants, and pubs.
Planning is essential as you need to give yourself enough time to advertise your roles, interview, and train seasonal hires. Knowing exactly when you are due to see increased demand is key, as you will need your seasonal hires fully trained and equipped by then.
Craft a clear job description
Creating the right job description is a critical first step in attracting the right candidates for short-term, seasonal positions. These job descriptions need to be clear and enticing, providing a concise overview of the roles, responsibilities, qualifications, and benefits.
Most importantly, a seasonal job description should emphasise the temporary nature of the roles on offer, making it clear that the positions are specifically intended to support the holiday/seasonal rush. By highlighting the limited duration, prospective candidates are informed upfront about the temporary commitment, helping to manage expectations.
It allows individuals seeking short-term employment opportunities, such as students on break or retirees looking to supplement their income, to easily identify suitable roles. Overall, a well-crafted seasonal job description should not only attract potential applicants but also set realistic expectations about the position’s temporary nature.
Keep the recruitment process as short as possible
While it’s important to hire the best people for the job, a long, drawn-out recruitment process can work against you so it’s key to think of ways to shorten the process. Too many steps are going to lead to candidates dropping out.
Could a quick phone call help you screen candidates before you meet them face-to-face? Can you enlist the help of somebody else on your team to process applications? Could you build in a quick skills assessment to reduce the need for a second interview? If you can speed up how to hire, then do.
Pre-screening questions should be developed to carefully be tailored to the specific job and can include inquiries about relevant experience, availability during peak hours, and the ability to work under pressure. By implementing this initial screening, recruiters can focus their time and resources on candidates who are the best for the seasonal roles streamlining the overall process and ensuring that only qualified applicants progress to the interview stage.
Apply productive interview techniques
Efficiently hiring seasonal staff in industries affected by the seasonal rush can be streamlined through a variety and mix of interview techniques all used to identify the best candidates.
Group Interviews: Group interviews are useful for assessing how candidates interact with others, a crucial skill in industries such as retail and hospitality. Invite a small group of applicants who have been pre-screened to an interview session. Present group tasks or scenarios and observe how candidates collaborate, communicate, and problem-solve together. This approach can save time and help identify candidates who work well in team-oriented environments, while simultaneously determining who isn’t the right fit for the company.
Recruitment Evenings: Hosting recruitment evenings allows you to meet and evaluate multiple candidates. Set up a designated time for selected candidates to visit your location. Provide an overview of the company, and the roles available, and engage in one-on-one or group discussions. This method promotes a casual, informative atmosphere where candidates can ask questions and learn more about the job and your organisation.
Assessing Customer Service and Interpersonal Skills: Customer service is critical in retail and hospitality. Assessing these skills during interviews is essential. Ask candidates about their previous customer experience. Inquire about how they handle challenging situations, resolve complaints, and create positive customer interactions. This helps identify candidates who are naturally inclined towards excellent customer service and have the experience to back it up.
Role-Play Exercises: Role-play allows candidates to demonstrate their skills in action. Create scenarios that mirror situations in the workplace, such as assisting a customer with a purchase or handling a reservation over the phone. Have candidates act out these scenarios. Role-playing provides a tangible sense of how well candidates can perform essential job functions. In this scenario, you can also assess where a candidate would be best suited in your business, i.e., stockroom, warehouse, back-office, floor staff, cash register, etc.
Ensure sufficient training and onboarding
Training and onboarding seasonal hires are essential for ensuring they are prepared to deliver excellent customer service and meet company standards during the festive season.
Orientation and Induction: Begin with a comprehensive orientation to welcome new hires and introduce them to the workplace, colleagues, and supervisors. Provide an overview of the company’s mission, values, and culture to help seasonal staff align with the organisation’s goals.
Company Policies and Procedures: Conduct thorough training on company policies and procedures, including dress code, attendance, safety protocols, and code of conduct. Ensure new hires understand compliance with labour laws, privacy regulations, and any industry-specific rules.
Product Knowledge: Offer product knowledge training to help employees become familiar with the merchandise or services offered. Teach employees about the features, benefits, and unique selling points of products to assist with effective sales and customer assistance.
Service Training: Provide training in customer service skills, emphasising the importance of friendly, attentive, and personalised service. Teach employees how to handle customer inquiries, complaints, and difficult situations professionally and effectively.
Customer Engagement Techniques: Train employees on upselling techniques, cross-selling, and how to engage customers to increase sales. Share strategies for creating memorable customer experiences to promote loyalty.
Build a talent pool
You’ve spent time sourcing and training your seasonal workers and they are familiar with how your business operates. That makes them an incredibly valuable resource, a talent pool.
Building a talent pool from your seasonal hires holds immense potential for future staffing needs. These individuals, already trained and familiar with your business, represent a valuable resource. Beyond the holiday rush, maintain communication to inform them about upcoming opportunities.
Permanent positions may become available and there may be students in your talent pool who are available for weekend work or full-time work during the summer months. There may even be individuals who were hired for seasonal work that stick out for full-time, permanent work and may have the potential to be a valuable member of your team, long-term.
By cultivating a positive employee experience and treating seasonal staff well, you not only enhance their loyalty but also streamline your future efforts. Ultimately, this can save your business both time and resources, creating a win-win situation for both your business and your talented pool of seasonal workers.
Ultimately, a well-executed seasonal hiring strategy can not only address the increased demand for staff but also contribute to the overall success and reputation of the business. By diligently planning ahead, optimising job descriptions, and providing strategic training, recruiters can attract top-notch candidates who possess the necessary skills and align with the company’s values.
Through these proactive measures, recruiters can turn the challenges of seasonal hiring into opportunities to showcase the company’s commitment to excellence and create a workforce that thrives even in the busiest times. This only enhances customer satisfaction but also strengthens the company’s brand as a reliable employee-friendly establishment, fostering long-term success.